3 Reasons To Add Google Plus To Your Social Media Strategy
With Google Plus gaining more steam in the social domain, more businesses are wondering if it’s worth incorporating into their social media strategy. Many sites are still trying to take advantage of the social media hype with varying levels of success. A big contender that still has everyone watching it with a skeptical eye is Google+. I’m going to shed some light on what I’ve found to be the most important features that are certainly worthy of including Google+ into any great social media strategy.
For the businesses that are still trying to figure out what is the best path for their marketing plan, here are the three things you absolutely must know before you dismiss Google+.
1. Search Position Is Influenced
If you and I are connected on Google+ and you search for something on Google, any relevant content I have shared will be prioritized in the Google search results. Although this isn’t a big deal for people that don’t use Google+, it’s an incredibly valuable tool for your business once you’ve connected with people on G+. This already happens with other social networks but Google’s latest changes seem to favor G+ results over other social networks.
Related: Chris Lang: 20,000 Followers on Google+ In 6 Months [Interview]
2. Smaller Audience Means Less Noise
So there definitely are smaller numbers on Google+ compared to Facebook but the engagement levels are higher and the noise is much lower. The same posts I make on my Facebook page generally perform much lower than they do on my Google+ account, despite the fact that I have a lot more people following me on Facebook. I’ve also found the Google+ community to have an overall more professional vibe than Facebook or Twitter, but more personal than LinkedIn.
3. Hangouts Are A Great Feature
This is a totally unique feature to Google+ and a lot of people are using it in creative and exciting ways. You can share exclusive content with your audience via video hangouts and interact with them face-to-face.
Related: 5 Social Media Tricks & Tips That Work
The first point alone is enough for businesses to take notice and include Google+ in their social marketing plan. There might not be as many people using Google+ as Facebook or Twitter but the one’s who are using it will be far more likely to see your content come up in the search results if you’ve shared it on G+. That’s huge leverage for your social media strategy…can you afford to pass it up?
I hope this post has helped you. If so, please share by clicking the share buttons below! Want to know more about how to include Google+ into your social media strategy? Post your comments and questions below.
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@Ricky: You’re right on the money with your comments. I’ve noticed the same trends on G+ and I’ve been scratching my head trying to figure out why engagement is so much more organically abundant than competing networks. Whatever it is, it’s working and the more time I spend on G+, the more I love it!
You could also reference this report that came out not too long ago, a really good resource to help show what influences local rankings. http://www.davidmihm.com/local-search-ranking-factors.shtml
Hi Melonie, I’m a huge fan of Google +. I had no idea you interviewed Chris Lang so I popped over and listened before leaving this comment. Chris has been an inspiration to me and I was a featured panelist on one of his Hangouts. Maybe you and I can get together and do a HOA one day. I’d love to chat about blogging and social media. Thanks for the post Melonie!
I’ve always thought that having a bigger crowd is better, but I’ve just seen the wisdom behind why less is more with Google+. Aside from having lesser “noise” that would normally get in the way, I’ll be able to find people/businesses with the same level of interest as I am. This helps me create more meaningful engagements.