Why Every Small Business Needs a Google+ Page
Meet Dana Haddon, this week’s featured cafe member.
Dana is sharing a slice of her marketing knowledge in today’s guest post. She is the artist behind CereusArt Coastal Décor, founded in 2011. Whether your beach decor style is classic, contemporary, or relaxed, CereusArt coastal decor accessories are the perfect complement to your home and always make the perfect gift.
Dana does an outstanding job marketing her designs. Her Facebook page is my “go-to” spot when I need a moment to relax. Run over to her social media sites and beg her to connect with you. She’s that awesome.
Find her on: LinkedIn | Google+ | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest
Why Every Small Business Needs a Google Plus Page, by Dana Haddon
If you’re like most small business owners, you wear many hats in your organization. As a one-woman Beach Décor Etsy shop owner, I am the Artist, the Shipping Department, Customer Service, and the Advertising and Marketing Director.
Granted the handmade market is growing by leaps and bounds, but getting my products in front of potential buyers can be challenging. Early on, I realized that I needed to include social media marketing as a key component to my overall marketing strategy. It almost seems daily we’re bombarded with information about the latest and greatest social media platform. Accessing the social media landscape, and determining where to focus my already limited time is crucial. For me, ease of operation, as well as a high return on investment, are key criteria in evaluating these tools.
After careful consideration, Google+ is my go-to social media marketing tool and it should be yours too!
Here’s why:
Google Search commands roughly 67% of search engine market share.
No surprise there. Google+ is a neat little bundle of all Google products and services in one social media format.
Did you know that YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine?
YouTube is bigger than Bing, Yahoo, Ask and AOL combined! It is the fastest growing video sharing website in the world. Google purchased YouTube in 2006. YouTube is integrated with Google Plus with the comments section. Comments on any of my YouTube videos generate a new post on Google+.
And the best part?
Google+ posts are indexed in Google Search! So now when I post a keyword rich post on Google+, I get the added benefit of having that post indexed by search and shown to potential customers when they use those relevant search terms for my products and services.
Google Authorship creates a link between you and your work in search results.
That means that if a potential customer searches for a relevant keyword in your industry, and you’ve created content with that keyword, Google will show your photo, Google+ profile, as well as links to more content you’ve authored. All of this increases click through rates by 30%. Google+ is also considered one of the fastest ways to get your content indexed by Google.
Google+ Communities allow me to network with other business owners to share tips and create mutually beneficial business partnerships. I’ve created a community of Beach Décor enthusiasts (https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/109982503904839716919). We share trends, tutorials, and industry related information. Participating in these communities helps me build authority, trust, and a solid reputation in my industry, all while gaining search engine optimization bonus points.
Is Google+ the social media marketing magic pill? No, but it certainly amplifies your efforts in a way that no other tool can. I’d call that a pretty high return on investment.
Want a boost getting started? Here are a few free downloads including step-by-step instructions, compliments of PlusYourBusiness.com.
melanie2 Go for it, Melanie! Download the pdf files at the end of the blog, they are a fantastic “step by step” to get started. I was using them this weekend and found them VERY helpful.
Thanks for this post! I’ve been wanting to spend more time on Google + and just haven’t made the jump. I think it’s time I jump in!
jolynndeal Melissa Penton Will do, thanks!
Marissa Buckley You are very welcome. And you’re right Authorship is huge! Another key is having folks comment and +1 your content. Every +1 is like a vote telling Google that you are producing valuable content.
Melissa Penton Thank you! Feel free to connect with me on Google+, I share information on new features and enhanced functionality on a regular basis.
KatyBlevins – Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate your comments. Connecting your profile, blog, website and authorship is a HUGE step in the right direction!
Melissa Penton CereusArt Dana, connect with Melissa. She is a really inspirational woman. She’s our friend with “life changing benefits.”
Dana your website is a breath of fresh air! I’ve really come around to Google+ and I’m so glad that I did. It’s been a growing game changer. There’s still soooooooooo much to learn thanks for the free downloads link! :)
Marissa Buckley We need to get a leg up before everyone catches on!
@jolynndeal CereusArt Thanks, Jo Lynn, I missed the docs during my quick read this morning! I’m on Google+ but not as a “business” since I freelance in addition to my other job. I’m sure there is much more I could be doing. Looking forward to checking out the downloads.
KatyBlevins Katy, I’m was a late adopter too with Google+. And still haven’t done all that you mentioned. I just began reading the downloads in the post and am amazed at all we can use it for. Google is so drastically different from Facebook from a small business perspective. Google seems to be truly on your side.
I dragged my feet getting into Google + and I am definitely kicking myself now. I should have jumped in ages ago! It has truly become my first stop to network, promote and engage with like-minded folks, potential clients and industry peers. Connecting the dots between my profile, my blog, my website and other authorship via this platform has truly boosted my overall web presence. Not to mention, the versatility of the platform blows players like Facebook right out of the water. Definitely encourage anyone who hasn’t jumped on board to give it a try asap! Great post Dana!!
Word Ninja I’m glad to hear you are thinking of taking the plunge to Google +. I promise, you won’t regret it! It was a learning curve at first, but I’m so thrilled with the results now and really think this platform is going to be the major player in the future. Good luck and dig in!
Dana, Thank you for such valuable information on Google+. We’ve seen the impact Google+ has had on search engine results for keyword terms we are targeting and it has been quite a change. One of our coveted terms is “Florida homeowners insurance”. A few months ago, we noticed that a reporter from a major news outlet in Florida was appearing in the third position when we conducted a localized search. Lucky guy. And it is Google+ authorship that got him there. We’ve shifted our strategy to focus more on Google+ and have been able to improve our search results. I like what Google has done and I love the search tools. We should be focusing on providing highly valuable content in a good and authentic way. Thanks again!
Word Ninja Check out the downloads at the end of the post. They are pdf documents with a LOT of great training. It will make getting started much easier.
Hi, Dana…It’s always good to hear from small business owners who appreciate the value of social media. And keeping up with it when you’re also running a business is daunting. I haven’t taken advantage of Google+ as much as I should, but your post is motivating!