Google+ is one of the most under utilized social media networks in the B2B space. The giants like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have trumped social media priority for many marketing departments. Additionally, those companies that have a Google+ business page are not taking full advantage of the platform and all of its benefits. With more than 540 million monthly active users, 350 million more than LinkedIn, Google+ is a sleeping giant in the social media world, and a low hanging fruit in terms of B2B social media marketing. We are going to breakdown exactly why your B2B company can’t ignore the importance of Google+ anymore and where to start to optimize your page for success.

What Makes It Extraordinary

Link to YouTube – With the merger of YouTube and Google+ the two networks use their combined knowledge to improve the user experience of the searcher. Google’s goal is, and has always been, to provide the most relevant result for a given query. With the added YouTube catalog of data, Google can do that more affectively.

What this means for you: Having your Google+ page properly linked to your optimized YouTube account is a best practice for both Google’s and YouTube’s search algorithms.

SEO Boost – One of the biggest perks of embracing a Google+ strategy is the SEO boost. Google+ posts are instantaneously indexed in the SERPS. This means when someone shares your content they can often times find it on Google+ before your blog shows up in the search results.

What this means for you: Google+ has been proven to be a bonus for overall SEO and when optimized correctly can bring referral traffic to your website.

Reviews – With the majority of B2B buyers involved in long sales cycles researching your company and it’s products, they are bound to read a couple reviews. It has also been thought that reviews boost conversion rates by boosting customer confidence. Your Google+ page not only displays Google reviews, but also reviews from across the web, and these reviews can be highly influential sales factors.

What this means for you: Having a strategy to ask for reviews and respond to negative feedback is critical for your online reputation.

Tactics

Share Consistently – After you are all set up with your new page you can begin a consistent posting strategy. Think about posting on Google+ very similarly to posting on Facebook, with a couple of exceptions. The type of content you post on Google+ and the amount of posting is in line with typical Facebook strategies, however Google+ utilizes profile tagging and hashtags much more. When sharing on Google+, include images whenever possible, post at least once per day, and be sure to tag authors, influencers, businesses, and hashtag relevant conversations.

Use Circles & Engage – Due to the more prevalent use of hashtags and the ability for businesses to tag individuals, Google+ can be a much more engaging network for B2B. One of the tools Google+ boasts is circles. This allows the page owner to segment accounts they are following into specific categories for easy, targeted sharing. Along with a consistent posting strategy, we suggest taking time each day to engage with others in your industry and customers of your product.

Google Hangouts – Another plus to the Google+ platform is the option to host hangouts. This can be an incredible marketing tool for education of what you do and to gain traction in your industry as a thought leader. Creating an event, promoting that event, and then broadcasting a presentation in real time with others who are interested in what you have to say is incredibly valuable.

Have A Personal Page Presence – The last tactic to be sure you don’t forget when jumping into Google+ for business is to also create a personal profile. Why? It is an additional professional outlet. You may have a Facebook page you don’t want your coworkers finding, or even a twitter profile, but a Google+ page is the perfect second opportunity to share industry articles, company blog posts, and all things revolving around your professional life in conjunction with LinkedIn.

Sure, for some Google+ has a connotation, some of the most popular opinions include, “nobody uses it”, “it’s not worth the time”, and “it’s too confusing”. While yes, Google+ has yet to pick up for personal use, there are a ton of industries that are heavy with Google+ influencers including marketing, software, technology, and much more. When it comes to your marketing efforts you simply can’t ignore Google+ any longer.