With experts insisting Google+ can no longer be ignored, it's time for businesses to restart their activity on this social medium and get engaged.
First a few reminders about Google+:
- Google+ attracts about 105 million monthly visits
- Posting photos is still a popular and successful way of engaging
- Roughly 70 percent of users are male
1. Use Hashtags Frequently & Strategically
Because Google+ offers an open posting environment similar to Twitter, hashtags are very useful on this channel.
Check to see what's trending under "What's Hot" and add to the active conversations or start your own using trending hashtags.
Take a look at Fast Company's recent Google+ post:
The hashtags are located at the bottom of the post -- carefully out of the way of the good stuff, i.e. the teaser text. This keeps things nice and tidy and allows for additional hashtags while avoiding becoming visually overwhelming.
As a huge added bonus, Google+ hashtags also appear in Google searches. What a great way to add to the organic discovery of your brand online.
Additionally, when someone googles your business, the most recent Google+ post made from the business page will appear in the search results. Showing users a business page that is active and updated is key.
(See the "Recent Post" info on the right side of the page for a Mashable google search:)
2. Take Advantage of Gifs
However silly they can be, gifs are Google+ gold. Google+ not only allows for gifs to play automatically on the site but also offers a tool that will stitch users' own photos together to create a gif for them.
Unsurprisingly, BuzzFeed uses gifs very well:
Gifs aren't just for cute animals and funny pratfalls. Take a look at this post from Entrepreneur magazine. It's a great example of a funny and engaging use of a gif that adds interest to the story being shared.
Google+ is one of the only mediums that auto-plays gifs (Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest do not), so utilize this feature to your business' benefit.
3. Continue Sharing Images -- They Work Well Here Too
When in doubt, post an awesome (read: high-quality and interesting) photo. They perform well overall and typically better than text-only posts.
The same rules apply that have been touted endlessly about images posted on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest -- post infographics and photos with helpful information or tips and pull user-generated content.
National Geographic is a brand that understands how to use images on social media. It helps that they have a team of highly trained photographers, too.
Take this post for example:
It's an image that invites people to click and enlarge it and look again.
Want more social media content tips? Check out this slideshare on Killer Social Media Marketing Ideas From Top Brands.
Questions? Contact me at BeASocialClimber.com.