There should be little doubt that the news of Pages for Google+ will effectively change the way marketers use social media. Google, renowned as one of the most ingenious companies in the world, is also known for fumbling product releases in the past. I do believe Google+ will be an exception, as the search giant seems to be placing more marketing muscle behind this platform than any product in the company’s history.
Let’s first assume that Google+ is as essential to your brand’s greater social media platform as Facebook and Twitter. The following steps will set you on the path to creating your company’s page.
- Getting started is simple; begin here.
- You’ll be asked to choose between “Local Business or Place”, “Product or Brand”, Company, Institution, or Organization”, “Arts, Entertainment, or Sports”, or “Other.”
- Be prepared with the following:
- Company Tagline: The 10 words that describe your page best
- Profile Photo: A company logo/picture (preferably square in dimension)
- You’ve now created your page. Continue to your profile and click the blue “Edit Profile” button. Then, complete the following fields:
- Find at least 5 photos for your page. You’ll add more, but to have at least five will provide enough immediate content to fill out your page’s header thumbnails.
- A brief introduction to your company, what services you provide, products you deliver, and so on. Give a compelling reason why one would want to follow you. Google also points out that multiple pages may exist under the same name, so make sure your “Introduction” is specific to your company.
- Any available forms of contact. Let people know how they can reach you.
- A single website URL. For now, there is only one field.
- “Recommended Links” is a nice feature Google dubs “What pages interest you?” Use this field for Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs, and the like.
- Once finished, click the “Done Editing” button in the red bar across the top of the page.
The greater argument that is sure to ensue will be the valuation of Google+ as an online marketing tool. My recommendation: Invest time, plenty of time, in Google+.
Consider the products Google boasts: AdWords, Analytics, Places, along with YouTube and Gmail. And, these are just a small subset — see: http://bit.ly/rDTHE9 for a complete list. The missing component was a social network that could bind this family of products together. Google+ provides the literal “platform” wherein any business owner can market their brand online no matter the size or scope at which they operate. Though not obvious now, my speculation is that Google will arm Google+ with the appropriate integration for all of its business application tools, making for the ultimate social media business development dashboard.
Businesses were rather slow to take Facebook seriously, seeing it as an adolescent’s fascination. I was told often by “senior” marketers that Facebook would never be a sophisticated marketing avenue and that I should remain focused on “traditional” means. They’ve changed their tune.
Regarding Google+, look big-picture. They’ve learned valuable lessons from Friendster, MySpace, and especially Facebook. The online user is more advanced than ever before and the atmosphere is right for an entrepreneurial renaissance. I believe Google+ can provide the catalyst to a paradigm shift in social media that we haven’t seen since Facebook’s emergence. I’m inspired by the level of sophistication Google is exhibiting while going about crafting communication pieces for Google+. I’m even more anxious to see the talented marketers that social media has assembled to run with this new, dynamic platform.
This is the first of a few posts from Tier10lab on Google+. We’ll be exploring strategy, implementation, and viability as the young social network develops. With specific questions, leave them below or tweet us @Tier10.
