In today’s social media-hungry world, Google+ has become an important network for businesses to leverage. In fact, Google+ is among one of the best platforms that a company can use to attract new customers, remain relevant to its current audience, spread brand awareness and much more. But, when a company first creates a Google+ page, how does it know where to start?
Take a look at these best practices to better understand how a business can benefit by joining the Google+ community.
When creating a Google+ business page, one of the most important things a company needs to do is to include every detail about the organization. When information is left out, customers are forced to draw their own conclusions. Ultimately, this causes them to search elsewhere for a company that is more transparent with its capabilities to fulfill their needs.
Important information to make apparent includes:
– Name
– Address
– Phone number
– Website link
– Introduction about the company
A custom URL (on any platform) is easier to find and share than one that is lengthy and confusing. On Google+, a custom profile URL allows a company to connect with its audience faster. In addition to making the online world an easier place to navigate, custom URLs have a more professional appearance.
To trust that a company is legitimate, customers look to see if that company is verified on social media. In order to get verified on Google+, a company must prove to Google that it is located where it claims to be. To be sure of this, Google sends a postcard with a code to the business’s address. The company must then forward the code back to Google. Simple—right? Fun fact: getting verified on Google+ can even boost a company’s profile rankings over other companies that are not verified!
It’s one thing to create a social media page—but it’s another to be active and engage on it. Social media users look for companies that care to spend time interacting with others online; whether it’s by responding to reviews, commenting on posts or sharing relevant content that relates to their industry.
Hashtags are powerful tools. When they’re incorporated into a social media post, hashtags have the potential to either help or hurt a company’s online efforts. However, there are some basic rules that companies must adhere to. To start, companies should research and utilize relevant hashtags to increase social engagements (and reduce the risk of attracting the wrong audience). Even more, hashtags should be relevant to the post that is being shared. For example, if a post talks about decorating a new patio, then the hashtags should not be related to clothing.
Google+ communities help companies interact with customers, engage with other businesses, share content and more. If an organization is hosting an event that it wants to promote to a specific town, it could join that town’s Google+ community, and then share information to the members in that group. Fun fact: users and companies can search for specific Google+ communities and join ones that are relevant to them.
Companies can use Google+ to receive more customer reviews about their products and services. Reviews, especially for local businesses, help to convert potential leads into customers. This is because everything that current customers say about a company heavily influences or deters future customers’ purchasing decisions. Here are some tips to utilize Google+ company reviews.
Social media has changed the way that organizations (and the world) communicate. And so, it’s time that companies take advantage of the networks that are available to them—especially Google+. With these best practices, companies (both big and small) can take their social presence to another level to stay relevant within their communities.
