Google Plus, was launched in 2011, and within six months 90 million users signed up – making it one of the largest Social Media platforms very quickly. In essence, it is an attempt by the search engine to challenge Facebook for a slice of the Social Media market. 

Using Google+ For Business 

Setting up a Google+ business page is simple. Here's a step by step guide on how a business can set up a Google+ page:

Choose or create a Gmail account – Google hasn't allowed multiple administrators for pages as of yet. So the best choice is to have a Gmail account that every member of the marketing team can gain access to, not just one person.

Create the page via the Gmail account – There is a simple wizard, very similar to Facebook, which allows businesses to build a page in a moment.

Customize your page – Add in a striking tag line and an image, the brand logo is the best option.

Update – Post a few updates over a couple of weeks to show activity - users prefer to know a brand is serious about using the platform before committing the page into their circles.

Promote the page – Draw the attention of other Google Plus users by advertising the new page.

Optimize Posts – Adjust different aspects of the page until the page’s visitor numbers and engagement increases.

Sharing on Google+

Every social media site has their own unique sharing method. Facebook has the ‘like’, Twitter has the ‘retweet’ and Google Plus has the ‘+1’. Essentially it is exactly the same as the other two, with users who click on the ‘+1’ on any site with social media sharing buttons or on the page showing the appreciation of readers and exposing the brand to them further. The added benefit of the ‘+1’ is that in search results these are visible making them a very powerful.

Google+ Best Practices

Share photos, lots of them – Not only can the mind process images faster, but it also can recall their context easier – so visual imagery is a valuable marketing tool. Try creating designed brand messages on Canva.

Recommend Links – The businesses can connect their brand’s Google Plus page to other web pages like landing pages or the about you page on the website.

Share the page – By using the company blogs and website, brands should share the new social media outlet with readers.

Ask to share – After posting content on the site, businesses should ask those in the circle to share the content by using the ‘+1’ process.

Google+ is a growing social media platform. Companies are benefiting now from the functions already implemented. Get ahead of the curve when Google rolls out further add-ons and starts now with our step by step process.