Social Media

3 Ways to Start Using Google+ (Before it’s Too Late)

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The Kevin Pollak Chat Show is a Charlie Rose style interview with a black backdrop.

Each week a mainstream celebrity or influential entertainer shows up to talk with the actor/comedian about their career, life, and experiences.

The show is highly engaging for movie buffs, and shot in beautiful HD and perfect audio.

You would never know it’s live. Or exclusively the internet.

It’s a great example of the original programming that will hit a wide audience when everyone can watch it directly from their living rooms.

Because in a few years, every television in every household will go directly to a main menu when you turn it on. You’ll be able to bypass cable for the first time in history and pull up Netflix, Hulu, or even YouTube.

And the one thing connecting everyone to YouTube — including you and your customers — is Google+.

why you need to start using google plus

Your New Social Spine

Pinterest is still all the rage.

Mashable pumps out story after story about Vine.

And Google+ is derided as a desert wasteland.

But which is going to have a bigger impact on your bottom line?

Google+ isn’t supposed to be Facebook or Twitter. Instead it’s a “social spine”, a virtual identify, that connects you to everything else online.

Like Gmail, Google Drive, Google Places for your business address, Google Analytics, and more.

And of course, YouTube.

Google’s Billion Dollar Gamble

On October 9th 2006, Google acquired the 19 month old YouTube for $1.65 billion.

And people — mainly journalists and other critics — were tough on Google, claiming it was a huge sum for the then unproven and unprofitable company.

Well look at them now.

The once maligned network is now a huge success. And the price Google paid was a steal for it.

Today, YouTube has over 800 million unique users, receives over 4 billion views per day, and is the second largest search engine in the world. They’re even adding original programming.

And when internet-enabled TV’s become mainstream in every household, it will grow even more.

As it grows, so too will Google+. Because that’s how you’ll login, keep track of your favorite videos or shows, and then share them with your friends — on any social platform.

3 Ways to Start Using Google+

Strategy #1: Get Them to Come Back for More

The whole point of social media is to increase engagement with potential, current and past customers.

Which self-proclaimed “gurus” translate into singing Kumbaya around a campfire and talking about loving one another.

But what it really means is better brand recognition, recall, and trust. Which translates into more effective lead nurturing, retention, referrals and repurchases.

So start with your client and customer segments, and break them down into different personas.

Now what are their aspirations or goals in life and work?

What are the common obstacles each face? And then what are the pain points (or symptoms) of each obstacle?

Maybe that means making more money or cutting expenses. Or perhaps it means less stress and an escape from reality.

Whatever the case… give them compelling reasons to follow, react and engage with your brand by solving these issues for them. And then add some personality to get people to react emotionally.

So use copywriting at the heart of every single update and campaign to increase awareness, interest, and engagement.

Strategy #2: Video, Video, Video

One of Google+’s biggest differentiating factors is the seamless YouTube integration. So capitalize on it!

Do you have a complex product or service? Then use video tutorials to illustrate them the pain in their life, and how your product/service can alleviate it. Teaching works better than selling in social media.

Shoot a 5 minute industry wrap-up with the latest changes and news stories to keep your clients and customers abreast of developments that may affect their business.

Show testimonials from happy customers to boost credibility and overcome objections.

Bring a camera or iPad along to company events and record what’s going on. This exclusive content can be made only available on Google+, and will give people an “inside look” at how your company thinks, works, and treats one another.

You can even use the Hangout feature to do live interviews or “office hours”. And then published it directly to YouTube and Google+.

Strategy #3: The Zero Moment of Truth

Everyone’s search results are now personalized based on three factors:

  1. Your physical location
  2. Your past browsing history
  3. And your social media connections

This is already happening. So the concept of SEO keyword rankings will become even more meaningless.

When someone searches for your product or service, the search engine result pages will show a mix of past websites they’ve been to, recommended results from their social sphere, and a lot of local results.

The key to dominating these search engine results pages is through Google+’s local and Zagat review integration.

Want more local SEO traffic? Then get more reviews and recommendations on your Google+ page.

Because when new prospects want to research their options for your services and products, they’re going to start with search.

And Google+ is your best bet to quickly and cheaply get in front of them.

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