How brands should use google plus for social media

1. Google Plus Pages & Profiles
• Google Plus Pages: Pages is
basically the Google Plus version
of Facebook Fan Pages, and gives
businesses a chance to claim a
profile on the social network so
they can interact with and engage
their customers and fans.
• Google Plus Profiles: Profiles is
basically the Google Plus version
of Facebook User Profiles. They
are more emphasized to be used
by a generic Google Plus user.
They cannot be used for Brand
page establishment. Google Plus
profiles can be used to interact &
engage more with your friends if
they are in your circles.
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2. Top Brands on Google Plus
Android (368346 Coldplay (257024
Followers) Followers)
Google Chrome Mashable (275009
(141912 Followers) Followers
The New York Times H & M (234466
10-Jan-12 (190588 Followers) 2 Followers)

3. What you can do on Google Plus?
Circles is the most important feature
of google plus which enable you to
Create create micro communities like
Circles functionality based on any criteria
and engage with them
Make
Hangout
& Games G+ Updates &
Receive
feeds
Image
Sharing
• Circles: Circles allow users to group followers in specific categories. It enable you to create
micro communities like functionality based on any criteria and engage with them. Influencers can
be added to circles to follow their feeds and also to engage with them
• Hangouts: This feature allows brands to hang out with followers or customers through video
chat. This is a great feature for customer service and could potentially also be used to host live
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events.

4. Google Plus Profile A profile enables you to
add your influencer to
your circle and share
Profile can make your content with them
updates and tag their
Image sharing/Albums circles
Profile can send an
update to Circles and
their extended circle.
This enable the post to
reach the network of
our circle
Receive updates & feeds
from circle and pages

5. Google Plus Pages
Advantages:
• Direct Connect: Google Plus brand pages let users take advantage of Google’s
powerful search engine. Searchers can simply add a “+” before a search query and
be directly forwarded to a business’s Google Plus page
• SEO: Google will add up all +1 button clicks, from brand pages for Google
Plus, websites, and search results, and the single total will be used to determine
relevancy in Google Search results.
• Business Categorization: Pages for Google Plus can be created in five categories:
local business or place; product or brand; company, institution, or organization;
arts, entertainment, or sports; and other. This allows businesses to distinguish
themselves and helps users search businesses by category.
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6. Google Plus Pages
Disadvantages:
• Vanity URLS: Vanity URLS makes the users access the Brand pages easily and
hassle free (Facebook Provides Vanity URLS to pages & profiles). But with Google
Plus Pages this is not available. Without the ability to customize your URL, you are
left with a long, confusing ID number that is not easily remembered.
• Google Analytics: Many companies rely heavily on this free data tool for their
marketing. Integrating it into brand pages on Google+ could prove vital for
measuring traffic and growth.
• Versatility with Circles: Brands with pages cannot add users to the Circles unless
users adds the brand first in its Circles. Without the ability to use Facebook's like-
gating tactics and other kinds of promotional apps, brands will have to take on a
whole new approach to gaining followers.
• Cannot Buy Fans: Google will not be generating any revenue from Google Plus
Pages. It means you cant technically advertise except Adwords.
• No Support for Apps: Google Plus Pages don’t have support for Apps (Facebook
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7. Google + for Social Engagement
How to engage socially
PAGE Profile
•Create a Brand Page • Let there be a face for brand which
•Integrate G+ brand page with can be employee, owner or virtual
other web properties to increase character
community size • Profiles can add relevant people in
•Engage with people through their network via circle
content and updates • Profile can engage with these circles
and also receive feeds from their circle
• Profile can share it with extended
circle of their circle which multiplies
the reach of each post
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8. Google Plus Profile v/s Google Plus Pages
• Pages can’t add people to circles until the page is added first or mentioned.
Impact: Profile enable us to engage with more people and reach out to more influencers
effectively compared to pages. We can add influencers and follow their posts and also share
our content with them
• Pages have the +1 button (similar to Facebook Page’s like button), profiles don’t.
Impact: Pages can be integrated with other web properties via +1 button but profiles cant.
• Profiles can +1 Business Pages and any content on the Web with a +1 button, Business
Pages can’t.
Impact: Pages cant share and interact with related web content via plus+ button but profiles
can.
• Profiles can mention people in comments, Pages can only mention people who’ve already
added or mentioned them.
Impact: Since pages cant mention/tag people outside their community they are less viral
• Pages don’t have the option to share to ‘Extended Circles’
Impact: This is the most crucial difference as pages cant share anything with extended circles
(network of circle members) whereas a profile enable sharing content and reaching out to
the network of circle i.e extended circle
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9. Our recommendation
• Google Plus Page has been recently introduced and lacks the virality and engagement
aspect
• For a brand to be present on Google+ it is still in early phase
• Google+ brand page can be one of the emerging channel /community for Brands but
definitely due to its limited functionality its potentially weak
• However, the G+ profiles can be highly effective due to the ability of more personally
managing circles and reaching out to their network
• Brand are recommended to have their spocs on G+ and engage with influential circles
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10. Our recommendation
Identify influential Create a relevant
Give a Face to TAJ G+
open circle/list circle/circles
Create a Profile
Eg. Gpc.fm Ex. Indian Safari
Post engaging content Follow updates from
and tag it to your your influencer and Add influencers to
circle and extended identify engagement your circle
circle opportunity
Enable the influencers
to engage with the
brand on other
platforms
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11. Annexure:
G+ FEATURE
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12. The Services
Circles: Google Circles are groups of friends you
organize by topic: Friends, Family, College Buddies,
Roommates, etc.
From your Circles page you drag and drop your
contacts into each of these groups, which makes it
easier to share what you want with them.
Sparks: Sparks is like Google Reader, except it brings
content to you automatically based on your interests.
Each topic (tech, kitties, whatever) will get its own
"Spark" page and provide links to related articles,
videos, photos, etc.
Hangouts: Hangouts are virtual rooms where you can
video chat with people in your circles. For example, if
you're not busy, you can start a talk with your pals.
So, basically, it's just video chat.
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13. The Services
• +1 Button: The Google +1 button is just like the Facebook ‘like’
button in many ways. Voting up a link or an article on Google +1
will mean that you are sharing the article with all your followers
and it will be displayed publicly on your profile allowing it to be
voted up by your followers again and the possibility to go viral
through consequent votes.
• Photos: The Google Plus Photos is your regular Photo sharing
option. But Google Plus has made this photo sharing very easy &
with lots of features.
• Games: The Games feature allows to play games for free & also
play multiplayer games available on Google Plus.
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