Google Plus Pages
Google Plus Pages for business hit the net early last week, so there was a bit of confusion on how to build a page and effective ways to interact with customers. Granted a lot of the features of Google Plus pages for business are still in beta mode, there is a lot of vital tips out there that could really up the ante of your Google Plus page for great customer experience and even better communication from within your company. Let’s take a look:
Google Plus Pages | Marketing Repairs and Customer Recommendations
So in a recent presentation by Christian Oestlien on Google Plus pages, Christian explained a few marketing issues that Google is currently trying to repair for Google Plus:
1. Fragmented marketing
2. Recommendations that lack staying power
3. Comments, not conversations
4. Impersonal messages
5. Limited insights
Google Plus pages could possibly be the best marketing platform out of all of the social networks, primarily because you can cater your messages to specific customer groups that are interested in particular things through Circles. Customer recommendations are also going to be very important with Google Plus pages, because all of your +1’s can be tied together through your page.
So one of Google Plus pages attempts to curb limited insights is through the new feature, Ripples. Ripples allows you to see the life and evolution of a social media post. What does this mean? Through Ripples you can see who read your post, who shared it, and track it from its inception. This means that you can find the influencers in your field and see what posts are shared through what networks. Businesses can then see what techniques work and which don’t foster much interaction.
Google Plus Pages | Where to Search for Tips
Google is trying to make sure that there are plenty of resources on Google Plus pages. As a matter of fact you can find great page tips by simply searching #pagetips on Google+. Google also opened the page “Google+ Your Business” in order to provide tips like these, shared by Google’s Kristoffer Sorensen:
1. Engage, engage, engage
“Google+ is about engaging with friends, family, colleagues, people who share your interests, and now customers, clients, and companies,” he says. “This is a great opportunity for you to share with your clients news, product launches, campaigns, and promotions. It’s also an awesome way for you to talk to your fans, learn about them and get feedback from them. In short, it’s a great opportunity for you to engage.”
2. Hangouts are awesome!
“As a brand and a business you should be thinking about how hangouts can add value to the way you communicate with your followers. You should also be thinking about who should be hosting them on your end – it’s a great opportunity for you to show the human face of your brand/company. Host them from your page by clicking the “Start a hangout” button on the right side of your home page.”
He suggests using Hangouts for product demos, customer service office hours, discussions with people in the company, sharing financial results, Q&A for product/service feedback, or tutorials/classes.
3. Manage your Circles
“Managed right, circles can be a great tool for ensuring that you get the right message to the right follower,” says Sorensen. “For example, a clothes brand might want to send one message to their fans interested in soccer and another to their fans interesting in running. It allows you as a brand to tailor your message and increase relevance in your messaging.”
He notes that Google is working on ways for users to manage Circles better, but in the meantime, he sugggests creating a post that you reshare regularly. “Have it say something like ‘we want to make sure we get the right messages to our fans, so +1 the comments below to let us know what circles you want to be part of,” he says. “Comment on your own post with a comment for each potential circle (for instance, football, soccer, running, tennis, dodgeball, and barrel rolling). People can then indicate what circle they want to be in by +1’ing that comment – you can follow up and add people to circles based on their choice”
The regular Google+ Page offers “5 cool tips you should know about Google+ Pages”. These include:
4.You can +1 a Page to show support or add them to your Circles.
5. No Google Plus Page can follow you until you follow them.
6. Google Plus Pages can’t even mention you unless you’re connected. “No +mention spam.”
7. Google Plus Pages automatically unfollow you if you unfollow them.
8. You can find Google Plus pages in Google Search
Google Plus pages for business can be confusing at first, but its best to go ahead and begin experimenting with it now. While you’re at it, go ahead and check out our Google Plus page for inspiration. If you are confused on how to set up your Google Plus pages, then watch this video from Social Media in 7 Minutes.