Do you use Google+ for the marketing and promotion needs of your business? This platform belongs to Google itself and can have a huge impact on your search engine rankings. The problem is deciding which features deserve your time and effort. There have been some recent changes made to Google+, but there is no doubt that it has a variety of features that are appealing to marketers and they will love to exploit them to their benefit. You can promote your business thoroughly and effectively through the features that are outlined below:
1- Set up Google+ Business Listings for Added Visibility
By far, the most important and game-changing feature of Google+ is Google My Business, especially for a local business. A Google+ business listing can be useful for increasing your visibility on mobile and local search and it also gives potential customers the opportunity to visit your verified website, use Google Maps for getting directions to your business outlet and get in touch with you. With a business listing on Google+, you can also make your YouTube videos and photos easy to find on your page and enable customers to leave reviews about your business right on the page. You can fill out your business information in as much detail as you prefer.
Becoming verified also boosts rankings of the business in organic search and the growing importance of mobile search is only going to enhance it.
2- Use Circles for Segmenting Connections
Google+ Circles give you a great opportunity to make subsets of those you are connected to and share updates and content with them selectively. Circles can be made based on customers, friends, influencers, business partners or affiliates you follow. This gives you the option of segmenting your updates to specific audiences and their interests. Circles are even used by some businesses for sending updates to large groups in order to avoid the restrictions associated with Gmail.
3- Join and Create Communities to Network
With Google+ Communities, you can select a cause or a topic of conversation and organize people around it. Through this feature, Google+ offers an environment that’s deeply connected as people visit their favorite communities when they begin their activities for the day. When you are representing a company or brand, these communities give you a platform to connect with like-minded individuals and potential customers. As a matter of fact, they can come in handy for recruiting and connecting with those who passionately advocate your product or business. You also have the option of creating a community around a topic of interest or join communities of other people. The key is to provide your members with real value.
4- Start Collections for Categorizing Content
You can also group your posts around a particular topic through the feature Google+ Collections. With this feature, you can simply categorize the content you share on your business’s Google+ page. Google has made it considerably easier for you to add posts to your collection and it is making a lot of effort in incorporating other bells and whistles for your convenience. The followed posts will be visible in your Home stream and you will be able to jump into the collection for accessing content by the same author. When you start creating collections, it becomes simpler for other Google+ users to find and follow them and you don’t have to make much effort.
If you have a blog for your business, you can make a collection of your blog posts and give your subscribers a new way of getting updates. You also have the option of creating a collection of photos of your business’s products or that of your campaigns. If the collection you make is interesting or useful, you may also get on the Featured Collections page. Keep in mind that collections cannot be self-serving, which means they shouldn’t be just for promotion. You have to offer some value to customers so third-party content can also be used. Collections are fast becoming a way to classify and share information and will help you in getting better visibility and rankings.
5- Broadcast Hangouts for Engaging with Followers
Since its release, one of the most popular features of the Google+ platform is Hangouts. It is used by politicians, businesses, book authors and any individual who wishes to connect with the audience in an authentic and intimate fashion. Hangouts can be highly helpful for your business as you can use it for creating and promoting events like product launches, conduct conversations or webinars on an interesting topic and organizing Q&A sessions. They are deemed as a fantastic way of engaging with your audience and growing their numbers. As mobile video becomes the rage, the popularity of Hangouts seems to be increasing as well and it is being widely used for promotion.
6- Share Google Photos for Telling Stories
Perhaps the best part of Google Photos is that it can give you unlimited video and photo cloud storage and apps for iOS, Android and desktop browsers. You can use it for storing high-resolution photos and your photos will automatically be categorized into Places, People and Things. If appropriate and relevant keywords are used for naming your photos, there is a greater chance of them showing up in Google’s search results and providing you with added visibility in image search.
Since Google made the announcement that it will no longer be a requirement to make a Google+ profile for accessing its other products, marketers have been predicting the death of this particular platform. However, there is a reason to be positive about leveraging your profile as it has a strong international following. The search function of Google has always been its strength and features that are linked to it will always be useful. With the aforementioned tips, you will be able to leverage your account on Google+ to have a positive impact on your rankings in Google’s search engine and enhance your visibility to get increased traffic and a greater following for your business.
