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Making Google+ Work for Your Business

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By Brittany Thorley

Google+ is fast becoming a vital part of social media marketing for businesses of all sizes, yet still many professionals are unsure about what the social platform can do for their company and how they can get started with a business-focused profile that gets their name and ethos out there.

Despite launching in 2011, Google+ has surpassed the active user numbers of Twitter making it the second largest social networking site in the world. Back in May 2013, Google+ reported a total of 500 million registered users worldwide and with 235 million of those users actively updating their circles and looking for interesting information on a personal and professional level, businesses that aren’t utilising this platform are inevitably missing out!

But for those unfamiliar with this platform, how can you get started? We have compiled the essential steps for getting started with Google+, plus a few more top tips on how to make the most out of the platform to boost business, extend your customer reach, and get your company noticed by the people who matter.

Getting Started

Setting up your business page with Google+ couldn’t be easier! But before you begin you must create a personal profile; from here you can create a page for your business by simply clicking ‘create a page’ in the right hand corner of your profile. Setting up a personal profile will also enable you to claim authorship to enable you to gain influence and build authority.

Google+ will take you through the process of setting up a business page step-by-step. You can add your business type, tagline, profile photo or logo, website URL, social links and company details to personalise your business profile and make it identifiable to your target audience.

Posting on Google+

Once you have completed your profile, you can start adding existing contacts and posting to your profile. Like Facebook, you can share pictures, videos and links to let potential customers and clients get to know your business. When posting always think about what you want to achieve and how you want your brand to be portrayed in the public domain and your specific industry. Ensure all posts are as engaging as possible and convey your business’ unique selling propositions (either directly or indirectly) as well as occasionally promoting your products or services. In addition to this, keep posts personal and authentic.

Know Your Customer

When it comes to launching any social media marketing campaign, how well you know your customer can make or break your efforts, so make sure you are prepared and incorporate your customers’ wants and needs into your social media objectives. Before you start posting, devise a few ideas about what images, videos and links will be of interest to your customers and what offers and information will get them talking about your business.

Get Your Timing Right

It’s not just what you post that can affect your campaign’s success, it’s also when you post to your Google+ account. The peak times for sharing on Google+ are from 11am to 2pm and 7pm to 10pm Eastern US time, so focus your efforts on posting at these particular periods.

Use #Hashtags

Like Twitter, Google+ supports the use of hashtags to give you the exposure you need to the right followers. Insert simple and relevant hashtags in every post to ensure your social media interactions are targeted and sharable – who knows you may be trending very soon!

Author’s Bio: Brittany Thorley handles the social media and marketing activities for a range of businesses, including the Personal Statement Service, a student-focused company that provides writing advice and personal statement examples.

Thank you Brittany! Those are some great tips.
I’d add that the Google+ community, in particular, tends to reward exclusive content and well-thought-out articles, rather than simply posting a link to your blog posts or other social media updates.

Rosemary

What Social Networks Can Do For Your Small Business

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Alex Summers

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What Social Networks Can Do For Your Small Business

If you’re a small business owner, you can use social media networks to establish your company’s presence on the Internet. These tools can help you keep in touch with current customers and help you find new clients. Your business must adapt to the online marketplace to take advantage of the Internet.

How to Connect With Your Audience

If you already have a website for your business, you can improve it by adding a blog. A blog allows your regular visitors to easily see your latest news and updates. Additionally, visitors can use the comment portion of your blog to give you instant feedback. Be sure to save backup copies of your blog files to an external hard drive. This will help you get your blog running again after a server failure or other technological catastrophe.

Social networks give you another way to directly communicate with your customers. Twitter and other similar networks allow you to strike up a conversation with a customer through a series of short messages. Your customers can use these networks to get help with your products or services.

Many Internet users today have their own Facebook account. Creating a Facebook account for your business gives your customers a new way to reach you. Your Facebook profile can share important information about your company, including contact details and special deals.

The Benefits

Using these tools helps you to establish yourself on the Internet. Today’s Internet users expect their favorite businesses to have an online presence. Many customers want to have the ability to talk to a company representative when they need help with a product. Some consumers will forget about a company that lacks an online presence.

Social networks also provide you with easy ways to advertise your business for free. Through Facebook and Twitter, you can talk to thousands of people at no charge. You can use these tools to tell people more about your business and your story.

Additionally, when you communicate with a regular customer through these networks, your potential customers can see how you publicly handle your business. Through positive online interactions, you can help generate buzz for your company. You may even attract new customers just from responding quickly to your current clients.

Social networking tools can help your small business find a place in the modern business world. Learning how to use these tools effectively will take time, but your company may find new customers due to your efforts.

Author’s Bio:
Alex is a blogger, freelance writer and recent college graduate. She currently performs market research for an online marketing firm when she is not contributing her own thoughts and observations to the online community.

Mônica Sertã Interviews Liz Strauss on TVOrkut Brazil

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I’m delighted to announce that today I have the pleasure of sharing an International Interview with Brazil’s Best Mônica Sertã of TV Orkut

Learn more about it at … Interview with Liz Strauss by Mônica Sertã

This is the first time that I will speak to Brazilians. We’ll be talking about …

  • trends in social networks
  • importance of social networks for organizations
  • how organizations can use social networks to interact with customers
  • how to succeed in social networks

    • ;

  • The opportunities that are emerging in Brazil in terms of social networks.

Don’t miss the chance to hear about social in another part of the world.

liz_monica

December 21, 2009, 15:20 p.m. (Chicago U.S.A, Local Time) on

TV Orkut http://www.tvorkut.com.br/

It will be captioned in English. I think it’s on the main channel. Wish I knew more.
It’s been a fabulous experiment in cross-cultural Internet collaboration so far. 🙂

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

Buy the ebook. Learn the art of online conversation.

I’m a proud affiliate of

December 21, 2009, 15:20 p.m. (Chicago U.S.A, Local Time) on