WebMarCom Blog: Focus on Web Marketing Communications

Social Media Marketing: Tips To Grow Your Google+ Following

  

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You CAN teach an old dog new tricks!  Marketing has changed, and social media marketing has new tools that your marketing department must learn to use.  One of the newest tools is Google+.

With Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin or Google+, it's important to develop a network and following. Creating your social network has many rewards, including the ability to share ideas and learn new tips and tricks.  One of the new tools for social media marketing is Google Plus.  

Setting up your Google+ profile is now open to everyone.  Reasons to create a Google Plus profile include the fact that the profile is indexed by Google.  

Recently, I presented business reasons to use Google+ for the Camden County Regional Chamber of Commerce at the Mount Laurel Chamber of Commerce breakfast.   We had record attendance, and many of the businesses represented expressed interest in using social media for lead generation.  The first step to generating leads is to develop a following... like the lottery, you have to be in it to win it!

To understand and engage through Google+, the first step is to create your profile.  Once you have a profile, you will need to build your social network.  Here are some tips to grow your Google+ Following:

1. Social networks mean social engagement.  If you have a profile and you don't interract, it's a useless exercise.
2. Post great content.  It doesn't have to be your creation - and sometimes it's great to highlight an article that you found interesting or someone else's blog post.  
3. Interact with others.  Ask questions, respond to other's posts.  Plus1 (+1) posts.  
4. Create a simple URL for your Google+ profile.  Since Google doesn't offer a simple URL yet, you can purchase a domain name, then redirect that domain name to point to your Google+ profile.  As an editor at A2SM we created ours as A2SM.ORG/Jody.
5. Create Hangouts and participate in Hangouts.  Every time I attend a Hangout I meet new people.  Once you've communicated in a Hangout, 'circling' each other is certainly permissable.  Hangouts give you the opportunity to see each other and share information real time, regardless of where in the world you may be at that time.
6. Find and follow people who you consider thought-leaders.  When you can, comment on their posts.  You may also find interesting people that have also commented on their posts.  You can tag other commenters in your comments as well. 
7. Share your circles.  If you created a circle of people that you feel is an interesting collection, share it.  It's flattering to the people in the circle and when other's add that circle, you can connect with them as well.  Sometimes the people you've added from the new circle will follow you back as well.  Again, look for ways to interact and engage with them.

With almost 60 million users in just a few months of being officially open, Google+ is a powerful social network.  Be patient, add great content, and meet and engage, and over time, your network will grow!