How To Use Google Plus Effectively

Social media is a very popular and easy way to spread the word about your business but to get the most return on investment (ROI) it’s best to have a social media plan. Otherwise you can get caught up in Twitter drama or Facebook games.

Working effectively with Google Plus involves a simple three-step process: Setup, Networking and Marketing. After the Setup phase is complete, then it’s really only the networking and marketing that will need your attention.

Setting Up Google Plus

First, set up your Google Plus profile. Simply fill in the fields with your name, company name, location and a photo and you you’re now ready to venture further into using Google Plus. Of course, if you have a physical location for your company and are looking to use Google Plus as a way to grow and promote your business, make sure you include your location.

Second, create a Google Page for your business. In the left sidebar of your profile you’ll notice an icon that says “Pages” (it may also be under the “More” icon). Click this icon and then choose which type of page you want to create. Just keep following the very easy instructions for choosing your category, personalizing the page’s profile, and adding a photo.

Networking

Remember that you now have two Google Plus profiles: 1 personal and 1 business. Most likely, if you’re trying to grow your business and get your brand recognized, you’ll want to do your business networking under your business profile. When you log in to Google Plus, simply click the “Pages” icon and begin posting information, tips, photos or videos.

To really jumpstart your networking efforts, you will have to search out people who fit into your target market. You can search for these people using the search function and then fit them into one of your circles. The same is true of local businesses or your chamber of commerce.

Once people start to find your Google Plus business page, they will add you to their own circles and you will receive notifications. Now you can add those people to your circles, which is a function not available with Facebook.

Keep in mind that it’s not enough to just add people to your circles. They will forget about your page very quickly if you don’t post useful information for them to read. Even before you get your first follower, you should write some posts that others will find useful. Start with an introduction post telling what you have to offer and then keep following it up with tips, recipes, or photos of local events that are interesting to your readers. If people ask questions or make comments on your posts, answer them back right away. Strike up conversations as frequently as possible to engage your audience.

Marketing

There’s nothing wrong with self-promotion on social media provided that you’re not doing it every single day or with every single post. The key is to always ask yourself how you can help others and what information will your readers find useful.

Encourage your readers to share your website content by adding the +1 badge to your site. This is the small, orange button that allows readers to share your website link with others in their Google Plus circles. The more useful the information, the more people will share it which will hopefully lead to more sales.

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