Google+ is the 7th most active social network with over 343 million monthly active users. 44% of 18-29 year olds in the US have a Google+ account. Google+ has an average annual growth rate of 33% and sees increasing usage among users aged 45-54. The document provides examples of excellent personal and company profiles on Google+, defines key terms, discusses Google+'s strengths and weaknesses, and provides best practices and strategies for using Google+ personally and for businesses. It also outlines analytics, tools, tutorials and suggested readings for using Google+ effectively.

1. Google+
Warren Wood, Greg Hassel, Jimmy Churchill

2. Overview
Current Statistics
● Google + is the 7th ranked most active social network with more than
343 million monthly active users. http://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-
by-number-of-users/
● 44% of 18-29 year olds have a Google + account in the U.S.A., but 28% of
millennials visit Google + monthly. http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/google-plus-statistics/6/
● Google + has an average growth rate of 33% a year, with users aged 45-
54 increasing their usage by 56% since 2012. http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/new-
social-media-statistics-you-need-know

3. Excellent Examples
Personal Profiles
● Aaron Allen, Global Restaurant Consultant at Aaron Allen & Associates
Aaron Allen's Profile
● Excellent explanation and visualization of who he is as well as who he works for
● Links available to other platforms as well as links to blogs about the restaurant
business
● Trond Lyngbo, Head of SEO at MediaCom Norway, and SEO columnist at
Search Engine Land
Trond Lyngbo's Profile
● Clearly states and identifies what he is passionate about and how he is an expert on
the subject of SEO
● Many links to other platform profiles, what he contributes to such as blogs, and
updates frequently about his SEO passion

4. Excellent Examples
Company Pages
● Starbucks Coffee
○ Full explanation of company mission
○ Allows UGC and high interaction with consumers
○ Links to other company profiles on other platforms and to
their website
○ Allows suggestions for improvements from consumers
○ Frequently posts updates related to consumers and business
ventures
○ Starbucks Profile

5. Key Terms & Definitions
● Circles: Allows you to customize how to organize your followers and who
you follow.
○ Fully customizable, common circles are Co Workers, Family, Friends, ETC.
○ When posting a link or update, you have the ability to choose which circle can and cannot
see it
● Hangouts: This feature allows you to chat and video chat with up to ten
people at once.
○ Useful for business meetings when multiple individuals are involved and/or in different
areas
● +1 Button: This button is similar to Facebook’s “Like” button, which easily
shares posts you “+1” to your circles

6. Key Terms & Definitions (Cont.)
● Communities: This feature allows users to connect, share, and ask
questions about a certain topic
○ Public or private
○ Fully customizable in terms of being public, public with moderators, private with requests,
or invite only
○ Our class community is an excellent example of a private community with requests
○ Public example: Resume & Interview Tips
● Hashtag: Like Twitter, Google+ uses hashtags(#) to identify certain
keywords and topics
http://sproutsocial.com/insights/google-plus-definitions/
http://slideshare.net/sheenalena/google-plus-an-overview-of

7. Interesting Facts
● About 33% of the users come from the U.S.A., with over 70% speaking
English
● Over 60% of the users on Google+ are male
● 60% of users engage daily, with 80% engaging on a weekly basis
● China and Iran ban the use of Google+
http://www.bigfootdigital.co.uk/2013/09/11-surprising-facts-about-google/

8. Strengths of Google+
● Circles allow customization of the relationship of connections such as
Family, Co Workers, Personal friends, Etc.
● Full integration with other Google services like YouTube, Google Drive,
Gmail, Etc.
● Search engine optimization(SEO) on Google+ trumps all in this category
because content published from Google+ is more likely to come up from a
search query than from other platforms
● Google Hangouts is a unique feature that allows video chat for up to ten
people at once, which its main competitors do not offer.
http://www.dailyblogtips.com/google-plus-vs-facebook/ http://searchengineland.com/google-the-good-the-bad-the-ugly-83630

9. Weaknesses of Google+
● It is not nearly as popular as Facebook or Twitter in terms of social usage;
with the average time per day users look on their stream is around 12
minutes
● Google+’s contest and promotions policy limits business pages from
hosting any promotions, giveaways, or contests
● Many users complain about Google+ not being as user friendly as
Facebook and Twitter
http://searchengineland.com/google-the-good-the-bad-the-ugly-83630
http://mashable.com/2011/07/01/google-the-pros-cons/

10. Best Tips for Using
● Circle MGMT
○ Create content of high relevance for a particular group of people and
chose to show it to them.
● Use your name in the URL
● Link every page to your G+
● Google Alerts- Get the latest news for similar content you’ll be sharing
○ Effective for sharing and being a relevant/current source
○ FAST

11. Best Tips for Using
● Design an effective snippet
● Monitor Analytics
https://blog.kissmetrics.com/personal-branding-seo/
http://domain.me/use-google-personal-branding/
http://jorgensundberg.net/10-personal-branding-ideas-google-plus/

12. The A-Z Guide for Branding
● A-M
○ Authenticity!
■ Create and curate content that reflects who you are
○ Blog- Finding your tribe
■ They’ll help spread your word
■ Repurpose your material
○ Help Others
○ Keywords- Very effective
■ Use hashtags
○ Media-
■ G+ allows you to use all kinds of media. Use them.
http://www.plusyourbusiness.com/guide-personal-branding-using-google-plus/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_bcMQRGonc

13. The A-Z Guide for Branding
● N-Z
○ Network!
○ Opinions
■ People want to hear what YOU have to say
● Therefore, they will judge you
● So don’t get too crazy
○ Although that may be a good strategy
○ Slogan- Personal business card
○ Teach Others
■ Gain recognition, become an influencer, become a source
○ Voice
■ Keep a consistent voice throughout all posts

14. Strategies for Engagement
● Headlines!
○ Format for attention
● Use your pictures
● Smart Sharing
● Interactive Posts
○ Engage with Comments
http://moz.com/blog/google-plus-tips-seo

15. Strategies for Engagement
● Hashtags?

16. Other Strategies
● Tag People
● Cross Post
○ Write long messages in G+ and then Tweet the link
● Start Communities
○ Ripples
http://www.blogtyrant.com/google-plus-tips/
http://www.jeffalytics.com/measuring-google-plus/

17. Analytics
● How many people have YOU in their circles
● +1s
● Impressions
● Author Stats- Search Impressions, Search Clicks, Individual Post Click
Through Rate
● http://www.allmyplus.com/u/110893458888634184500#start
○ Will tell you everything

18. Essential Tools/Apps
● Google+ is supported by native reinforcement of UGC
Examples of tools & Apps used along with Google+(Marketing):
1.Widgets- Allow you to display company Google+ page on your website with
customizable features
2.Google+ statistics- Allow user to see top trends, social media reporting tool
for facebook and twitter, in other words almost anything is measurable..top
brands.. occupations ect..
3.Directories- For Google+ individuals that are influential in your industry
(google has its own “PlusClout” score)
Findpeopleonplus.com- A place to network with old new co workers and
professionals in your geographic area or school history.

19. Essential tools/Apps Cont.
4.)Browser extensions-
(Extended share) allows for shared Google+ post on any social media platform
(G++) allows for twitter and facebook to be aligned along with your Google+
feed and post for easy access
5.) Google drive- allow for secure sharing and storage of content
6.) Google+ presentation(slides) and document: Interactive way to complete
assignments online with live updates and changes made by team members.
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/5-top-google-tools-and-apps-for-
marketing-pros/

20. Tutorial

21. Excellent Examples
Product/Personal Branding:
1.)7 point checklist to dominate personal branding on google+
http://rebekahradice.com/dominate-your-personal-brand-using-google-plus/
2.)Great example for setting up a basic google+ account & getting noticed-
http://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-social-media/google-plus

22. Cont. (For business)
1.)Basic visual representation-
http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/best-practices-using-g-business-
infographic/147440
2.)In depth by hootsuite-
https://hootsuite.com/resources/guide/google-for-business-a-guide-by-the-
hootsuite-social-media-coaches
3.)Focus more on content-
http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2012/11/content-marketing-best-practices-
google-success/

23. Suggested Readings
For google+ authorship (Google Authorship is a way to link content you create with a Google+ profile.)-
http://searchengineland.com/the-definitive-guide-to-google-authorship-markup-123218
Why blog on google+ and how-
http://www.computerworld.com/article/2492324/social-media/why-i-blog-on-google---and-how-.html
Another reason why you should use google+ to blog-
http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevecooper/2013/08/31/the-one-reason-every-blogger-should-use-google/
How to properly use hashtags on google+
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/google-hashtags-more-exposure/
Everything you need to know about google+ ($2.51)
http://www.amazon.com/What-Plus-Google-Rest-Us-ebook/dp/B007HD7HT0