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Google+ is a social networking tool that allows you the opportunity to connect with others around the world that already have Gmail accounts. It's no surprise that Google decided to come up with their own answer to the social media trend, as Facebook and Twitter have also proven their value.
The Power of Google
When you go to search for anything online, you will probably go to Google first to see what it has to tell you about a certain keyword or key phrase. You go to this search engine for answers and to get to websites that will allow you to finish research, learn a new skill, or just find a video that you want to watch.
Google is a powerhouse in terms of building an index of connections, and it has been doing so for a while now. Not only is Google the way that people speak about learning something from others online, but it's also become the go-to place for making your life simpler.
Customers and clients are already on Google, looking for what you have to sell. They are looking for the products you have to offer, and they are wiling to trust the results that Google has to share.
In a sense, Google can become your middleman; helping to bring people together who may not have already known the other existed.
And when you understand the rules by which Google scores the websites in its index, you will find it even easier to connect with your audience in new ways.
This is a relationship that is built on trust, ease, and simplicity – and businesses reap the benefits.
One of the things that most non-technical folks don't realize about Google is just how simple it makes connecting to others. With its myriad of tools and its streamlined design, you don't have to hunt around for the things you need to find.
All you need to do is to search and you get what you ask for.
With Google+, this continues to be the case. You can search for others like you within the Google+ network, connecting with the people who are already interested in what you have to say.
This works to make your marketing efforts explode, as you're setting up your business as an authority because Google shows you in the results. You don't have to do anything more than to follow their rules, run a solid business, have a good product/service, and be willing to connect.
It's really that simple. And it's a free tool that can be used by anyone who has a Gmail account. Since so many people turn to the Gmail system for their email, this is where you begin the connections of Google+ for your own marketing adventure.
The Openness of the Internet
Unlike Facebook and LinkedIn, for example, Google+ isn't bound by limitations of connections. Anyone can connect with anyone, and it makes this a highly effective marketing tool. When you get a Google+ account, anyone can put you in his or her connections.
In addition, this helps the other users of Google+, as they are able to create connections immediately and see what you have shared in the system.
The dialogue becomes one that is ongoing and open and engaging. While 'engagement' has become a sort of catchphrase in the marketing world, it is nonetheless useful and important.
You need to connect with your audience, more than you need to talk with them about the latest products you have. It's essential that companies now converse with their audience and build rapport with them – perhaps a long time before the product is sold or the service is scheduled.
By being on the Google+ bandwagon, you will begin to show others that are out there, available and ready to hear what they have to say. The more you begin to converse, the more results you will see.
And there are ways you can control the posts that you share and who sees them, so there's less of the security concern that some people still feel is present on Facebook.
Free of Cost
No matter where you are in your marketing efforts or in your business planning, the less you need to spend upfront, the better it is for your bottom line.
With Google+, there is no fee to sign up (at this time). All you need to do is to set up a Gmail account, and then you can register for your Google+ account.
Though there might be ways in which you can boost your marketing efforts by paying for complementary services (i.e. automatic posting, newsletter services, etc.), this tool in and of itself is free.
Related the cost benefit is that Google also incorporates other free tools as a part of their design – Google Voice, Google Docs, Google Analytics, Google Checkout, Google Calendar, etc.
These tools are also free of charge, or have nominal fees attached.
By building your business with all of these tools at the same time, there's less need to manage things separately. This means more time for you – and more money for your business.
You don't have to spend hours of your time with building your special networks in Google+. Some people might decide to use this system for their personal connections and professional connections – and this will still be manageable.
All you need to do is to setup Google Circles, which allow you to place different contacts into different groups. This sounds complicated, but it's very intuitive.
What happens is that you will start to decide where you want to place different connections. By building unique groups, you can have one group that sees your personal posts, one group that sees your marketing efforts, and another group that might be linked in to information about your products and services, if they're already using them.
With this multi-layered design, you will be able to control what you say and who hears it. This allows you to be more targeted in your efforts, without losing your privacy.
Those personal posts about how you don't enjoy X about your job can be seen only by your personal friends and family, while your business network will only see the professional links to your blogs, related websites, etc.
Customization of Features
One of the ways in which Google+ (and Google as a whole) seems to benefit users the most is its customization of features. You can use what you want, and leave the rest, depending on your specific needs.
In Google+, you can create a profile page that reflects your business personality and your brand. This allows you to use the page in a certain capacity, but then you can easily adjust it if you feel your business needs to take another direction.
For example, you can choose to focus on being a local business, or not.
You can choose to have more ways for customers to connect with you (i.e. Hangouts), or not.
At the end of the day, Google+ is about helping you decide how you want to engage. When you engage, you create a customer base that is more likely to buy.
So what features are important to you? You can try them out and find out what you think, as well as what your audience thinks.
If you've already been using a system like Facebook and Twitter, you already know what you might share in these spaces. You will be able to do the same things on Google+, but the Google features make it easier to share and to show your posts in a more effective way.
- You can of course talk about things in postings, or you can share pictures and videos.
- You can create conversations and mark "+1" other posts to show that you like them and you want others to read them.
- And you can do this not only from your computer, but also from smart phone applications, so the conversation never needs to stop because you're not in your office.
Some say that the design is clearer and easier to read, which encourages more engagement and allows people in your networks to see that you're not only committed to your ideas, but you're also interested in having someone else join the conversation.
Take some time to wander around Google+ to see what other people are sharing right now. You might find you can post things that you couldn't post on other social media sites.
