Google+ For Your Small Business

Google+ is the new kid on the block in the social media world. But even though its numbers aren’t as staggering as Facebook or Twitter, entrepreneurs aren’t hesitating to integrate this tool into their marketing plans.

The appeal of Google+ lies in its capacity for branding small businesses. If you are a startup or home-based business owner, have you harnessed the full capacity of circles, hangouts and plus one?

HANGOUTS

A specific Google+ term referring to video chat. You can talk with up to 9 people at once, which is a great tool for telecommuters who rely on workplaces on demand.

Here are a few ideas for hangouts:

• Customer Engagement Tool – host a casual chat with current and potential clients
• Host Q&A sessions for feedback on how to provide better customer service
• Host meetings with employees in different locations

BUSINESS BRAND PAGE

Think in terms of customer engagement and interaction. Here is where you want to provide value to your customers. Try to create a page where you can have face-to-face interaction with your visitors:

• Write blog posts and enable comments
• Add pictures
• Add people to your circles
• Have people recommend you with the +1 (Google’s version of the Like button)

Google+ also helps your business because it boosts your SEO page ranking with the +1 feature. If you set up a business page on Google+, that page will pull up when someone does an internet search for that particular brand.

CONNECT WITH OTHER ENTREPRENEURS

Successful businesses are all about relationships, right? You can use Google+ to find like-minded business owners easily because of how Google has set up their Circles feature. You can browse for people via industry, brand or name.

What’s the best way to engage? Comment on relevant posts. Go to business events and then post and tag photos of colleagues from said events. Read articles that people post, and click the +1 so they know you are reading their content. The more you engage, the more others will return the favor and visit your page and read your content.

2012 is predicted to be a fast-growing year for Google+, as it develops into the go-to social media platform for small business. Don’t be one of the last to jump on the bandwagon.

How many of you are already using Google+? How does it differ from Twitter and Facebook for your network?

tags: Blog | entrepreneur | google+ | hangouts | home-based business | small business | startup | telecommuters | workplaces on demand