Google Plus is a social networking site launched by Google in 2011.
It now has approximately 250 million users and is growing in popularity.
Google Plus is similar to Facebook but yet different in several ways.
One major difference is that you can organize your friends and followers
into separate “Circles” so you can post appropriate messages to the
right people. It is not just one mass posting.
With its many features and differences, Google Plus can seem a bit
complicated and confusing so below are ten tips to help you use Google
Plus to its maximum efficiency.
1. Profile – As always, take advantage of your
profile area. You want to establish your personal identity but also
connect your personal profile with your business. Instead of using your
company logo for your avatar, use a picture of yourself. This will
establish you as an actual person and give you a head start for building
the relationships needed for your online business. Showcase what your
business can do for people in the “About” section. Highlight your
business but keep your personal identity evident as well.
2. Hangouts – This is one feature that separates
Google Plus from Facebook and other social networking sites. The
Hangouts feature allows you to connect, by video, with up to ten people
at one time. This is great for meetings, training, demonstrations,
webinars, e-classes, etc. Use this tool with creativity and grow your
business.
3. Categorize with Circles – Another advantage of
using Google Plus is their “Circles” feature. This allows you to
categorize your followers, which in turn allows you to send the
appropriate messages to the appropriate groups of people. No more mass
posting and sending irrelevant messages to people. You can separate your
followers into customers, family, trainees, etc. This is another way
that Google Plus has come out ahead for networking.
4. Sparks – Yet another great feature of Google
Plus is Sparks. This handy tool lets you enter a keyword and an alert
will be sent to you whenever any content on this subject is posted. This
is a great way to search for, and find relevant and interesting content
to share.
5. Shorten Your URL – Be sure to shorten your URL
as you probably won’t want to use the default link Google assigns to
you. To do this, you can go to gplus.to and choose the nickname for your URL. I use my company name but some people prefer to use their actual name.
6. Invite People to Your Circles – In your account
you will see a suggestion list, provided by Google, of people to invite
to your circles. Make a habit of going through these suggestions and
inviting different people to the appropriate circle. More people than
not will accept your invitation and it helps in building an effective
network.
7. Drag and Drop – You can easily drag and drop
photos, links, videos, etc. from your desktop to your Google Plus
comment box. This allows you much creativity to create memorable and
unique posts.
8. Google Notifications Window – This feature is
helpful because it allows you to comment right in the window. You do
not have to click over to a website to share a comment. You can also
scroll through to see older and/or newer notifications. This can be a
great timesaver.
9. Check Your Google Plus Settings - There are many
notification options available to you. You can opt to get notified when
someone mentions you or adds you to their circle. There are several
options available to you so be sure to check all the ones that apply.
10. Use Mashable – Mashable is a news source that
will keep you abreast of all Google’s features, updates, and other
digital social media news as well. This will allow you to make the most
of your Google Plus and social media tactics.
Although Google Plus is not yet the powerhouse that Facebook is, it
has many outstanding features and uses that could make it a very
effective component in your social networking agenda.