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How Brands are Using Google+




                 By Erica Swallow
   Tech Journalist & Director of Community, Contently
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




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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




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The Downside




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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
The Google+ Profile




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Create Custom Circles
   • Based on your email contacts
   • Circles enable easy grouping and sharing




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Follow Sparks
   • Google+’s algorithmic content recommendation system
      • Based on Google Search, Google+ and +1 button




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Google+ Business Pages




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Top Brand Pages on Google+




       Source: Simply Measured



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Top Industries on Google+




Source: Simply Measured




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Engagement Rates




Source: Simply Measured




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Most Engaging Content




Source: Simply Measured




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1. Target With Circles




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2. Make a Big Announce




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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




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Hangouts – Interviews




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Hangouts – Industry Chat




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Hangouts – Help Desk




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Hangout Tips From the Muppets




     Click here to watch an awesome video.
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4. Expand Content Distribution
   • Share photos, articles, videos, and commentary
      • Segmentation: Customers, VIPs, Team members




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Photos, Photos, Photos




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5. Promote a Contest
   • Cannot run contests on Google+
      • But you can link off to the contest




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Photo + Contest = Not Too Shabby




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6. Rock Hashtags & Mentions

             topics, events, random things




                          people, brand pages



         #googleplus | @ericaswallow
Hashtags: Conferences




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Hashtags: Get In On a Meme




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Hashtags: Promote Hangouts




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Hashtags: Run a Campaign




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Mentions: Give Shout Outs




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Mentions: Cross-promote Pages




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Other Reasons To Get Started…
  • Connect with early adopters

  • Network with journalists and potential clients

  • Explore




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




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




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Questions?



Erica Swallow | @ericaswallow | ericaswallow.com