7 Tips for using Google+

7 Tips for using Google+

Have you been ignoring Google+?

It’s easy to do. Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter are much more accepted and used by the average person. And between social media, content, email and traditional marketing, let alone running your business, who has time to learn another social media channel?

Ignore Google+ at risk to your future online relevance. #bluezoo

But beware, Google+ is playing a bigger and bigger role in both social media and search. Google has announced that all YouTube comments will be sourced from Google+.

Here are 7 tips and reasons for using Google+:

SEO. Did you know Google has introduced hashtags? You can use them to search keywords in the largest search database! Smart marketers will include hashtags in their Goolge+ content to help make their content easier to find. According to Steve Rayson, “You are simply losing out in terms of SEO if you are not using Google+ effectively.” Here is his article, along with tips to improve your SEO.
Growth. Google+ is now the second largest (behind Facebook) social network with 360 million users according to GlobalWebIndex and they have the second highest % of people actively using their accounts.
Authorship. Make sure to create a Google+ profile. Then you can sign up for authorship. That will allow you to link to all your content, create credibility and increase search ranking. For writers, this also protects and sources your work.
YouTube. Not only is YouTube a great and easy way to share videos online, it also is the second largest search database! With the growing popularity of video for content marketing, you might want to think about using YouTube. And remember, all YouTube comments will be sourced from Google+.
Google circles. This is a great way to refine and target your content and marketing. Instead of broadcasting to all your contacts like on Facebook, you can create different content for each group that you market with different circles of clients. You can also create circles for clients, prospects, staff, friends, family to ensure your friends and family aren’t bombarded with your business messages.
More business oriented. The goal for Google+ is to be The Social Network for connecting and collaborating within the professional community. Whereas, Facebook is overrun with fun and family posting, and Twitter tends to be dominated by celebrities who already have fame and large audiences.
More customization, groups and collaboration. Again, think circles, hangouts, integration with Google docs, drive, email and YouTube. Google makes it easy to use and integrate all their services. Hangouts is another great way to connect and collaborate online. In fact, our team at Blue Zoo often uses hangouts to hold virtual meetings. It’s easy and free for up to 10 users.