1.
How Brands are Using Google+
By Erica Swallow
Tech Journalist & Director of Community, Contently

2.
About Google+
• Launched to public in September 2011
• Google’s latest foray into social networking
• Google Friend Connect, Google Buzz, Orkut
• 170 million users
• Tech enthusiasts, male students
• Largely inactive user base
#googleplus | @ericaswallow

3.
Why Google+ Matters
• Largest search engine in the world
• Momentum towards social-driven search
• Google products continue to merge
• Google Places, Google Reader, Google Search
• Massive brand page growth
• 1,400% increase in users following top 100 brand
pages from December 2011 to January 2012
#googleplus | @ericaswallow

4.
The Downside
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5.
More Negatives
• Administration is difficult
• You need a personal account to create a business
page
• Social dashboards don’t integrate Google+ yet
• Apply for HootSuite beta
• Google side projects are unreliable
• Buzz, Wave, Hotpot
#googleplus | @ericaswallow

6.
The Google+ Profile
#googleplus | @ericaswallow

7.
Create Custom Circles
• Based on your email contacts
• Circles enable easy grouping and sharing
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8.
Follow Sparks
• Google+’s algorithmic content recommendation system
• Based on Google Search, Google+ and +1 button
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9.
Google+ Business Pages
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10.
Top Brand Pages on Google+
Source: Simply Measured
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11.
Top Industries on Google+
Source: Simply Measured
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12.
Engagement Rates
Source: Simply Measured
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13.
Most Engaging Content
Source: Simply Measured
#googleplus | @ericaswallow

14.
1. Target With Circles
#googleplus | @ericaswallow

15.
2. Make a Big Announce
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16.
3. Host Hangouts
• Business meetings, industry chats, meetups, tech support
• Hangout with Extras: named hangouts, shared notes and
sketchpad, Google docs integration, screensharing
• Hangout On Air enables streaming to unlimited users
• Records to private video on YouTube
#googleplus | @ericaswallow

17.
Hangouts – Interviews
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18.
Hangouts – Industry Chat
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19.
Hangouts – Help Desk
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20.
Hangout Tips From the Muppets
Click here to watch an awesome video.
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21.
4. Expand Content Distribution
• Share photos, articles, videos, and commentary
• Segmentation: Customers, VIPs, Team members
#googleplus | @ericaswallow

22.
Photos, Photos, Photos
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23.
5. Promote a Contest
• Cannot run contests on Google+
• But you can link off to the contest
#googleplus | @ericaswallow

24.
Photo + Contest = Not Too Shabby
#googleplus | @ericaswallow

25.
6. Rock Hashtags & Mentions
topics, events, random things
people, brand pages
#googleplus | @ericaswallow

26.
Hashtags: Conferences
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27.
Hashtags: Get In On a Meme
#googleplus | @ericaswallow

28.
Hashtags: Promote Hangouts
#googleplus | @ericaswallow

29.
Hashtags: Run a Campaign
#googleplus | @ericaswallow

30.
Mentions: Give Shout Outs
#googleplus | @ericaswallow

31.
Mentions: Cross-promote Pages
#googleplus | @ericaswallow

32.
Other Reasons To Get Started…
• Connect with early adopters
• Network with journalists and potential clients
• Explore
#googleplus | @ericaswallow

33.
Pro Tip #1: Shorten Your URL
• Google+ doesn’t support vanity URLs
• Use gplus.to to create a short URL for sharing
#googleplus | @ericaswallow

34.
Pro Tip #2: Google+ Ripples
#googleplus | @ericaswallow

35.
Questions?
Erica Swallow | @ericaswallow | ericaswallow.com