A year ago, it looked like Google+ was all but dead. More recent numbers suggest it’s even bigger than Twitter, and it comes with added search engine visibility on top of that. The addition of communities gives you a place to interact with people who have an interest in things related to your business, and the ability to write extended posts makes it much more useful for two way communication than Twitter or Facebook.
Now, Google+ has tossed in some new plugins that you can use to expand marketing possibilities.
In addition to the +1 button, Google+ has now added the follow button, which is arguably more useful. The purpose of the follow button is fairly self-explanatory. After they click it, you will be listed as a follower on their account, and they will see your posts in their Google+ feed.
It should go without saying that you should encourage users to follow your posts. This boosts your brand impressions and gives them more opportunities to revisit your site.
Place the follow button in a place where it is readily visible. It’s generally a good idea to keep it away from the sidebar. Place it within the content where people will notice it. Do not clutter the page with social buttons. You may want to remove the +1 button and replace it with the follow button.
If the +1 button is already on your site, you don’t need to add any javascript to your site. You can configure the plugin by going to:
You will be given code that you can simply paste on your site, and the button will appear to users.
If you are in charge of your own Google+ community, you can now set up a community badge on your site to draw people toward it. You can configure a custom avatar or icon associated with the badge and place it in your sidebar. When users click on the badge, a new tab will open so that they can see your community.
Keep in mind that Google+ communities are not brand pages. They are a place to connect with your audience. Very few people will be willing to join a community that merely promotes sales or talks about products. If you choose to set up your own community, remember that it is all about your followers and what they are interested in.
Successful communities are very noncommercial in nature. Be subtle.
Page and profile badges have also been updated to take on a new look. The new badges include +1 and Follow buttons within them. Again, they can be customized to fit into the branding of your site as needed.
It’s interesting to see just how far Google+ has come from the near ghost town it was about a year ago. In many ways, Google+ is better suited to marketers than Facebook, since it has become the go to place not to connect with friends, but to connect with people who have common interests. Take advantage of this opportunity to retain customers and expand reach.