Although Google Plus Marketing is a fairly new concept, it has huge potential for brands and businesses that want to increase their influence online.  There are now over 250 million Google+ accounts and over 150 million active users across the globe and the numbers are growing. So, what make it so special?

 

In my opinion, Google+ offers pretty much what Facebook offers (features) and certainly more value for B2B Marketers and businesses than most social networks. Google+ is indeed an all-round online marketing platform and this makes it very special for many people. Before you jump into the bandwagon of Google+ users, I want us to look at some practical ways you can use Google Plus Marketing to your advantage.

 

Google Plus Marketing Basics

Set Goals for Google+ Marketing

 

Many people don’t set goals for Google Plus marketing. They just jump into the bandwagon and assume that they will get the results that they want.  The truth is that you need a content marketing strategy for Google+ and a clear set of goals. Ask yourself, what exactly do I want to gain from using Google+?

 

While some use Google Plus marketing to increase their brand influence, others sign up for Google+ because they want to communicate with their customers. Still, others want to use Google Plus marketing to establish relationships with their prospects.  All these are noble goals. No matter what your goals are, it is important to make them specific and actionable.

 

Create and Maintain Your Google Plus Profile

 

As much as you are excited about Google Plus marketing, you should realize that it is the fundamental things like creating and maintaining a good profile that builds your business or brand image. Simple things such as adding a catchy and powerful tagline about your business, uploading a relevant profile photo or logo (that identifies your business will go a long way in personalizing your brand. The most important Google Plus marketing strategy is to personalize your brand to make it more authentic and valuable to your audience.

 

Know Your Google+ Audience

 

Before you start using Google Plus, you should take some time to understand your Google+ audience. Don’t assume that Google+ overlaps with other social media platforms. The truth is that many people have different perceptions of Google+ compared to either Twitter or Facebook.  You should ask questions, organize a Google Plus marketing survey, and interact with your audience so that you can know what their needs are.  Don’t assume that what works with online video marketing will work with Google plus marketing.

 

Find and Engage with Relevant Users

 

Just like Facebook and Twitter, Google+ has many voices. What I mean is that there are several Google+ users who speak different things. You might want to look at the existing database of shared Google Plus circles to find your footing and starting ground as person or business.

 

As a business, you have to examine the nature of user conversation(s) and identify users that you can engage with in meaningful conversations.  The reason is that your Google Plus conversations determine the success of your brand or business. The catch here is to create and sustainable positive conversations with your audience through your Google+ page.

 

Add Relevant Keywords & Links on Your Page

 

Google+ allows you to include relevant keywords and essential links on your Google + Marketing page. This might seem like a simple content marketing strategy, but the truth is that it increases the overview of your business.

 

The best way of using your page for Google Plus marketing is to link it to specific pages on your company or personal website. This will direct visitors from your Google+ Page to the most important sections of your website.

 

Personalize Your Page URL

 

Another fundamental Google Plus marketing strategy is to use a vanity URL in your page. By default, Google+ does not allow you to create vanity URLs like Facebook. You will realize that your URLs will have this structure http://plus.google.com/10235767xxxxx/posts. While there is no indication that Google will allow “all users” to personalize their URLS, you can still use a custom URL service like www.gplus.to and redirect users to your page.  The catch here is that using a user-friendly like makes it easier for you to brand yourself and to attract followers on social media channels.

 

 Set Up Google+ Authorship

 

Google now factors Google+ in SEO algorithms and so if you a marketer or a blogger then you should take advantage of Google+ Authorship to build your brand and image. By authenticating your authorship, you will increase the trust and credibility of your content.

 

Setting up your Google+ Authorship is a simple task. To do this, you need to identify yourself as the legitimate user of your Google+ profile.  Once you identify yourself, you will be able to link your pages and blog content with your Google+ profile page.

 

Get in Touch with Customers Using Google+ Hangouts

 

Regardless of whether you are a big or small brand, you should make every effort to use Google+ Hangouts to get in touch with your customers.  Google+ hangout is a unique internet marketing tool that gives you an edge when communicating to customers in real time.  You should first get insight on your customers before you use the hangouts for Google plus Marketing.

 

The best way of doing this is to create an appointment calendar for your group and then invite members to hang out and talk either the CEO or your product manager.  If you do it really well, you will attract more people to your hangout as they will feel they are getting real value from the interactive nature of your Google Plus marketing campaign.

 

Promote Your Content on Google +

 

As I indicated earlier, Google Plus  is much more than a social network.  It is a melting point of social media and content marketing.  As of now, several internet networks and platforms connect seamlessly with Google+ making it an invaluable channel for content marketing.

 

The beauty of Google Plus is that it reaches out to more people and also improves your visibility in the search engine. Every time you post content or share links in Google+, Google reciprocates by indexing it and giving you better exposure for targeted keywords. That’s not all. Your content will also appear in your contact’s personalized search which means they can access it and share it easily.

 

Though Google Plus marketing is a relatively new concept in internet marketing, it’s quickly proven itself to be an invaluable technique for marketing online. The beauty of Google+ is that it integrates seamlessly with several other Google products.  It doesn’t matter whether you want to promote your brand, or establish relationship with customers, or broaden your online content marketing influence, Google Plus marketing remains a great way of starting and sustaining meaningful conversations online.