Why Using Google Plus Will Be Your Cost-Free Secret Weapon

For those that utilize social media for business purposes on a regular basis, the thrill that you get from the likes, shares, retweets, and comments from the social media giants of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn is simply not replicated when it comes to Google Plus. As New York Times puts it, Google Plus is a ‘ghost town’. But consider this, what are you really trying to accomplish when you share content over social media? To optimize your brand and gain customers, am I right?

Despite all of the buzz that you receive on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, the conversion rates of your marketing and branding efforts are actually quite low. In stark contrast, investing your time in Google Plus can prove shockingly positive results in helping you generate conversion rates and effective branding. Here is why:

1. Search Engine Optimization

No one loves Google more than Google, so by utilizing their most predominant social media outlet (Google+), your SEO value becomes far greater. For starters, just posting content through Google+ will generate higher SEO. If you want to take it further, try gaining traction through expanding your Google Circles. The bigger your Circles are, the more visibility you will gain. If your content is valuable and they +1 (like) it or share it, this will gain your business a higher ranking as well as raise your click rates through Google Adwords.

2. Local Optimization

97% of customers search for local businesses online. Just think about that time when you were scoping out the nearest flower store for a last minute date, or the nearest coffee store to get Wi-Fi. By using Google Plus, your profile will become more visible within your community, displaying crucial pieces of information such as store hours, address, phone number and such all in one place.

3. Building stronger relationships

Unlike Facebook, where there is an oversaturation of trivial information, Google+ is a place for much more in-depth conversations. It allows for detailed feedback, private conversations, and Google Hangouts also allows you to make intimate relationships with customers. You may notice that whenever you do a Google search of a business, the customer reviews of that business immediately pops up. The majority of these reviews are generated from dialogues on Google+. Positive reviews will do wonders for your company, and conversely if you have negative reviews, Google+ makes it easy to hide that content.

In addition to building your relationship with customers, Google+ also allows you to reach out to key influencers. If you have communications and dialogue with these influencers on the Google platform, it in turn boosts the reputation of your own business.

4. Latest Google+ post appears in search results

For those of you who have stayed loyal to Google+ and continue to post your content regularly through it, please continue to do so! By providing constant up-to-date content from your business, it will consistently keep your company sitting at the top position of a Google search. The logic behind this is perfectly sound, if you stop posting, your business might have closed or lost its relevance to the customers. Keep on posting to inform the world that your company is important, thriving, and relevant to their needs.

5. YouTube and Google+ Integration

Many businesses have created phenomenal company videos that are going unviewed. Make sure to link your Google+ page with your YouTube page. This way, every time your business is searched on Google, not only will the company page pop up, but also the company YouTube page. This way, your brilliant marketing videos will finally be seen.

As you can see, Google+ is not a platform to be overlooked. Even just by putting small amounts of effort into maintaining the account, strong results will come. It legitimizes your company, it increases targeting towards relevant customers, and it allows you build quality dialogues and relationships with those that matter. After all, there are more than 235 million active Google+ accounts and it is a platform created by the most powerful and influential search engine in the world. So if you still think Google+ is a ‘ghost town’, think again.

If you do want to become an expert on Google Plus, here’s is a fantastic article that will teach you everything you could possibly learn about it!