A point of view on Google Plus for brands. It serves as a reference and guide on the features and functionalities available on the platform and how brands can leverage them.

1. GOOGLE PLUS FOR BRAND
A Point Of View

2. GOOGLE PLUS OVERVIEW

3. GOOGLE+ | OVERVIEW
 Google+launched in July, 2011
 90MM users worldwide as of Dec, 2011
 28MM US users (number 1 country)

4. GOOGLE+ | OVERVIEW
 49MM total visits, Dec 2011 (US)
 18.9 MM unique visitors, Feb 2012 (US)

5. GOOGLE+ | GENDER BREAKDOWN
 17MM US users are males
 11MM US users are females

6. GOOGLE+ | AGE BREAKDOWN
 45% of US users between ages 18-24
 23% of US users between ages 25-34

7. GOOGLE+: NOT JUST ANOTHER SOCIAL
NETWORK
“Google+ is Google itself.“
Bradley Horowitz, VP Products, Google+
Twitter = Perspectives
 Twitter is for real-time perspectives, news and information
Facebook = People
 Facebook is for friends, families, colleagues. In short, it is for
people
Google+ = Passions
 Google+ enables you to pursue your shared interests with people
you don’t know. In short it is for passions.
Guy Kawasaki, Author What The Plus, 2012

8. FACEBOOK vs. GOOGLE+ vs. TWITTER
Facebook Google+ Twitter
Two-way connecting for users One-way connecting (no need One-way connecting
to follow back a follower)
Lists Circles Lists
Post to Group or set of friends Posts to specific Circles and N/A
followers
Post to limited fans –for pages Post to specific Circle – for Direct Message Followers
(based on location and pages (based on categories without following (for verified
language) such as Customers, VIPs) pages)
Post visibility determined by Posts visible to any follower as Tweets visible to any follower
EdgeRank well as public as well as public
Posts not indexed on search Post indexed on search engines Tweets not indexed on search
engines engines
Post Likes Post +1’s Favorite Tweet
Comment Likes Comment +1’s N/A
In-line photos and videos In-line photos and videos N/A
Users can message brands Users can post to specific Followers can Tweet to brands
directly brand
One-on-one video chat Hangout-multi-person video N/A
chat

9. GOOGLE PLUS FOR BRANDS

10. GOOGLE+ |BRAND PAGES
Google+ profile photo
Cover Photo (can be
series of images or
one single image like
Facebook)
Users can +1 the
page, this is not
the same as
adding the page to
one of their circles
Users must add the
brand to one of their
circles
Users can see people
from their circles
who have also circled
the brand

11. GOOGLE+ BRAND PAGES |ABOUT SECTION
 About section has the
following
 Tagline
 Introduction
 Contact Info
 Website

12. GOOGLE+ |FEATURES
 Circles(a friend/follower management service)
 Hangouts (a video chat service)
 Stream (a newsfeed)
 Sparks (similar to Google Alerts)
 Trends (similar to Twitter’s trending topics)
 What’s Hot (a recommendation engine)
 Games and Photos
 Google+ Ripples
 Search Plus Your World

13. GOOGLE+ |CIRCLES
 Users can add people they know or don’t know
and brands they want to follow into different
circles
 It is based on the user’s interest graph or
passions

14. GOOGLE+ |CIRCLES
 Circlesallow users to distribute, curate and
receive content of specific interest
Alex loves to write about Marie loves to curate food
food (e.g. blogger) related information
Brad loves to food
related information
reads

15. SEARCHING BY INTERESTS TO ADD TO A CIRCLE
 New and existing users can discover brand pages that
match their interest when searching for relevant
keywords
 e.g. Entertainment, Electronics, Fashion, Food
IMPLICATIONS
 Brand pages must be optimized for Google+ search for relevant
keywords in the About section

16. GOOGLE+ CIRCLES FOR BRANDS
 Brands cannot circle users unless they have been first circled by the
user
 Once circled, brands can segment users in circles such as
“Customers, VIPs”, based on the user’s interest and influence
IMPLICATIONS
 Circles provide brands an opportunity to connect and offer relevant
content/offers to specific consumer segments
 Brands should leverage circles for market research by allowing select
users access to product development

17. GOOGLE+ |CADBURY UK RAN A MINI
PROMOTION TO IDENTIFY BRAND LOYALISTS
 Cadbury UK asked users
to comment on the post on
why the users thought
they should be part of the
“Tasters” circle
 Select commenters were
added to the “Tasters”
circle
 “Tasters” circle gives users
access to
 insider’s view on the
brand
 exclusive information
 It fosters a sense of
exclusivity and promotes
advocacy

18. GOOGLE+ |HANGOUTS
 Hangouts is a unique feature; it allows up to 9
people to have a video chat simultaneously
 Anyone on Google+ can start a hangout either
with specific individuals in their circles or make
it public for anyone outside their circle to join

19. GOOGLE+ HANGOUTS FOR BRANDS
 Brands can also start
hangouts with users who
have added them to their
circles
 Hangouts are for
engagement and not reach
 Reach beyond the Hangout
comes from subsequent
content distribution and
influencer sharing as a
result of a quality Hangout
 Hangouts can be saved, and
uploaded to YouTube where
it can serve as a knowledge
base
IMPLICATIONS
 Hangouts can provide insight on how Google+ users wish to engage with the
brand
 Brands should use hangouts to showcase new products to specific followers
such as advocates, giving them inside access
 Hangouts also offer an excellent customer service opportunity that brands can
leverage

20. GOOGLE+ |STREAM (NEWS FEED)
 Once users have
circled a brand they
will see the posts from
the brand in their
stream
 Posts reach all
followers, similar to
Twitter
 However, users can
control what they see
in their stream and
how many posts they
see from the brands in
their circles
IMPLICATIONS
 Brands can publish posts that will reach all its followers, unless the followers
have selected to receive most, fewer or no updates
 Brands can still test day of week and time of day for most engagement on the post

21. GOOGLE+ SPARKS GATHERS RECENT POSTS FROM
ACROSS THE WEB
 Sparks is another search feature that allows Google+ users
to search from recent posts around the web
 Think of it as Google Alerts, but in this case it is gathering
results instantly from the web
IMPLICATIONS
 Brands should use this feature as another way to monitor content pushed out
on the web
 It can also be leveraged to assess what consumers are currently posting about
the brand and then create content around it

22. TRENDING ON GOOGLE+ AND WHAT’S HOT FEATURES
ALLOWS USERS TO FIND POPULAR CONVERSATIONS
 Trending on Google+ appears on the right side of the stream
 It includes topics and hashtags that are popular among Google+ users
 It allows brands to monitor what conversations are taking place
and create copy/content to participate
IMPLICATIONS
 Brands should try to keep the content relevant and timely, when appropriate based on
trending topics
 Brands should create hashtags that they want to generate awareness about, which
could become trending as it gets popular
 Brands should also have Google+ on their website and product detail pages; if shared
by multiple users on the same day could push it to trending on Google+

23. WHAT’S HOT ON GOOGLE+
 This feature allows users
to see which posts are
popular on Google+ in
their stream
 Users can also access
“Explore” tab to see
“What’s Hot”
 Brand posts can also be
on “What’s Hot”, which is
determined by shares,
+1s and comments
 Unique content,
preferably not easily
available on other social
platforms can also push
brands into “What’s Hot”
IMPLICATIONS
 Brands should focus on creating content that people want to share with their
circles
 Brands can keep track of “What’s Hot” to inform content creation for future posts

24. GAMES ON GOOGLE+
 Users can play games on Google+ as on Facebook
 However, no game updates are posted in user’s
streams
 Brands could partner for in-game integration

25. PHOTOS ON GOOGLE+
 Google+ has photo editing
feature called Creative Kit
 Editing allows users to add
graphics and changes color of
the photos
 Google+ also has a meme-
generator
 A "meme" is a virally-
transmitted cultural symbol
or social idea*
 Brands can edit images and
*See Appendix for example repurpose content
 Brands can also engage
followers by asking them to
create versions and posting the
photos
IMPLICATIONS
 Brands can utilize these photo features to engage fans
 By inviting fans to submit their creative images
 Best photo submitted maybe highlighted in a post
 Followers could also be asked to submit captions for memes for different photos

26. GOOGLE+ |RIPPLES
 Ripples is a visualization that charts the chain reaction that occurs when
content is shared on Google+
 It follows the trajectory of a public post as it is shared from person to
person—literally how the post ripples outwards for the user who shared
it (only public shares are shown)
 It also shows influencers (people whose re-shared post was shared by
others
IMPLICATIONS
 Brands can monitor which of the followers have influence – those who
cause their followers to take action i.e. share it further

27. GOOGLE + |SEARCH PLUS YOUR WORLD
 Whena user is logged in to Google Account
search results will now include:
 Listings from the web as before
 Listings from the web impacted because of user’s
personal behavior and because of user’s social
connections
 Public Google+ posts, photos or Google Picasa photos
(all of which are also listings from the web)
 Private or “Limited” Google+ posts, photos or Google
Picasa photos shared with the user

28. GOOGLE + |SEARCH PLUS YOUR WORLD
 Listing from web because of user’s social connections and
personal behavior
 Search results show user’s social activity i.e. +1’ing a brand
on Google (similar to “liking” a brand on Facebook”)
Result shows social connections who
have +1’d the brand, in this case user
hasn’t +1’d the brand
Result shows social connections who
have +1’d the brand, in this case user
has also +1’d the brand

29. GOOGLE+ |SEARCH PLUS YOUR WORLD
 Google is integrating Google+ posts and pages into search results
to make search more social
 Similar to Bing integrating Facebook likes in search results
 Based on the users’ circles Google is personalizing results
 E.g. search for cars can include
 People and Pages on right hand
 Public posts with the keyword by social connections in the search results

30. GOOGLE+ |SEARCH PLUS YOUR WORLD
 In terms of SEO, pages on Google+ are given prime real estate in the
search results under People and Pages section
 This works even when users are not signed into Google accounts
 It is a significant way to drive awareness for brands
 Pages can show up in result based on keyword matches from About
section or from the posts
Keyword in the About
section of Google+
page
Keyword used by the brand in the post
on Google+
IMPLICATIONS
 Brands cannot ignore the potential placement for relevant keywords in Google search
results
 These are earned impressions drive awareness and likely more followers on Google+

31. GOOGLE+ |SEARCH PLUS YOUR WORLD
 Recent Google+ posts by page are given more weight
 Brands not circled by the user can benefit from interactions by his/her
social connections
 For keywords that the brand’s website has not been optimized Google+
offers an opportunity to organically rank
 Post shared by user’s social connection that
 Similarly, post by the brand circled by the
included the search terms (note: brand has
user shows up for the search terms
not been circled by this user)
 The brand otherwise doesn’t show up in  The brand otherwise doesn’t show up in
organic results for those search terms
organic results for those search terms

32. GOOGLE+ |SEARCH PLUS YOUR WORLD
 Google has also started indexing comments by the
users who are following brands
 This could also extends to users’ social connections later,
which implies comments could influence users’ intent
when searching
Above, the comment on a brand post by
the user shows up for a search

33. GOOGLE+ |SEARCH PLUS YOUR WORLD
 When users are logged in they will also be able to see their
friends who have +1’d the brand on Google+
 If none of their friends have +1’d the brand they will still see
an aggregate number of those people who have
 This implies social stamp of approval, which could increase
CTRs
 Google sees these social signals as more authoritative and
reliable
 In the long term, +1’s may influence rankings along side SEO

34. GOOGLE+ |SEARCH PLUS YOUR WORLD
 +1s maybe used in SEM to make ads more social
 Higher the +1s more likely user will trust the brand as peer
approved
 User’s social connection also show up in the ads if they have
+1’d them
 When users +1 ads or search results they are aggregated on
the brand’s Google+ page
User can see the number User’s social connection
of people who have +1’d who have +1’d the ad
the ad +1’ing on the ad is appear within the ad
immediately reflected on
Google+ page of the brand

35. GOOGLE+ IMPACT ON E-COMMERCE
 An article in Searchengineland.com makes an
interesting case:
 E-commerce companies are betting on the success of
fewer social networks and more prominently
displaying the social integration
 Social signals are a much better indicator of product
popularity
 +1 button could help deliver more personalized
recommendation after the click
 Google+ is gaining traction among retailers because
there is a clear incentive to use it - the promise of
rankings in personalized search
 Whilst, it remains to be seen what that promise that really holds,
most companies know the value of rankings and so realize that
clicking the +1 button is a high importance event

36. GOOGLE+ CAN CREATE A MORE PERSONALIZED AND
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE FOR E-COMMERCE LEADING
TO SEAMLESS POINT-TO-PURCHASE
 In this example having publicly +1’ed
the product in the Google search results
the user maybe shown more relevant
ads related to the product
 The user after-the-click (+1 action) +1 activity in Google search
visits the retailer’s site maybe delivered results can personalize
a more personalized experience experience on the site after-
 +1’ing shows intent, an e-Commerce site can the-click
immediately serve up offers and provide
easier point to purchase
 Site could also serve similar product to the
one user has shown interest in after-the-click
 Moreover, after transaction is completed,
user could be prompted to immediately share
the experience on Google+, boosting the SEO
for the site
 Returning visitors could be asked to rate the
product and post-purchase experience, also
shared on Google+
 These reviews and ratings not only can
increase organic ranking but also personalize
the shopping experience for those in the
user’s Google+ circles
 The friends in the circle even if inactive on
Google+ will still see personalized results for
similar searches so long as the user is active

37. GOOGLE+ DIRECT CONNECT
 Google+Direct Connect lets users quickly
navigate to a Google+ page (and even add that
page to circles) when using Google Search

38. WHAT’S NEXT WITH GOOGLE+
 Userswill soon be able to comment on third
party sites using their Google+ accounts
 This is similar to Facebook Connect
 Google+ Share button, similar to Facebook’s
Share Button has been launched
 Sites should implement the “Share” CTA
 Google+ API is limited but improving
 Expect brands and influencer to utilize this to create
apps
 Cadbury UK’s app allows users to log in with Google+
and use their photos from their profile to create
London 2012 Olympic avatars

39. METRICS
 Demographics (Page Level)
 Follower count
 Geolocation of followers
 Gender breakdown
 Engagement (Post level)
 Number of +1s, shares and comments
 Number of click-throughs on links in the post
 Number of +mentions
 Other Metrics
 Referral traffic from Google+
 Increase in visits to site
 Higher conversion after-the-click (+1)
 Better SERPs (the more the people +1 the more the search
engine should account as authority and relevance)

40. AVAILABLE GOOGLE+ ANALYTIC TOOLS
 In addition to Vitrue, Involver, Buddy Media,
Context Optional, Hearsay Social and Hootsuite
that have Google+ integrated in their Social
Relationship Management tools these are few
others:
 Circle Count
 Social Statistics
 Allmyplus
 PlusClout (to find influencers on Google+)

41. BRANDS ON GOOGLE PLUS
 List of brands on Google+ (as of Apr 2012)
Brand Number of times Number of times +1’d
circled
Cadbury UK 939249 +941171
Red Bull 641157 +643288
H&M 587133 +589706
Starbucks 533910 +535585
Coca Cola 503595 +505345
Pepsi 503420 +506196
Samsung USA 469415 +470800
Burberry 456643 +458347
Red Bull 641157 +643288
Sony 404507 +406202
Intel 372188 +373773

42. NEXT STEPS
 To set up a Google+ brand page, a Google account
is necessary
 Decide content for About section, optimize tagline
and introduction for SEO
 Utilize Direct Connect to ensure users can follow
the page from search results
 Design the cover photos
 Google+ allows animated .gifs

43. NEXT STEPS CONT’D
 Create content calendar and posting strategy
 Promote the Google+ Account on owned media
such as other social media platforms and website
 Actively engage with the community, comment
and respond on interesting posts
 Use photos as way to engage consumers; Google+
photo editing capabilities is more advanced than
any other social network
 Use the meme-izing feature and filters to create
engaging and original photo content
 Post videos, Google will rank videos higher in SEO
 Add the Google+ social plugin on the website
 Implement +1 button on individual product pages

44. APPENDIX

45. BRANDS USING MEMES | EXAMPLE CHEVY

46. HASHTAGS LIKE ON TWITTER MAKES
CONTENT SEARCHABLE
 Users can search posts by hahtags
 Google+ will auto-complete the hashtag based on keyword
users type in
 Hashtags are another way to drive awareness and trend on
Google+, similar to Twitter

47. REFERENCES
Guy Kawasaki’s Book What The Plus
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/012012-google-plus-users-255140.html
http://thenextweb.com/twitter/2011/07/04/twitter-drops-following-requirement-for-direct-messages-on-verified-accounts/
http://www.datadial.net/blog/index.php/2012/02/22/google-demographics-a-look-at-the-top-5-countries-
using-google-plus/
What is Google Plus? (really), http://www.alchemyofchange.net/what-is-google-plus-really/
http://blog.ogilvypr.com/2011/12/leveraging-google-hangouts-for-brands/
http://mashable.com/2012/01/13/google-search-plus-your-world-seo/
http://searchengineland.com/googles-results-get-more-personal-with-search-plus-your-world-107285
http://www.marketingzen.com/10-ways-to-use-google-plus-for-marketing/
http://marketingland.com/how-search-plus-your-world-should-change-your-social-media-strategy-4037
http://mashable.com/2012/02/09/hm-google-plus-brand-pages/#4759310--Ford-Motor-182284
http://www.circlecount.com/us/popular/
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/5-top-google-tools-and-apps-for-marketing-pros/
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives getting_into_the_game_social_gaming_in_the_google.php
http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2011/08/google-games.html
http://stephaniewight.wordpress.com/2012/04/04/user-engagement-for-brands-increases-with-memes/
http://mashable.com/2012/01/17/google-plus-memes/#view_as_one_page-gallery_box3897
http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2161620/The-Curious-Case-of-Social-Buttons-in-E-commerce