I frequently have people asking me why they should be using Google+. Over the past two years there has been a lot of articles written on the virtues of G+..so I take it they want me to validate what they hear or read.
The simple answer to why you should be on G+ has to do with the tremendous power of what is quickly being developed as Social Search, but that usually leads to more questions, so let me explain.
Biggest Reason
The biggest advantage Google+ has over any of the other social spaces is the fact that everything posted on Google+ is placed immediately in the search engine as content open to be searched by everyone. This is the biggest reason for why someone in business should be using G+. If you want to be found you have to be ranked high on the search engine page. Being active and using G+ does that automatically.
The Hangout
Yes, the Google Hangout does rule. There is no way around it..Social Video is where social networking is heading. Google+’s direct connection with YouTube is a bit of brilliant business strategy on Google’s part. For the person looking for ways to effectively communicate with others the Google Hangout is the easiest way to make that happen. Plus, the recorded videos are added to the other quality content you offer the Google search engine.
A Whole Lotta Social Going On
Fortunately, Google+ is not all about Business. There is a whole lotta Social Going on in Google+.
There are other big reasons for using Google+ which have to do with the social part of the platform. The biggest reason on the social side of things is the fact that Google+ is being managed . Yes, there are real people who work for Google roaming the stream to help where they can and oversee the stream to maintain it’s quality.
If someone get’s a little too Commercial in a social stream of conversation they mysteriously disappear. If someone get’s lost in the vast array of Google features there are people working for Google who are eager to jump in to help…most of the time. Social is where social media is heading and it all starts with people having conversations. Google is clever enough to catch onto that and is clearly promoting more social based conversation.
Social Benefits Business
How does social conversations benefit businesses? The answer is in the power of conversation. If a group of people gather to talk about a interest that is serviced by a product it would make since for someone from that industry representing that product to join into the conversation..but not to promote the product.
Yes..the business representative should be there in the conversation, but not to provide a commercial. Here is how Social Search works:
If the representative of a business presents themselves as a Real Person the others in the social conversation are going to immediately hit that Representative’s Personal profile. They will or should quickly find out they are with a business that services their needs. If the business representative understands the power of being social, they will gain the loyality of the group of consumers. This is a prime example of Social Search and Social Search is where Social Media is going. Business who do not have a community manager actively having social conversation with consumers will quickly find themselves competitively behind the curve.
Got to be Active to be Generate Interaction
Another big reason people should use Google+ is the interaction. Critics say they don’t get the interaction on G+ like they do the other social spaces. My answer to that is, and well always be..you have to be active on G+ to get any level of interaction. On G+, being active means providing a reason for someone to interact with you. Posting a link to an article but not saying why a viewer should read it is not being active. Posting a solid stream of photos with not preface to what the photos mean to you is not being active. And posting a stream of animated .gif files is definitely not being active even if you do provide a remark.
Bottom-Line:
There are more reasons why you should use Google+ that are not very obvious unless you use G+.
- The quality of the conversation is the most noticeable. A large portion of the conversations are in complete sentences.
- There is a broader range of interests being shared by more people.
- You Don’t need a trillion people, places and things in your social community to make an impact on the things that interest you.
- There are no limits to how much content you want to provide. The more quality content posted the more you are rewarded for providing quality content by being ranked higher in the search engine. However, too much too frequently does become Spam no matter what the content contains.
- Content posting to the Public Circle shows up in your stream immediately.
- You will not get a reprimanding message for making new friends or connections.
- You can edit your posts after you have posted it.
- There are actually Communities created to Help people with nearly every issue anyone who have.
- The G+ Local feature makes it easier to find businesses and where they are located.
There is no question other social spaces offer some, if not all, of the features Google+ offers. However, none…let me repeat..NONE will offer the person using G+ a cleaner connection to being found by others of interest. Google+ is here and it is here to stay. So why not use G+?
Let me know how I can help.
