Believe it for not (and chances are you may not) Google+ is gaining popularity.
A recent press release announced that Google+ reached 40 million users in October. Now with Google+ branded pages in the mix, business owners are rushing to their laptops to create their company profiles. And so is the way with businesses and social media.
Over the past few years we have seen a clear definition of how to leverage Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter appropriately and separately for a business. Just because Google+ is available, do we need to rush to participate? The biggest risk of Google+ comes with its biggest benefit. The fact that Google+ is integrated with Google search and could potentially gain visibility to your business more quickly than other platforms is impressive. However, it could also be a downfall. If you create a page and manage it poorly, you could risk hurting your brand.
With Facebook, you can create a business page and be slow to add content with less fear of exposure until you are ready to promote your page. The higher visibility brings greater risk if you don’t have meaningful content to share. Some companies such as Macy’s started their page by posting a “stay tuned” message to their customers for a promise of future content and coupons. Others like Pepsi started in full swing with a plethora of content, already having 19,169 people add them into their circle in just a few short weeks.
So what is the correct strategy?
The best strategy is the one that fits your business the most. Do you have someone to manage your content? Do you have a plan for engagement? What are the benefits to your customers following you on Google+? What type of time commitment are you willing to spend? If you are intrigued by Google+ and want to get started here are our suggestions:
- Have a strategy for great content – decide how many pieces of content you can add, what kinds, and how often
- Have the time to manage your page or dedicate one or two people on your team to that task
- Take advantage of not having an already predetermined standard for your page – using platforms like LoopLogic will add credibility to your content by incorporating video and will help your business stand out from the rest
- Be patient when looking for a return – it can take time to build a follower base and from there, engagement
