It’s time to get moving on Google+ for business
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012I first covered this new thing called Google+ in this blog post last June. After a skyrocketing launch, adoption rates plateaued, then dropped off. Many new users signed up for an account but have not been as active with it as with their other SoMe channels (Twitter, Facebook, etc.). As G+ pages were only for individuals, businesses were left wondering how G+ would affect them.
G+ has made two important changes recently that is shaking things up again. In November, Google launched “pages” for businesses or brands. Similar to Facebook, users can create company pages and use G+ as that company. Many early movers jumped in but the results were not immediate.
But just today, Google launched another initiative that will certainly take G+ to the next level. “Search plus Your World” is now merging the worlds of Google Search and G+ together. Check out this quick video overview.
Here are the three main features as described on Google’s blog:
- Personal Results: enable you to find information just for you, such as Google+ photos and posts—both your own and those shared specifically with you, that only you will be able to see on your results page.
- Profiles in Search: both in autocomplete and results, which enable you to immediately find people you’re close to or might be interested in following.
- People and Pages: which help you find people profiles and Google+ pages related to a specific topic or area of interest, and enable you to follow them with just a few clicks. Because behind most every query is a community.
With G+ pages showing up prominently in Google searches, it’s a whole new ballgame. Community managers need to start exploring the many potential advantages of G+ for their companies and brands. It’s easy to get started; first, set up a G+ for yourself, then set up a page by walking through a wizard here. Give it a go and tell me what you think.





