Build Your Brand on Google+

GUIDE

Google+ and Hootsuite

2GOOGLE+ AND HOOTSUITE: BUILD YOUR BRAND ON GOOGLE+

Google+ and Hootsuite Build Your Brand on Google+ 

Named the second largest active social network in the world, just behind Facebook, Google+ has reserves of untapped potential to help your business. As this social network grows and gains popularity, it’s important that businesses know how to take advantage of what Google+ has to offer. To put it plainly, having your brand on Google+ means that you have better discovery, deeper engagement, increased marketing performance across the web, and a measurable impact.

Whether you want to create a content strategy, engage with your Google+ community, or build out your Google+ profile, this guide will help you understand the best practices for managing Google+. Want to learn more? Follow along:

Google+ Best PracticesGoogle+ was created to improve all of your Google experiences, like Gmail and YouTube. It acts as a central profile that points all of your Google activity back to your business. Assuming you already have a Google+ brand page (if not, learn how here), the next step is to build an effective strategy and attract an interactive community.

1. Complete your Google+ Page checklist:FF Create a Google+ Page

FF Verify your Page

FF Enable social extensions within AdWords

FF Claim your custom URL

FF Assign Page managers

FF Add the G+ Badge to your site

FF Post exclusive content

FF Grow your follower base

FF Engage with your community

“ Google+ Communities allow you to leverage a platform where your strategic partners and customers can share best practices, answer each other’s questions and share valuable information.”

Scott Wilder, Strategy Consultant focused on Digital Marketing and Google+ Communities

3GOOGLE+ AND HOOTSUITE: BUILD YOUR BRAND ON GOOGLE+

2. Create a content strategyF� Consistently post rich content — The most

engaging content on Google+ are beautiful photos, inspiring videos, and informative charts and infographics. Use this rich media to catch people’s attention and make them more likely to share and interact with your brand.

F� Create awareness and educate — Teach others what you already know, offer help, align your brand with other specialists, and help spread your insight and opinion. For example: send out weekly industry facts or tips and tricks which will in turn encourage your followers to stay tuned in to your updates.

F� Target your audience — When adding people to Google+, you can choose what “circle” to put them in. Segment your audience into these different circles and deliver content that would be interesting to or relevant for these groups. For example, your business can create a circle for Brand Ambassadors and post content you would like help amplifying to this circle.

3. Create Google+ circlesF� Group circles based on needs — With Google+

circles you can create circles that match your real life. For example your business can create a customer circle, competitor circle, employee circle, or industry circle.

F� Join relevant conversations — Also with Google+ circles, you can easily manage whose updates you see and choose who you’d like to share with. You can broadcast to the world, or keep your conversations private.

The Catlin Seaview Survey, a major scientific study of The Great Barrier Reef, uses Google+ Hangouts to share their underwater expeditions live.

4. Engage with your Google+ communityF� Take advantage of Google+ Hangouts — Hangouts

are an excellent way for you to connect internally with your employees or externally with your customers. Internally, you could host a team building or onboarding activity, while externally, you could host a session to explain a part of your product or lend expertise.

F� Start discussions — Join Google+ communities based on your interests or industry. Once you have joined these communities, join discussions and share industry knowledge. Be sure to add substance to your interactions and not just overwhelm your communities with mentions of your brand.

“ By leveraging the Circles functionality, you can extend your network and segment and send customized messages to different groups of users. Once you have, you can then invite these segments into relevant communities.”

Scott Wilder, Strategy Consultant focused on Digital Marketing and Google+ Communities

4GOOGLE+ AND HOOTSUITE: BUILD YOUR BRAND ON GOOGLE+

Hootsuite and Google+Integrate your Google+ Page with Hootsuite, and take advantage of Hootsuite’s capabilities with social engagement, measurement, collaboration, and security.

Google+ Pages in the Hootsuite dashboard gives brands access to:

F� Targeted publishing with circles — Tailor your messaging to specific audience segments and post updates to selected circles. Hootsuite Permissions allow Team Members to select whether a post will appear public, or whether it will post to a specific circle.

Advanced circle management — Build out your Google+ Page presence using Hootsuite Teams’ collaborative workflow. Use Teams to assign messages and follow up. For easy monitoring, you can also create custom keyword searches within public posts and content streams.

“ By leveraging the Circles functionality, you can extend your network and segment and send customized messages to different groups of users. Once you have, you can then invite these segments into relevant communities.”Scott Wilder, Strategy Consultant focused on Digital Marketing and Google+ Communities

Resources Now that we have given you an overview of the Google+ best practices with Hootsuite, we have more resources to help you continue your learning.

To gain insight on creating a social media strategy, watch this webinar.

For more comprehensive, on-demand training enroll in Hootsuite University at learn.Hootsuite.com.

5GOOGLE+ AND HOOTSUITE: BUILD YOUR BRAND ON GOOGLE+

How to Set Up Your Google+ Page

Watch this HSU video on how to set up your Google+ Page * Currently, Hootsuite offers Google+ pages

To add Google+ Pages:

F� Access your profile from the side menu

F� Select + Add a Social Network under My Social Networks.

F� Select Google+ from the sidebar menu

F� Click connect with Google+ and follow the prompts

F� Within your new Google+ tab, you can add a Home Stream, Sent Messages stream, Scheduled Messages stream, and streams for your individual circles

To learn more about your Hootsuite dashboard, join our free Social Media Coach webinars:

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