How To Market Your Business On Google+ PlusMay 23, 2012 Google+ Marketing

Although it�s only been a year since Google launched its social network, Google+, back in the summer of 2011, and just months since pages became available through Google Apps in November, Google+ provides marketers with some definite advantages. Often referred to as one of the top social networks for businesses, Google+ allows you to easily communicate, collaborate, promote, and track your progress.

Google+ Plus button picture

If you have a page on Google+, then you�re ready to start taking advantage of the enhanced communication and collaboration tools, like the stream, circles, and hangouts, available on Google+. You can use the stream to share information as text, photos, or videos with the world. Make use of the stream to share general updates and messages publicly, with everyone, or to share specific, targeted messages with designated circles.

Circles, a unique Google+ feature, allows you to organize people into specific groups, or circles. This feature is especially helpful when it comes to targeted marketing efforts and for adding a more personal touch to your social media campaign.

If you�re a business marketing on Google+, you may choose to group people based on their prior purchases or how often they make purchases. The options are endless, and so are the amount of personalized and/or targeted messages you can share. If you�re interested in taking that personal connection a step further, Google+ has just the tool.

With hangouts, you can host multi-person video chats and engage in screen sharing to communicate and collaborate with others in real-time, wherever you may be. A prominent chat list, explore page, and customizable navigation ribbon are just some of the new features from the recent Google+ redesign that will only enhance your ability to communicate on this social network.

Once you�ve established your presence on Google+, it�s important to promote your page. And, once again, Google+ makes this marketing step easy with promotional tools for both you and your customers. One simple way to let people know you�re on Google+ is with a Google+ badge or icon, both of which can be placed on your website. When your website visitors click on the badge they can add your Google+ page to their circles without leaving your website, and when people click on the icon they are taken directly to your Google+ page.

Your customers can also take part in promotion with the +1 button. Every time someone gives your business a +1, they are sharing with the world that they support your work, are pleased with something you posted, or would recommend you to friends. This online word-of-mouth marketing tool is powerful, but there�s a simple step you can take to greatly increase its impact.

By linking the +1s people give your website, any advertisements, and your Google+ page, you significantly increase the benefits you�ll receive. This is because when your business comes up in a Google search, people will be able to see how many people have +1�d your business � and the more, the better. After all, you can never have too many recommendations.

Yet another area of online marketing where Google+ stands apart from other social networks is tracking your progress. When you use a Google+ page, you gain access to Ripples and Analytics � two features that can help you determine how much your efforts have paid off and what improvements you can make.

Ripples details the path that information you�ve shared takes on Google+. For example, Ripples allows you to see who shared information, what information they shared, and the people with whom they shared. These details are important

because they can help you determine what type of content is creating the most buzz and which of your customers is helping to disperse your content.

Armed with this information, you can improve your marketing on Google+ by posting more �buzz-generating� content and by sharing more information with your top promoters. In addition to using Ripples to track your progress, you can take advantage of Analytics to stay abreast of the activity on your page and manage the +1s you receive.

Thanks to its ideal communication and collaboration features, easy-to-use promotional tools, and helpful ways to determine the success of your efforts, marketing on Google�s social network is a definite plus.

About The Author: Cloud Sherpas is a leading cloud service provider and was named the �Google Enterprise 2011 Partner of the Year.� As one of the first Google Enterprise partners, Cloud Sherpas has migrated over one million users across a variety of industries from legacy, on-premise messaging systems to Google Apps, helping organizations adopt cloud computing to innovate and dramatically reduce their IT expenses. A Google Apps Reseller in Atlanta, GA, Cloud Sherpas has regional offices in locations including San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Austin and Sydney, and has more Google Apps Certified Deployment Specialists than any other partner in the world.