Advantage Google…Top 10 Reasons to use Google+

Social Media and Internet Marketing Solutions

Valley Social Media, May 19, 2013

Top 10 Reasons to Use Google+ for Business

You can’t afford to put Google+ on the back burner. Here are ten top reasons why…

1. Search engine benefits

Creating content in Google+ is like owning the top party company on your birthday. You are automatically and instantly given advantages you won’t get from any other social network.

Such as content being indexed and shared the moment you’ve posted it. And all your Google presences and haunts being integrated and weighted together in SEO – a combination guaranteed to boost your Google search results.

Your integrated content includes:

– Google+
– YouTube
– Gmail

It also includes Google+ platforms like:

– Circles
– Hangouts
– Google+ Local

2.  Google Hangouts allows real-time virtual meetings

Google Hangouts are free video chats that allow you to interact with members of your Circle via webcam, using live streaming technology.

You can stream your Hangout to your website, YouTube or Google+.

Participants faces will be displayed via their webcams below the presenter’s main screen – and participants can “take the floor” also.

You can:

– Hold a workshop
– Give presentations
– Conduct a team meeting
– Chair a focused discussion of an industry issue
– Brainstorm with clients
– Screen-share with participants
– Share documents and YouTube videos
– Add Google Effects

And best of all – your session is automatically recorded and posted to YouTube.

3.  Google Business Photos allows 360° virtual tours of business interiors

Google Maps already provides exterior shots of many local businesses, recently Google launched Google Business Photos which can be viewed through Google+ Local.

Canada Newswire reported: “Specially trained ‘Google Trusted Photographers’ provide 360-degree interactive panoramas of theinteriors of businesses. The panoramas are seen on Google Maps and Google Places…Potential customers get a virtual tour of the business, so that they can imagine themselves being [there].”

In fact, they can literally look around (stopping the tour, which pans automatically, whenever they want to examine something in detail. And then step right out the door to see what the neighborhood is like.

This can be a huge advantage, if people are undecided whether or not to visit in person after reading similar reviews or features for your competitors.

4.  Google Maps allows virtual exterior tours of bricks-and-mortar buildings

If your business is small-town or rural, you most likely won’t be able to take advantage of Google Business Photos, since it is currently available only in large cities.

However, Google Maps integrated with Google+ Local provides a wonderful alternative.

Clicking on your Google+ Local map will allow you a 360° exterior view in many small towns and outlying areas.

The camera doesn’t auto-pan, but you can click on any spot and zoom.

And even an exterior view alone can help bring people through your doors.

5.  Google+ has 400 million users – over 100 million of them active

And that number is steadily growing as people realize how well Google+ has got its act together, after a shaky start.

One reason is Google’s integrated # 1 position in many stat site rankings – and, of course, its own search results.

And because it did have a shaky start, now is the time to join Google+ and take advantage of its many features, establishing your position through Circles, Hangouts and more.

Active and regular users should never be underestimated as your most precious resource.

6.  Google+ allows you to visually and easily control your networks with Circles

Google Circles is one of its easiest and most attractive features to use. It’s like Facebook Interest Lists – only cleaner, less confusing and more effective.

It’s particularly great for visual learners. And there are far less “clicks” to click, when trying to remember how to create the sort of list you want.

In fact, it combines the best of groups and lists. And you have 100% control

You can edit Circle names and descriptions. You can block people. You can control and manage the visibility of your Circles. You can put people in more than one Circle.

You get to decide:

– What your Circles will be called
– Who you will drag-and-drop into each one
– How you want to order and organize them
– When you want to share a Circle – and with whom

People who view your Profile will be able to see who you are connected with – but not the names of your Circles.

And you can instantly invite any Circle to a dedicated Google Hangout just for them, so it’s a great aid in running Membership sites.

Best of all, you can instantly share and stream share and stream any content with or from your Circles.

7.  You can trace your posts with Google+ Ripples

Another great Google feature that is still being under-used, Ripples translates who has shared a post or link, as well as post comments, into visual graph form.

While its implications may not leap off the page at you, just from looking at one Ripples graph, repeatedly using this feature will soon allow you to identify trends – and people who influence them.

You’ll also be able to and track the spread of posts over time, as well as see exactly how your post was shared.

8. Google+ Communities lets you build relationships around a niche or topic

One of the latest features rolled out by Google is Google+ Communities – its answer to forums and Yahoo Groups.  You can look for and join existing communities… or create a community yourself.

 

One advantage in particular: You can be absolutely sure that everyone in your Community will see your post (which doesn’t always happen with Circles).

When you join or create the perfectly targeted community for you, you are also sparking and nurturing relationships with potential customers, clients, peers or experts you can learn from.

You can brainstorm ideas, ask questions, answer questions (a great way to earn trust and assume leadership characteristics) and talk about subjects that might not interest many of your Circle connections.

9.  Google+ allows a YouTube tab, while you get a Google+ tab in YouTube

Since Google took over YouTube, the two have become like Siamese twins. Share on one, and you have the ability to share on the other.

That’s the power of two top social networks for one: An SEO booster, if there ever was one.

 

10. You can firmly establish ownership of your original content through Google+

Linking your Google+ Profile to your blog or website acts as a verification that you are the author of your posts and articles – not people who might be copying it.

Your photo will appear next to the content piece appearing in Google search results, further boosting your web credibility and visibility.

Your photo will make that particular search result stand out better, plus you can also expect it to drive traffic to your Google+ Profile.

And Google will pair this with other posts by you, offering searchers more of your original content.

These are just ten of the reasons why you shouldn’t ignore Google+. Be a leader in your industry or niche: Start using them now, and you’ll be ahead of the field when Google unveils its next useful Google+ feature.