A few weeks ago Google launched it's new social network, Google Plus, and the world has taken notice. More than ten million users have already jumped on the G+ bandwagon and the numbers continue to rise. With a multitude of sharing features and filters, along with a gorgeous interface, the newcomer to the market is posed to take a slice of the social media pie (a big slice).
The new social intiative is currently only open to individuals (by invite only), not to businesses or brands. And although you may be tempted to create a profile for your business anyways - do not waste your time. Project Manager for Social Advertising at Google, Christian Oestlien, stated during an interview with Ad Age, "Our operations team is actively going through and actively taking profiles down [that aren't real people]." Business profiles are not expected to open until winter of this year, with the exception of those that were selected for the test phase (applications to be part of the test phase closed last week).
However, there are ways now for your small business to take advantage of G+ features without wasting time on a hacked business profile that may be taken down anyways.
Integrate the +1 button into your website or blog. The +1 is simliar to a "Like" on Facebook as it is a positive endorsement about the site or article, but with larger implications. Down the road, this may change the world of SEO as it may lead to different search results based upon a users +1 activity. The button only requires a small bit of code, and is quite easy to integrate.
Public Profiles. Have the most visible employees at your business (sales, business development, etc) create profiles. There is a setting at the very bottom of the page when editing your profile, "Search Visibility." Ensure that this box is checked. Complete your Google Profile information, with information about the individual, not just about the company. Since employees may not want to dedicate their G+ accounts solely to their company, there are multiple visibility options for both your profie and the content you share, that makes profiles capable of having a private, personal life - but also a networking tool for your business all in a single profile.
Take advantage of the Links in the right hand side of the profile. Add links to other social media profiles such as Twitter and LinkedIn, but more importantly, links to your website, blog, and vital content. These links not only provide a positive effect for search engine rankings, but they may also prove to be a consistent, targeted subset of traffic in growing volume.
Create "Circles" that segment your network into family, friends, clients, potential leads, colleagues, associates, and any other way to diverse the information you share. This way, you can share a photo of your cute cat with your family and friends, but not with your clients. And vice versa, you can share an interesting article relevant to your industry with your client circle, but Grandma doesn't have to read half of a whitepaper before she thinks to ask why you wanted her to read it.
Host a Huddle. The Huddle feature is essentially a private chat room between two or dozens of people at the same time. Perhaps one of the most unique features in comparison to the other social giants like Facebook and Twitter, the Huddle function has a multitude of purpses. If you are a wedding planner, invite the bride, her sister(s), her mother, and anyone else with an opinion about the wedding to a private chat to discuss details simulatenously.
Start a Spark. Sparks are basically a hashtag or themed collections of content. You can follow any Spark, which should include your business name, your industry, and other unique terms to your industry. It is impossible to say at this point how Google is ranking the content delivered for Sparks, but it is a good idea to monitor what is coming up for your company or industry.
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