5 Ways to Grow Your Business with Google+

We are continuing this week by identifying five ways to grow your business using Google+. Google+ is an interesting platform. It has some amazing features and functions that blow away its competition. With its integration with Google Search, it should be a no brainer for businesses that post content, and yet it is growing at a rate that is even not close to what it should be. But there are some amazing things you can do with this platform to grow your business. Here are five.

Get Listed

One of the most important reasons to be on Google+ comes from its association with Google Search. Start your Google+ presence by either creating a Google+ page or, if you have a brick and mortar location, going to Google.com/Business and establishing a Google place. By doing so, you are telling Google that you exist. Not only is this a wise decision from a social media perspective, but from a search engine optimization one as well. This will improve the response given when your name is searched for on mobile devices and in PC search.

Post and Share Content

In order for you to be successful online, you must first be found. In our first recommendation, you have taken a giant step to being found on Google – the #1 search engine (by a mile). Now for the second. All of the content you post on Google+ will be indexed by Google, as long as you do not specify that it is private. So now, we recommend that you post some quality on your new page. Make that content very visual and valuable enough for people to want to share. Finally, you can’t just post. You have to share as well. Visit communities and research others to share your content with. The more people who see it and like, the better you will rank in search. According to SearchMetrics, the Google+ “+1” is the number one factor in Google page ranking. Also be sure to include hashtags in your posts.

Start a Community

If you have some time that you would like to invest in Google+, I encourage you to start a community. If you are just checking it out, join a few. Communities are Google’s version of LinkedIn and Facebook groups. They bring people together in a common industry or with a common interest. Communities are a place you can start discussions, share posts and information and even have a face-to-face conversations with others. If you start a community, the worst thing you can do is just post sales information. Share information that your customers are interested in. Even if it comes from other sources, any great information you can provide will help you. Worried about sending someone to a competitor’s website? Check out Snip.ly and our blog about it. Where there is community, there are customers.

Build an Audience with Circles

Building an audience on Google+ is much different than Facebook or LinkedIn. Everyone is on Facebook. Most professionals are on LinkedIn. Google+ is a whole different beast. There are a lot more people with Google+ accounts than people who use the platform. If you have a Gmail or YouTube account, you have Google+ account. So the key to audience building on Google+ is going after the individuals who are on Google+. Don’t start by using this platform to connect with your existing contacts. Use it to find new contacts. Add people whose content you respect to your circles. Then connect your other social accounts to your Google+ in hopes of connecting with them. Finally create a variety of circles and classify these new connections accordingly. Using circles efficiently will help you when you post your content.

Hangout

Google Hangouts are interesting places too. You can host a video Hangout for clients, prospects, or even employees. Imagine ten years ago if someone told you that your business could have their own TV station. You would think they were crazy. Now this is a reality. With the inclusion of webcams on most laptops and high speed internet in our offices and homes, we can now produce video content and share it with people around the world.

There is so much potential with Google+. Don’t let the naysayers dissuade you from jumping on board. Real results are around the corner if you commit. I promise you.