Google+ continues to prove itself as a viable social media network for businesses looking to expand their online presence. While it has yet to see the same numbers as its prime competitor, Facebook, many companies have experienced unique benefits to Google+ that have helped improve the way they interact with their customers online.
If your brand is considering adding Google+ to your online marketing plan, here are a few ways you can use it to its full potential.
- Segment your clients – One of the unique features of Google+ are the circles that allow users to segment friends, family and others. Businesses are using these circles to their advantage too by segmenting VIPs, employees and long term clients. By doing this, specific segments can be targeted to receive special discounts and promotional offers without having to send a blast to an entire group of fans.
- Host hangouts to get closer to your client base – Hangouts are video chats for multiple people and are also unique to Google+. In a hangout, businesses are able to connect with their customers in new ways by using video to converse or demonstrate important information.
- Integration with other Google features, such as Google Maps – Something only Google can do is integrate their social network with their other most used features, such as Google Maps. This has helped businesses be found locally by their customers, which in turn helps to drive more sales. When a business posts their address on their Google+ profile, Google will automatically add that to their database and show the user a map of how to reach a brick and mortar location to find the business offline.
- Search engine optimization – The more Google integrates its search algorithm with Google+, the more businesses that have invested in this social media network will see the benefit. While there has not been a full integration into this network yet, this is certainly the direction Google is heading. For businesses, this is a distinct advantage because it provides an opportunity to connect with customers in new ways (as described above) while also benefitting their overall web presence over the long term.
While Google+ still has a ways to go before they can truly be competitive with Facebook, this social network has been more successful than others they have attempted in the past. For businesses in particular, there are distinct advantages to getting on board with this exciting new social network.
