google+whitepaper-new

Google+
for small businesses & organizations
7 Tips to Master Your Google+ Page

1235 DAKOTA DRIVE, SUITE G | GRAFTON, WI 53024
TEL: 800.459.9487 | FAX: 262.387.4736 | WWW.MPI-IMPACT.COM
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CONTENTS
#1 Realizing Your Potential on Google+…………………………………...........3
#2 Adding Value to Your Profile………………………………………………...........4
#3 Creating Quality Posts…………………………………………………………..........5
#4 Building a Content Strategy………………………………………………...…......6
#5 Sharing Photos & Videos………………………………………………..…….7 & 8
#6 Engaging with Comments & Responses…....……………………………….9
#7 Inviting the Conversation…………………………………………………..…......10
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………..................11

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Google+ is a powerful social media tool that can accelerate your businesses digital marketing
presence. By understanding all that Google has to offer your business, you will be able to
better plan your digital marketing execution to reach your full social media potential. All
social media platforms are designed with different intentions and have various benefits. A
key takeaway you should understand from this white paper and your own experience with
Google+ is that the population of users on this platform is a unique and high quality audience.
By engaging on your business’ Google+ platform you will reap many benefits including the
opportunity to communicate with a concentrated audience of your most
powerful customers.
In this white paper you will learn how to make the most of
your Google+ account and the impact it will make on your
social and digital media presence. After reading this you
will have an overall understanding of how to jump into
this social media platform, but as you familiarize yourself
with Google+ you learn new ways to use the platform to
best fit the needs of your business.
#1 REALIZING YOUR POTENTIAL ON GOOGLE+

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There is great potential in leveraging Google+ platform, and much
of the benefit is gained by simply creating a business page profile.
Before creating your profile, it is important to understand how
your Google+ page can become one of your biggest social and
digital assets. Much like your LinkedIn page, every word entered
into your profile is searchable. However, because this is Google,
that search functionality is weighted even more heavily with SEO
benefits. This means that with any Google search, the results
will encompass Google+ connections. If your business is at the
beginning stages of digital and social media, then the majority of
SEO opportunity lies in the content of your Google+ page. This
is precisely why a Google+ page is so important for all small
businesses to operate. The business benefits of having a Google+
page are endless.
By simply creating a Google+ page for your business you already
have a Google My Business dashboard. This tool will provide
access to all services Google offers to businesses. After creating
your Google+ page you will get a URL in the format http://www.
plus.google.com followed by your Google+ page I.D. After your
page has been created, verified, active for 30 days and is in good
standing Google will offer you a vanity URL which is usually in the
format of http://www.plus.google.com/+ followed by your domain.
After you’ve created your page, you will want to add as much
information about your business as you wish to share. Remember
the more you tell Google, the more Google can tell your
customers. You’ll want to enter you business name and biography
as well as a profile photo, contact information and additional
photos.
You can use your Google+ settings to change which tabs are visible
to your audience. Try to add as much information to these tabs as
possible to tell your story. The tabs include About, Posts, Photos,
Videos and Reviews.
The About tab is everything that you have outlined in your Story,
Links, Contact Information, People & Communities. This is
naturally one of the first tabs your customers will click if they are
interested to learn more about your business.
Posts are the most engaging part of your presence on Google+
because they will not only exist on your profile, but also live in the
Google+ stream where your potential audience can find you. The
Google+ stream is the collection of updates made by Google+
members in your circles. The stream is updated in real-time, and
shows updates in chronological order. The Posts will naturally
collect as you begin sharing posts on your Google+ page. To make
good use of this tab simply post engaging content relative to your
business on a regular basis. You will find that this tab can become
an asset to showing your history, and a good tool to reflect on your
overall messaging.
The Photos tab is simply a collection of images that best describes
your business. You are allowed five photos to complete this tab on
your profile. Try to use all five photo options and use them wisely.
These photos can be powerful in showcasing your business.
By verifying your address in your Google My Business dashboard
you will be able to secure your location on Google Maps. You
will also be able to see insights of your Google+ page as well as
website analytics through the creation of a Google Analytics page.
Because Google+ is built from a leading search
engine your business can benefit from a variety of
additional services available from your Google My
#2 ADDING VALUE TO YOUR PROFILE

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By creating relevant posts on your Google+ business
page you are essentially crafting your businesses
content to be optimized for social searches. In doing
so, you will want to post mindfully based on what you
feel will represent your business in the most accurate
light. Be sure to post regularly using keywords that
are relevant to your industry. This does not mean that
everything that you post on your Google+ page needs
to be centered around the same topic, but be sure to
tie your content back to what your
business offers.
The large post limit size is arguably one of benefits that
set Google+ aside from other social media platforms.
Google+ currently offers the largest post size with
100,000 character spaces per post. For a frame of
reference this is enough character space to post a
small book. This larger than average post size allows
you to use Google+ as a blogging option. If you find
that you would like to elaborate on a particular topic, it
may behoove you to host the depth of the information
on Google+ to capitalize on the optimization of all
keywords. You can then reference the topic in a
smaller post with a link through to the full post on
Google+. This is a great way to reap exposure benefits
on Google all while using the Google+ platform for
housing large amounts of shared content.
This leads to the benefit of cross channel exposure.
As you know you can find your audience anywhere on
the Internet. You can do your best to define whom
you wish to target and what social media channels
they tend to visit regularly. However sending one mass
message on all of the individual channels isn’t always
going to grab the attention of your target audience.
Similarly you can argue that all of your customer
demographics are engaging on different social media
platforms. Cross channel promotion of content is
quite possibly one of the best ways to cast a social
media net across all social media channels where
you might find your current and potential customers.
Google+ can assist in making this possible. Due to
the character space available on Google+, it serves as
the perfect foundation for content. In using Google+
as your source to host a topic of content you can
customize a smaller message to the audience you wish
to target on each social platform and include the link to
read more on your Google+ page. You can then treat
this just like a shared link post on other social media
outlets; Facebook and LinkedIn will even allow you to
upload different images. Utilizing these many options
for optimization will market your brand, and offer more
ways to connect with your customer.
#3 CREATING QUALITY POSTS

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Once you’ve developed a firm idea of what posts are best for your business, you will want
to consider the variety of messages you plan to send through Google+ as a social platform.
Take a moment to envision your social presence from a birds-eye-view. Create a content
calendar to organize the variety of content that you plan to post. Do not hesitate to post
an unplanned post, or be reactionary on your social media channels, but be sure that you
review your content calendar to send a clear overall message. For
example imagine your organization has a posting cadence of 2-3
posts per week on your Google+ page and has managed a
good content calendar relevant to your business and local
community. An event such as the high school sports
team going to state would make great material to tie
into your content calendar.
It might help to strategize a goal of how you want
your audience to respond when they see your
posts. This goal should drive the motivation for all
content that you post. You want your audience to
look forward to reading your posts. Ask yourself
what it takes to create the excitement you want
your audience to feel when they see your posts,
and solve for that equation.
#4 BUILDING A CONTENT STRATEGY

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Much like most other social media platforms
posts should have an image or video to help draw
attention. When you post on Google+, your post
is set sail in a sea of other similar posts. There is
naturally a competition to gain the attention of
your audience. The best way to be sure your post
stands out among the competing content is to use
an attention grabbing image or video. Put yourself
in the mindset of your intended audience when
you begin to visualize what your post will look like.
Google+ is a platform that gravitates attention
from business professionals with busy lifestyles,
so we can be certain that users will not have time
to read all of the posts in the Google+ stream. An
image-less post among all other
posts in the Google+ stream
might get a quick read
at most, but most
will go completely
unnoticed. So as you
plan your content, try
to Imagine what the
information would
look like visually.
When selecting the image that best fits the content
you would like to communicate, be mindful of the
recommended sizes and specifications. When a
Shared Image post is displayed on Google+ the
image displays best when sizing to 497x279 pixels.
The maximum Shared Image size that can be
uploaded is 2048x2048 pixels.
If you’re linking through from a website that hosts
an image in on the article, Google+ will auto-
populate the image for you. This is called a Shared
Link. Depending on how many images are hosted
on the website you are linking through to, you
may have the option to scroll to choose a different
image by clicking the gray arrows. If you prefer to
use a different image, you can upload a new image
by clicking the camera icon and uploading a new
image from your computer. The size of this image
will display at a 150x150 pixel size. So you may
need to re-crop the image to size correctly.
Unlike most social media platforms Google+ offers
a creative kit to touch up or edit images before you
post. If your business is operating social media
pages without photo editing software this will
prove to be a very useful tool.
#5 SHARING PHOTOS & VIDEOS

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If you use photo editing software such as Photoshop, it is recommended that you fill out the “metadata”
with keywords so search engines can find your image as they crawl the site. Without adding metadata
to your images your images are invisible to Google.
Furthermore, if you’ve gone through the work of editing an image you should brand the image with your
logo. Adding your logo to an image gives your company credit for the creative work, and associates the
image with your business. If you choose to add your logo to images, place it somewhere on the lower
half of the image so as to not distract from the image itself.
Google even allows you to do video tours of your to give the feeling of really being at yourbusiness site.
This is fun, effective and very easy to do.
#5 SHARING PHOTOS & VIDEOS CONT’D...

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To really capitalize on your Google+ engagement you will need to stay aware of comments
to your posts. Based on the size of your audience, this may be very few or several
comments per day. The first step to responding to your comments is to find them. There
are a few ways that you can manage your notifications on Google+. You can monitor your
posts periodically after sharing each post.
Another option would be to continually check the red number on your notifications icon.
When a number appears there you can click it to see a list of your recent activity to any of
your posts. This includes notes about comments on your posts, people who have shared
your posts, +1ed your posts, or circled you.
However, arguably the most effective way to monitor your posts might be to set up the
Google+ email notifications.
The use of +mentions is the way to interact with other businesses & customers.
Interacting with +mentions is a great way to expand your reach on Google+
and to build your audience organically. When someone is +mentioned
they will receive an email notification that you mentioned them.
#6 ENGAGING WITH COMMENTS & RESPONSES

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After having learned about the many benefits to having a
Google+ account it can blur your vision of the true purpose
for playing in this space. It is important to remember
that the reason you are using Google+ for your business
is the same reason your audience is using Google+. To
be SOCIAL. After all, this is social media and you will be
overlooked if you are not staying true to the intention of
being social. Your audience is there to have fun and quite
possibly looking for some motivation or a reason to laugh.
This is how your audience would like to engage in the
Google+ stream. So answer to those desires with
your content.
The easiest way to invite a conversation on Google+ is to be
transparent and genuine. You will not catch the attention
of your audience if you are trying to sound like everyone
else. Take a moment to think of what sets your business
aside from your competitors and you will see how unique
and original your business truly is. Now, showcase that
originality through your Google+ page. Let your audience
see that your business has a fun side.
Don’t hesitate to pave your own path and explore new
ways to gain the attention of your audience. Even if you
are seeing success with engagement on your Google+
page, don’t be afraid to try something new. It is easy to
fall into a rut of how you communicate on your social
media channels, and despite the response you get from
your audience it is always nice to freshen up your content.
Similarly if you are noticing a pattern to your style of
communication on Google+, open your mind to new ideas
that might wake up your audience in your Google+ stream.
If you’re currently operating a Google+ page you’ve
probably already noticed a difference in the types of
content that gain attention in the Google+ stream
compared to the newsfeeds and timelines of other
channels. It’s no secret that they are all different. Your
business is on different social media channels for different
reasons, and you will find a different customer set on each
channel. So it is easy to see that content that performs
well on other social channels may not perform the same
on Google+. Unfortunately there is no clear cut definition
of what your audience wants to engage with on Google+,
and engagement participation is an ever-evolving art. You
should expect your business exposure on Google+ to grow
with the platform as the channel itself is still in its
growing stages.
Be generous with +1s, sharing and commenting. Those
features will allow your brand to get noticed for small
kind gestures of encouraging engagement from others.
You might find that your audience is excited to engage
on Google+ and are looking for interesting people to
participate in conversations. Be there at that
moment and you will gain great credibility.
#7 INVITING THE CONVERSATION

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Your business has endless potential on
Google+ and you should try to find a way
to play in the space to some degree. You
do not need to dedicate much time to it.
Posting occasionally and monitoring daily
is a good place to start.
TAKEAWAYS TO REMEMBER
Add as much value to your page as
possible. Include searchable keywords
within your business profile. Use images
that showcase your business in the best
light. Get into the habit of viewing your
profile as publicand seeing what your
audience sees.
Don’t hesitate to post. Get started
adding content to your page by way of
consistent posting. There are many ways
to portray your message on Google+.
Stow your indecisiveness, just get your
information out there. It is ok to post an
entire article one day and a one liner the
next. Just be sure you’re communicating
with your audience.
After you’ve established your profile
and put some thought around content
ideas, try to strategize the types of
communication your are delivering
to your audience. Look at your post
tab on your profile to see your overall
messaging at a glance. Try to make your
communication flow as much as possible
and fill in the gaps where you feel content
may be light. Use this as a self-review to
set a posting cadence and strategy that
engages your desired audience.
A picture speaks a thousand words. So
let your photos and videos speak for
your business. Be sure to add at least 5
photos to your profile and include a video
tour if possible.
Engage with your audience, and they
will reciprocate. +1, share & comment
to your customers & +mention other
businesses that you partner with to
initiate engagement.
Be conversational and not promotional.
If you engage in a conversational way,
your business will gain the traffic and
attention to let other promotional media
do the selling.
Focus on your Google+ social media page
in relationship to all of your other social
media channels. Try to balance all social
channels as much as possible.
Don’t get discouraged. It is easy to
assume that there is a direct correlation
to the amount of engagement your
page receives and the amount of people
listening. Stay confident and believe that
you are communicating on your pages
with a highly educated audience who may
be listening and not necessarily engaging
with you.
To conclude; have fun. Google+
is a very beneficial social media
platform with endless possibilities.
You have nothing to loose and
everything to gain, so get started.
CONCLUSION

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