It seems like one of the underappreciated darlings of many business’s content marketing initiatives is Google+. It is still a growing social media platform and I don’t hear a lot of business owners raving about their Google+ activity these days. Or maybe not yet.  There are a lot of reasons why you might want to consider upping your presence on this social media platform, and here are some of the ones I find most convincing:

Why Use Google+:

• Google+ is a relative newcomer to the social media game (2011) but the number of people using it is growing and, since this IS a Google product, there is no end in sight. As of January, 2015, there were 2.2 billion people using Google+, although Business Insider Magazine reported that just a little less than 10% of users are active on the platform. This is bound to grow substantially over the next couple of years so it’s probably a good idea to add it to your online “playlist.”
• Google gets more than 67% of the internet’s search engine volume, which means Google+ posts carry more weight (from a link equity perspective) as a result.
• The Google+ Circles allow you to share some information with people in one group but not others, allowing you to differentiate between posts directed to your friends and family, and posts directed to your business connections.
• Google+ Hangouts allow users to gather in video meetings that you can also record and post to YouTube.
• The platform enables you to invite contacts to an event and notify them directly; their RSVP automatically triggers a calendar addition for them, all of which expands the potential impact of your invitation.

What It Is:

Google+ is a social platform stemming from your Google Account that allows you to easily build a community, invite engagement, share news about your company, develop thought leadership and promote your brand. It provides another opportunity to gain access to people with whom you might not ordinarily connect and communicate with them.  You add contacts to “circles” that represent your areas of interest and to which you can post specific, circle-oriented content.

I’ll have a little more to say about using Google+ for business in my next blog but in the meantime, if you would like to learn more about how my team and I might be able to sort out your social media profile concerns, please contact me at susan@crossmancommunications.com. I’d love to book a conversation with you to share a little more about how we might be able to support you.