Google+ can play an essential role in your social media strategy, but
if you are not managing it properly then you will not see the results
you hope for. The time and energy you put into sites like Facebook and
Twitter should also be divided into your Google+ community if you expect
to have any success with it.
You might only have a small community, but it is still important to
be actively engaged if you want to grow your following and get your
brand’s page to pop up more often in search results.
Here are five ways that you can form a better strategy for Google+ so
that you can start bringing in the benefits of being an active member
of that social community.
Stay on Top of Notifications
When you sit down to check your social media each day, make sure that
you are going through your notifications on Google+. You will see who
has shared your posts, added you to their circles, shared a post with
you or mentioned your company in a comment or post.
If they share something you post, thank them. If they share something
with you or leave a comment, take time to read it and respond. If they
added you to their circles, find a circle to add them to on your end.
Do a Search for Your Brand and Keywords
Another way to stay on top of your Google+ community is to keep an
“ear” out for what people are saying about your brand and the industry
in general. You can do a search that will bring up results of pages,
posts, people and hangouts that contain your search terms. You can also
filter it down so that you only get results from Google+.
Get the Ripple Effect
Google+ Ripples was introduced in 2011 and can show you how your
Google+ posts are spread through user sharing. The ripples of any public
post can be viewed by clicking on “View Ripples” on the drop down-menu.
You will see who has shared your content and how the content is being
spread. This kind of insight into which posts are being shared most
often can help you know what type of content you should be focusing onto
get the most benefit.
Talk About Other Brands and People
Like you, other businesses and entrepreneurs are looking for any
mention of their name on Google+. To help get noticed, mention other
people and brands in your posts. Link to other blogs, business owners,
community members, etc. Those people and businesses will get a
notification that they were mentioned. There is a good chance that they
will reciprocate, leave a comment, +1 it or another beneficial action.
Set Up a Hangout
Google+ makes it easy to interact with others and even gives you the
option for some face-to-face chats with a Hangout. These offer great
opportunities to have a Q&A session with customers or clients or
have a casual chat with people who share similar interests.
Google+ is an important part of social media and shouldn’t be
overlooked. As you start to become more involved with the community, you
will be able to see great growth and an increase in your brand
awareness.
How have you made sure that your Google+ community is getting enough attention? What is your routine for managing your page?
