Originally presented on August 18th to the Baton Rouge Social Media Club, Adele Tiblier, Director of Interactive Strategy covered a few of the social and search benefits as well as how to leverage Google+ for businesses despite the ability to actually be a business on Google+.

1. Leveraging the Latest Social Platform for Search, Sales and Success

3. It’s Business Time (Well, Sort of)

4. Business Time? Businesses are NOT welcome to create profiles Not only can you not create them, they have taken many of them down as of July 21 st . While some remain in tact, others have been graciously converted to personal profiles, but many are gone. If you are live, you are flying under the radar, prepare yourself for the smackdown. But, There’s Always a Workaround BUT, there is always a workaround. You can still “do” business through Google+ even if you aren’t a business. Get All “LinkedIn” on Google+ Remember when there was no company profile on LinkedIn, or when Facebook didn’t always have Profiles for businesses. Encourage employees to signup and include descriptive information about themselves and what they do at your company. Go back to your company’s social protocol; the same rules. Build it out - COMPLETELY. Wear your most obnoxious logo’d t-shirt as your profile pic, or a pic of you in front of your well-branded building, Don’t forget you can always Photoshop a tag along the bottom with the name of your business….or run the risk of building a profile for your business. (NOT ADVISED)

5. Strategic Friend Building Image courtesy of http://www.motivationals.org/demotivational-posters-16537

6. Getting Friendly Family and Friends First Add your ‘real’ friends, and family members first. Strategic Circling Create circles that can help you strategically leverage who you want to connect The beauty of allowing people to be in multiple circles means you can have someone who is both a real life friend and a prospect. Image courtesy of http://wingsoffirevb.blogspot.com/2011/07/funny-what-do-names-of-google-circles.html

7. Getting Friendly Remember: The beauty of allowing people to be in multiple circles means you can have someone who is both a real life friend, client, prospect, or other – and they will never know. Get Ahead of the Crowd: Create connections with those that you want to get in front of in your specific industry, those who are writers, editors and bloggers; those you consider mentors and other industry experts. Tailor shared content to fit the circle – show your clients how smart you are, educate prospects on your vast knowledge, share your successes with everyone. Friends Family Clients Prospects Industry Experts Mentors Top Publication Contributors / Editors / Writers

8. We Friends, So Now What How to start the conversation? Try replying to relevant content or even resharing interesting information with your own circle (don’t forget to add some value via a comment or recommendation) Post something that is targeted and relevant to the circle you are trying to increase your engagement with. Add a link to your latest blog post (taking it back to Social Media and SEO 101) +1 items in Google Search results – this will show in search results to those that are connected to you when they do a similar search. Friends Family Clients Prospects Industry Experts Mentors Top Publication Contributors / Editors / Writers

9. Wait, You Mean You Aren’t +1’ing?

10. Wait You Mean You Aren’t +1’ing? Start +1’ing Now In search results, +1 the sites you like or work with. This is playing a major role in your organic search placement and now, Google AdWords. What to +1 Your Content Your Site, Your Blog Posts, Your Social Media Profiles; Channels, any and all things managed by you that show up. Top Industry Stories Like other articles and posts that are relevant to your industry (especially those that you have dropped a comment on) Clients Doing any kind of online marketing for others, be sure to give them some Google love

11. Quick Reference Guide Limitations -Tens of thousands of people can follow you, and put you in their Social Circles. - You are limited to a maximum of 5,000 people that you can place in your Circles . - Maximum number of people in a Hangout is 10. Cheat Sheet Courtesy of http://mashable.com/2011/07/12/the-google-cheat-sheet-pic/