3 Ways to Rebuild Google+

Sitting at 300 million users, Google+ is no laughing matter. Why? Because it is Google’s brainchild.

Using Google+ from a marketing perspective is a difficult endeavor, but far from impossible. The platform is similar to LinkedIn’s professional stance, the personality of Facebook, and the politeness of Twitter. The trick is setting up your profile to maximize your outreach.

Here’s an infographic on becoming a G+ wizard for a more visualized approach.

Utilizing Influencers

An influencer is a thought leader, force, business owner, or authority within a certain industry. Think of these people as the ones who speak at conferences and publish the occasional book — these are figureheads you and your competitors share.

Finding influencers on Google+ is essential to attract attention and learn how to maximize the potential of every post. Typically, big names in an industry (the CEOs, speakers, writers, etc.) have social media channels to promote their ideas and keep followers informed. Google+, while not a necessity, is a good place to find them.

Start collecting a list of names (or companies) that lead the way within an industry. Go into Google+ and start searching, adding them to groups, and backtracking to see who their influencers are. In addition, use the following platforms for locating thought leaders/influencers:

• Amazon authors with popular books on relevant subjects.


• Use a competitor’s G+ activity wall to see who they follow.


• Double-up by matching popular Twitter handles with Google+ accounts.


• When Googling, which Google Authorship accounts show up frequently?


• Dig through comments for popular commenters.


• With Google+ Ripples, backtrack re-share stats to find which accounts generate hype.

With influencers, you are exposed to the industry’s top content. More importantly, you have a chance to attract notice and have your content/posts brought into the limelight by influencers. In the end, this increases followers for all parties involved and ranks the influences high on search results.

The Authorship Equation

Google Authorship is a powerful tool for bloggers and businesses hoping to be better bloggers. You’ve seen these authors on search results whether you know it or not: This is when a link is attached to a photo of a Google+ profile. If you click the portrait, you’re taken to a user-specific results page with other authored posts by the same person.

Authorship is complicated and takes some time to put in place, though the benefits of doing so are staggering. For one, having Authorship status ranks your content higher on search results. This high-ranking, original, and creative content then becomes ammo for posting on social media and sharing across Google+.

Sharing & Creating

Speaking of content, the worth of the content you publish is the only way to generate interest. Like with Facebook and Twitter, consistency is paramount and it’s best to set up a daily reminder that says, “Do Google+, NOW!”

Unlike your personal Facebook page and professional-heavy LinkedIn, Google+ content is usually industry-related and (gasp) entertaining. The trick is creating content that is yours. These pieces are either links to blogs you wrote, images, videos, and thoughts by you. At the same time, it’s important to keep up a healthy amount of shares from your influences to keep up the idea that you know what you’re talking about.

Google+ is very much like LinkedIn in that you have to work at it to make it worth the effort. With creative and original content (as well as some work on your end), becoming a Google+ influencer is not out of the question.

via Business 2 Community http://ift.tt/1nVkMvw