Google+Warren Wood, Greg Hassel, Jimmy Churchill

OverviewCurrent Statistics● Google + is the 7th ranked most active social network with more than

343 million monthly active users. http://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/

● 44% of 18-29 year olds have a Google + account in the U.S.A., but 28% of millennials visit Google + monthly. http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/google-plus-statistics/6/

● Google + has an average growth rate of 33% a year, with users aged 45-54 increasing their usage by 56% since 2012. http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/new-

social-media-statistics-you-need-know

Excellent ExamplesPersonal Profiles● Aaron Allen, Global Restaurant Consultant at Aaron Allen & Associates

Aaron Allen's Profile

● Excellent explanation and visualization of who he is as well as who he works for● Links available to other platforms as well as links to blogs about the restaurant

business

● Trond Lyngbo, Head of SEO at MediaCom Norway, and SEO columnist at Search Engine Land

Trond Lyngbo's Profile

● Clearly states and identifies what he is passionate about and how he is an expert on the subject of SEO

● Many links to other platform profiles, what he contributes to such as blogs, and updates frequently about his SEO passion

Excellent ExamplesCompany Pages

● Starbucks Coffee○ Full explanation of company mission○ Allows UGC and high interaction with consumers○ Links to other company profiles on other platforms and to

their website○ Allows suggestions for improvements from consumers○ Frequently posts updates related to consumers and business

ventures○ Starbucks Profile

Key Terms & Definitions● Circles: Allows you to customize how to organize your followers and who

you follow. ○ Fully customizable, common circles are Co Workers, Family, Friends, ETC. ○ When posting a link or update, you have the ability to choose which circle can and cannot

see it

● Hangouts: This feature allows you to chat and video chat with up to ten people at once.

○ Useful for business meetings when multiple individuals are involved and/or in different areas

● +1 Button: This button is similar to Facebook’s “Like” button, which easily shares posts you “+1” to your circles

Key Terms & Definitions (Cont.)

● Communities: This feature allows users to connect, share, and ask questions about a certain topic

○ Public or private○ Fully customizable in terms of being public, public with moderators, private with requests,

or invite only○ Our class community is an excellent example of a private community with requests○ Public example: Resume & Interview Tips

● Hashtag: Like Twitter, Google+ uses hashtags(#) to identify certain keywords and topics

http://sproutsocial.com/insights/google-plus-definitions/

http://slideshare.net/sheenalena/google-plus-an-overview-of

Interesting Facts● About 33% of the users come from the U.S.A., with over 70% speaking

English

● Over 60% of the users on Google+ are male

● 60% of users engage daily, with 80% engaging on a weekly basis

● China and Iran ban the use of Google+

http://www.bigfootdigital.co.uk/2013/09/11-surprising-facts-about-google/

Strengths of Google+● Circles allow customization of the relationship of connections such as

Family, Co Workers, Personal friends, Etc.

● Full integration with other Google services like YouTube, Google Drive, Gmail, Etc.

● Search engine optimization(SEO) on Google+ trumps all in this category because content published from Google+ is more likely to come up from a search query than from other platforms

● Google Hangouts is a unique feature that allows video chat for up to ten people at once, which its main competitors do not offer.

http://www.dailyblogtips.com/google-plus-vs-facebook/ http://searchengineland.com/google-the-good-the-bad-the-ugly-83630

Weaknesses of Google+● It is not nearly as popular as Facebook or Twitter in terms of social usage;

with the average time per day users look on their stream is around 12 minutes

● Google+’s contest and promotions policy limits business pages from hosting any promotions, giveaways, or contests

● Many users complain about Google+ not being as user friendly as Facebook and Twitter

http://searchengineland.com/google-the-good-the-bad-the-ugly-83630http://mashable.com/2011/07/01/google-the-pros-cons/

Best Tips for Using ● Circle MGMT

○ Create content of high relevance for a particular group of people and chose to show it to them.

● Use your name in the URL● Link every page to your G+● Google Alerts- Get the latest news for similar content you’ll be sharing

○ Effective for sharing and being a relevant/current source○ FAST

Best Tips for Using ● Design an effective snippet

● Monitor Analytics https://blog.kissmetrics.com/personal-branding-seo/http://domain.me/use-google-personal-branding/http://jorgensundberg.net/10-personal-branding-ideas-google-plus/

The A-Z Guide for Branding● A-M

○ Authenticity!■ Create and curate content that reflects who you are

○ Blog- Finding your tribe■ They’ll help spread your word■ Repurpose your material

○ Help Others○ Keywords- Very effective

■ Use hashtags○ Media-

■ G+ allows you to use all kinds of media. Use them.http://www.plusyourbusiness.com/guide-personal-branding-using-google-plus/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_bcMQRGonc

The A-Z Guide for Branding● N-Z

○ Network!○ Opinions

■ People want to hear what YOU have to say● Therefore, they will judge you ● So don’t get too crazy

○ Although that may be a good strategy○ Slogan- Personal business card○ Teach Others

■ Gain recognition, become an influencer, become a source○ Voice

■ Keep a consistent voice throughout all posts

Strategies for Engagement● Headlines!

○ Format for attention● Use your pictures● Smart Sharing● Interactive Posts

○ Engage with Comments

http://moz.com/blog/google-plus-tips-seo

Strategies for Engagement● Hashtags?

Other Strategies● Tag People● Cross Post

○ Write long messages in G+ and then Tweet the link● Start Communities

○ Rippleshttp://www.blogtyrant.com/google-plus-tips/http://www.jeffalytics.com/measuring-google-plus/

Analytics ● How many people have YOU in their circles● +1s

● Impressions● Author Stats- Search Impressions, Search Clicks, Individual Post Click

Through Rate● http://www.allmyplus.com/u/110893458888634184500#start

○ Will tell you everything

Essential Tools/Apps● Google+ is supported by native reinforcement of UGC

Examples of tools & Apps used along with Google+(Marketing):1.Widgets- Allow you to display company Google+ page on your website with customizable features 2.Google+ statistics- Allow user to see top trends, social media reporting tool for facebook and twitter, in other words almost anything is measurable..top brands.. occupations ect..3.Directories- For Google+ individuals that are influential in your industry(google has its own “PlusClout” score)Findpeopleonplus.com- A place to network with old new co workers and professionals in your geographic area or school history.

Essential tools/Apps Cont.4.)Browser extensions- (Extended share) allows for shared Google+ post on any social media platform (G++) allows for twitter and facebook to be aligned along with your Google+ feed and post for easy access 5.) Google drive- allow for secure sharing and storage of content 6.) Google+ presentation(slides) and document: Interactive way to complete assignments online with live updates and changes made by team members.

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/5-top-google-tools-and-apps-for-marketing-pros/

Tutorial

Excellent ExamplesProduct/Personal Branding:

1.)7 point checklist to dominate personal branding on google+http://rebekahradice.com/dominate-your-personal-brand-using-google-plus/

2.)Great example for setting up a basic google+ account & getting noticed-http://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-social-media/google-plus

Cont. (For business)1.)Basic visual representation-http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/best-practices-using-g-business-infographic/147440

2.)In depth by hootsuite-https://hootsuite.com/resources/guide/google-for-business-a-guide-by-the-hootsuite-social-media-coaches

3.)Focus more on content-http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2012/11/content-marketing-best-practices-google-success/

Suggested ReadingsFor google+ authorship (Google Authorship is a way to link content you create with a Google+ profile.)-http://searchengineland.com/the-definitive-guide-to-google-authorship-markup-123218Why blog on google+ and how-http://www.computerworld.com/article/2492324/social-media/why-i-blog-on-google---and-how-.htmlAnother reason why you should use google+ to blog-http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevecooper/2013/08/31/the-one-reason-every-blogger-should-use-google/How to properly use hashtags on google+http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/google-hashtags-more-exposure/Everything you need to know about google+ ($2.51)http://www.amazon.com/What-Plus-Google-Rest-Us-ebook/dp/B007HD7HT0