So, Google+ is the new kid on the block, and like it or not, it looks like it is here to stay.
As many of you will know, I have very much embraced Google+ and believe that eventually it is going to be the social network of choice. I believe this so much so that I run a blog about Google+ called GPlusTuts with another ChurchM.ag author, Dustin Stout.
So, I have put together 5 strategies that you can use to be more effective on Google+!
1 – Get Involved!
OK, seriously, I know that this sounds obvious, but some people, for whatever reason, are currently abstaining from Google+. I have heard all of the excuses, but I think that you should definitely dip your toe in the water!
Take 30mins and get your Google+ account setup nicely:
- Take a nice photo for your profile picture – people want to see that beautiful face of yours
- Sort your bio out – don’t be lame! Talk succinctly about who you are, what you do, and the sort of things you are likely to post about.
- Find some people to circle and put them in relevant circles to keep everything tidy. This will not only help you to post certain things to the right people, it will also help you to view the kind of content you want to see at any given time, as you can sort posts into a stream of that particular circle. You can start off by circling me – I talk about Tech, Social Media, and Weight Loss (I am trying to lose 100 pounds this year!).
- Get sharing and interacting!
2 – Make Some Valuable Connections with “Gather, Rinse and Repeat”
Now we have got the simple task of getting set up out of the way, it’s time to make some awesome connections. Google+ has an amazing community of active users who are extremely keen to make new connections, so finding awesome people to connect with should not be a problem. This is a great opportunity to find some awesome content, to share your awesome content, and to forge awesome connections.
Dustin Stout has created an awesome system for easily and quickly making some great new connections on Google+, coining it the “Gather, Rinse and Repeat” technique.
It essentially works like this:
- Gather – Find some popular Google+ users in your areas of interest using sites such as RecommendedUsers.com. Then look at some of their posts, and circle people who are interacting with that user by +1’ing their posts, commenting etc in a temporary circle. If you are running Google Chrome you can do this in a very easy way by using the Circle+ extension.
- Rinse – Over the next few days check the temporary circle’s stream at regular intervals and pinpoint users who are posting the sort of interesting content that you enjoy. Proceed to add these people to your permanent circles. When you feel like you have found all of the relevant users from your temporary circle, simply delete it.
- Repeat – Do it again and find even more new friends!
3 – Get Serious About +1
If you have any kind of web property, you are going to need to start getting serious about +1’s – Google’s answer to Facebook “Like”.
Google is the king of search and no-one can tell me that they aren’t going to be using +1 as a major part of their search algorithm.
+1 very much exists inside of Google+, but also any webpage can be “+1’ed”. Get yourself a +1 button on your webpage now! I am not even kidding, make it happen, you will thank me for it I am sure!
This might be a good place to get started.
4 – Get Your Brand Or Business On Google+
Be ahead of the game, get your brand a page on Google+ now. Brand pages released relatively recently, but already the big players have jumped on board and are doing awesome things with their pages, especially utilising the hangouts feature for some great live events and Q&A’s.
If you are a big church or one with a particularly large amount of tech-savvy members, get on it now!
5 – Know The Power of Posts
As time goes by I am noticing that Google+ posts in general are ranking very well indeed in Google searches. Good quality Google+ posts are not going to be things that are here one day and gone the next, some quality posts will stick around a while and see some serious Google juice.
Use your brain and think about how this can be an awesome thing for your or your business. Quality Google+ posts seem to have the tendency to spread like wildfire across the social network and before you know it your post could be in front of a lot of eyes. Add to that the possibility of it ranking well on Google search and you could have some great opportunities. I am thinking SEO juice for your website, product sales, exposure for your brand, affiliate sales, newsletter signups, do you get what I am saying? I know it’s not all about that, but let’s be real, many of us are in the business of the internet.
There is so much more that I want to share, but I really feel that the above points are a really good starting place for both those who are new to Google+ and also those who want to take things to the next level.
Have a great time and lets collectively make the most of this awesome new social network which, I believe, is going to explode!
Tre Lawrence says
I am loving Google+… way, way more than I thought I would. Good stuff.
Dustin W. Stout says
And not to mention Google’s new search update with “Search plus your world” which will make having a Google+ presence 1,000,000,000 times more important for businesses, churches, or brands. The +1 button is really driving a lot of these search results.
I heart Google+!
Joey Strawn says
Great post! I’m a advocate for Google+ as well and since I make my living being a social media strategist, I’m having more and more fun on the network every day.
I agree with you and think that it’s going to be a lot bigger than some of the “haters” are giving it credit for, but that will just make the way for the early adopters and people who use these strategies from the beginning to be in a good place.
Awesome stuff!