With Google+ becoming the second largest social network only trailing behind Facebook, it has become too big to ignore. Google+ should definitely be part of your social strategy. If you are not sure how to get your company started, then listen closely. There are several things you can do on Google+ once you get the hang of it, but here are some things to consider to help get you started.
Let People Know You Are There
One of the biggest problems that people have when they create a new profile on a social site is they do not tell people about it. Sure there will be people that stumble across your page, but you are better than that. Tell people that you are on Google+ to make it easier for them to find you. If you tell people then you are creating the traffic to your Google+ page and they will be more qualified leads then others that happen to find you on Google+. You need both of these types of people, but when you are new to a site you need as many people as possible—so you have to market yourself.
Grow Your Circles
The best way to get a friend is to be a friend. The same is to be said about circling. Chances are if you find people that you want as customers, if you circle them they will circle you back. Worst case scenario, they still saw your Google+ page so you are getting brand exposure and you can keep tabs on what they are talking about on Google+. This is more important than you realize. You need to circle and follow your customers back for two reasons;
1. To strengthen your customer relationship with them
2. To see what they are saying about your company, product or services. People’s opinions are extremely important to a company because without them you would not be in business, so treat your customers nicely.
Posting For the Masses
Think about how many people follow your company on multiple social media platforms. Do you really think they want to see the exact same content on all of your sites? No way. Make sure you are staying relevant to the social network and posting content for your audience on each network because they are all different. Be sure to also mix up the type of content you are posting. There should be a good balance between company news, industry news and other things your audience would find relevant as well as different types of posts like pictures, videos, links and text.
Be Active in Communities
This stems off of grow your circles. You want to interact with other companies in your industry as well as potential clients and communities is a great way to do this. They are also a fantastic way to grow your network because you can interact with people you did not know before and circle them as your relationship grows. Two brains are better than one, and communities have much more people in them than that! Ask advice, seek others opinions, ask for help, give help, give advice, and give your opinion to really be an active member of the community. You can search through different communities using keywords to find the right one or ones for you. There is no limit on the amount of communities you can join, but be sure to read the guidelines and not to spam them with self promoting content.
Host a Hangout
Hangouts are public video chats with up to ten visible people, but the number of people that can view them is unlimited. You can collaborate with your audience, other companies or team members in real time. Hangouts can also be linked to your YouTube channel to view live or after the event. Through YouTube you can also embed them directly to your website where people are already consuming your content. This makes it easier for people to share your videos and get excited for upcoming hangouts on air. There are several different types of hangouts that companies have ranging from Q&A to product launches and video interviews with special guests. Find out what would work best for your industry and different ways you can use hangouts to your advantage.