Ultimate Guide to Google+ Marketing for Startups in 2019

What is Google+ Marketing?

Note: Google+ has been discontinued since 2019. 

You may wonder if signing up on another social media platform will be worth it. However, when it comes to marketing, Goggle+ is not just another platform. It could be essential to your business, even though you may not realize that now. Google+ Marketing involves using the website to enhance business growth. This can be done in varied ways such as improving google search ranking, building relationships with customers or mapping potential customers. Traditional methods may not bear the same fruit as more conventional methods like online marketing, especially in today’s world of technology.

Hence, social media platforms are no longer just a means to stay connected with the rest of the world. They serve a greater purpose. So let us explore their greater purpose in the sections given below. Google+, with its vast subscriber base and friendly features offers you a host of opportunities to effectively market your business. We’ll tell you how!

Why is Google+ Marketing important for Startups?

Before diving deep into why a startup must utilize Google+ for marketing, let’s take a look at some interesting statistics.

1. As stated in the Google I/O 2012 Conference, Google+ has 250 million accounts and 343 million active subscribers with 50% signing in daily.
2. A survey revealed that 69.4% of the user base of Google+ comprises of males.
3. A majority of Google+ users use mobiles to access the website and not the desktop.

Now, there are more reasons than one for you to use Google+ for your business. Here are a few:

1. Google+ could be used to improve search results on Google.
2. Bringing social connections into YouTube videos can be done using Google+. Check out this video to find out how!
3. Google+ also helps in building connections through Hangouts.
4. It can also be used for integrating a CRM experience into Google calendar and Gmail.

Google+ is also an easy yet effective way to improve your Google search ranking. When you are active on Google+, you not only build relationships on the website, you also garner endorsements for content that you share. This plays a pivotal role in improving your ranking.

Another added advantage of using Google+ for business is its strong integration into Google Apps. It is now possible to restrict information from being shared with an outside domain which helps in maintaining privacy of content and also makes Google+ more user-friendly.

Thus, it is important for you as an entrepreneur to understand how Google+ can be of help to you. Create your own Hangouts to establish connections on Google+. Visit google.com/+/business to find out how you can use Google+ to your advantage. For example, you can add actions to Adsense ads and also +1 buttons. These can also be linked to your Google+ page.

How to do Google+ Marketing?

Now that we have seen how important Google+ can be for marketing your business, let us take a look at how to use it for the same purpose.

1. Use Keywords and hyperlinks

Google+ could play a major role is SEO (Search Engine Optimization) by enabling marketers to easily be visible in search results. Thus, use keywords and relevant hyperlinks in your About Page of Google+ to give an impactful overview of business. You could also provide links to specific pages using this page, which would in turn direct potential customers to the pages you would want them to take a look at. Make the About Page as SEO friendly as possible for maximum reach. Use bulletins to organize reading material such as list of products and services offered by your company, for the viewers to understand better.

2. Connect with Audience

Use Google+ to send out customized invites to people whether or not they are a part of Google+ using the Events Feature. The invites sync with the Google calendar and also notify when users confirm for an event. Apart from sending invites for parties, work related functions or webinars, Google Events scan also be used for sending invites for Google+ Hangouts. This could prove to be a great catalyst in ensuring greater awareness about your events. What’s even better is that the “Party Mode” feature in Events tab helps the attendees upload and share pictures of the event for all to see.

3. Be regular with updates

Make sure that you are regular with posts on Google+. If you want to show up in search results, ensure that your content is relevant. The more the number of shares on your content, the more likely it becomes for your content to pop up in the search results.

4. Google Authorship

Google is implementing SEO benefits extensively to tempt bloggers into using Google+ for enhanced outcome. Google Authorship explains how Google authenticates and testifies your content as quality content. It shows the picture of the blogger next to his blog which promotes greater number of clicks as search results with a picture of the author are often more trusted. Google Authorship also has several other benefits including:

• Increased visibility of Google+ Profile
• Helps in making your content stand out in search results
• Helps in making your content show up in more search results
• Protects the ranking position of your post
• Could lead to increased click through rates

An example of a Google Authorship enabled profile:
https://plus.google.com/111498947729292607681?rel=author

5. Engage with relevant Users

Google+ lets you be a part of relevant conversations where you can add value. Google+ shared a Google+ shared circles database which enlists circles on the basis of industry. You can add the circle of your choice to your personal page with just one click and then participate in conversations.  You can even monitor your responses and comments and respond to any mentions on threads.