Inc. recently interviewed several marketing experts, including my friend?Ryan Evans of Rand Media and Bitesize PR, about?how small businesses can increase their brand on Google+.
Here are 15 Tips for Boosting Your Small Business Brand Awareness on Google+ featured in the article:
1) Real Name
Since Google+ does not yet allow business accounts, create a personal profile using your real name. ?Customers, investors and potential business partners want to know the person or people behind a business. ?Naturally, this profile will also rank very highly in Google search results, so it?s a fantastic branding opportunity.
2) Google+ Circles
Google+ has a feature called Circles, which are essentially labels, folders or lists to help you sort your contacts. ?Keep the labels as simple as possible using straight-forward labels for your family, friends, co-workers, business partners and so forth.
3) Engage Authentically
Make an effort to read posts made by your contacts and others on the network. ?It feels great to have someone acknowledge your posts, so show them that you actually read their content by sharing it with a friend, leaving a comment or following their links.
4) Coupons and Specials
Post some coupons and specials for your business, especially deals that are exclusive to contacts you?ve made on Google+. ?Don?t get carried away as the Google+ frowns upon too many promotional posts. ?Remember, it?s a social network (or social layer), not an advertisement or infomercial.
5) Private Messages
If you find someone interesting, send them a private message by selecting their name when making a post. ?This is similar in function to a Twitter @reply message.
6) Notifications
As you become connected to more people and participate actively, it can become?unwieldy?trying to keep up with responses manually. ?Track your new friend requests and comments on your posts under the notifications section.
7) Keep Using Facebook
Don?t stop using Facebook just because Google+ launched. ?You should be networking with your Google+ contacts on other social networks including Facebook, Twitter as well as their blogs. ?Each platform has its quirks and personality, so it?s best to get a well-rounded view of the contacts you?re networking with.
8) Think Big
Don?t be afraid to interact with famous business leaders like Michael Dell and Richard Branson. ?They?ve established a solid presence on Google+ for a reason, which is to better connect with their customers and fans on a more personal level.
9) Be Brave
Have a different perspective than everyone else? ?Don?t be afraid to offer a counter-argument on an issue you feel strongly about, but be ready to support it with researched and well-grounded points.
10) Detailed Information
Enter as much information as possible on your profile description. ?Your contacts will formulate their first-impression and later opinion of you based on your profile, so make it good. ?Don?t forget a professional, but friendly profile picture.
11) Sparks
Use Sparks to find stories that match your interests. ?The Sparks feature is supposed to offer suggestions based on your Google +1 activity, but you can also manually input the search terms you?re interested in.
12) +1
You may have seen the Tweet and Like share buttons next to an article you?d like to share, but did you notice the +1 button anywhere? ?That?s Google?s new share button and it automatically adds anything you share using the +1 button into the +1?s section of your profile. ?Use this feature to share articles that you recommend to your contacts.
13) Hangouts
Hangouts is essentially a chatroom where users can pick a topic of interest and ?hangout? while sharing their thoughts by video. ?It?s a great way to engage with people on a more personal level than you would through commenting. ?It?s also gaining momentum as a casual video-conferencing option for small teams of less than 10 people.
14) Make Time
People makes excuses about the limited amount of time they have in their day and while it?s true that time is finite, it?s critical to find it. ?You have to be an active user if you plan to leverage social media platforms such as Google+ to build relationships that may evolve into customers or business partnerships over time.
15) Stay Focused
You may become discouraged at first, but persistence pays off. ?Comment, share and follow users each day and eventually you?ll reap the benefits of an engaged network.
Read more at?Inc.?>>
If you haven?t created an account yet, check out?3 Ways Small Businesses Can Get Started Now on Google+. ?What are your Google+ tips for small business owners?
If you would like to feature your product, service or small business innovation success story on?Firmology, please fill out our?submission form.? If you are interested in advertising on?Firmology, please fill out our?advertising inquiry form.
Related posts:
- 3 Ways Small Businesses Can Get Started Now on Google+
- Facebook Launches Step by Step Guide for How to Create a Fan Page for Small Business
- 5 Ways to Use Photo Sharing Site Flickr for Your Small Business
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