How to Roll Like a G on Google+

You may have seen Google+ gaining some traction in the last year or so, undoubtedly it is a form of social media businesses should gain a presence on. Facebook for example was originally intended to be a platform whereby students could arrange their social lives whilst at University, it had now grown into a multi-facetted entity offering different opportunitys for different users. Google+ on the other hand looks more serious and therefor suitable for promoting a business through it, because of this we take a look at some tips to be considered when building a social media presence for smes.

Google Authorship

This is a great way of officiating your content and can be hooked onto any Google+ account. It basically enables Google to track content more efficiently by understanding who has developed that content and also what company it should be associated with. This empowers the writer who in turn contributes to the overall power a brand has within the realms of the internet. Other positives include protecting unique content and also turning certain individuals into experts depending on the quality of their posts. Google searches are also effected by authorship tags, you may have noticed certain articles in search results displaying profile pictures and the name of the authors. This also contributes heavily towards social media optimisationand imporivng SEO ranking sitewide.

Circle Up

When using Google+, circles are an excellent feature to find friends and colleagues. Circles allow you to be in multiple groups with friends, whereas Facebook it is all listed. These circles are a great way to keep in touch with your target audience and supply targeted content and marketing depending on the demographic.

Be Social

Kick back and promote content that is easy to understand. Dont focus all your attention to one relevant brand, consumers dont want to hear the same thing every day. Dont make yourself out to be something youre not, engage with your audience truthfully. Communicate with them, share your thoughts and let them respond with what they think. Giving your consumers the opportunity to be critical of your product can be integral, as they are the people who want your products and can be the missing piece to perfecting what you have to offer. Being consistently friendly with replies and becoming more approachable online can be key to your social media presence.

Hash Tags

Once a profile is up and running it is crucial that it remains active. Like all social media platforms content is king, Google+ is no different. Once a post has been put live you may wish to include hash tags related to the piece, making it easier for the post to be found on trending search terms. Not to worry if you forget to do this, Google automatically assigns 3 hashtags to your post. Trending has grown recently on all social platforms, the hashtag function helps suggest 4 other subject areas connected to your content, this is better known as entity search and something Google is continually trying to develop from within their search algorithm.

Management and Sharing work

The easiness of sharing the management of your Google+ page is particularly impressive. The way in which the homepage management can be transferred so easily and quickly from owner to colleague is fascinating, and even with multiple managers the master is the only person who can delete and delegate management.

Communities

Social portals are vast and can soon become overwhelming, especially when trying to align business related motives to a target audience. Google+ allows users to join specific communities bound by common interests. By actively discussing subjects amongst other keen enthusiasts shows your authority online, companies should have their own voice as a brand and should be involved in the latest and most important debates. This may also been the difference between finding those interested in the product/service you offer and those that arent.

The Dashboard

The dashboard on Google+ is very helpful in terms of organising your social media activity. This enables you to check notifications whilst managing your team and posts.