What?! You’re not yet on Google+?!
There is a reason we’re worried that you’re missing out on Google’s take on social networking. For starters, well, it’s backed by Google. You know, that search engine giant. And its growth rate is much faster than that of Facebook and Twitter. The marketing potential is definitely there and exploring Google+ should be on your (or your Internet marketing expert’s) list this year.
To help shorten your learning curve, here are six simple steps for you and your Internet marketing expert so you can get started on Google+.
1. Sign up. Chances are you are already using Google or Gmail on a regular basis so this should be a no-brainer. The next time you are on Google, look for “+You” on the top left side of the page.
2. Upload avatars. Start by adding pictures of yourself. And by yourself, we mean your face. Google+ allows you to add more than one profile picture and you will find that when you click on that image, it will flip to the next one. Pretty neat.
3. Complete your “About” page. Remember that Google is a search engine and it will be to your advantage if you completely fill out this part of your Google+ page. For an idea of how other people are doing it, hover over people’s names and you will see their profile description.
4. Fill up your links. Click on the “Other profiles” section and include useful links such as links to your social media accounts, links to your business sites and links to relevant pages on your website. Make sure that the links are consistent with whatever image you are trying to project on your profile.
5. Find interesting people. The point of having a Google+ account is to be connected with people so go ahead and “circle” all sorts of people who are interesting. Find people who are in the same industry as you are, people in the same community or who share the same advocacies, or people who have the same interests as you do. You can also import other people’s circles. If this gets too complicated, you can always ask your Internet marketing expert for help.
6. Play around. While your Internet marketing expert can help you through the complicated parts, you’ll eventually have to learn to navigate Google+ on your own and the best way to get started is to play around. Try the Hangout. Read what other people are posting and learn from Google+ users who are using it “successfully.” The idea here is to start with your personal page and once you get the hang of it, you can use your knowledge to open an official Google+ company page.