Grow Your Online Community With Google Plus

In the wake of even more algorithm changes on Facebook Pages it seems as though these are nothing more than static websites that have no organic growth. The good news is that businesses can still build niche communities on Google Plus, which has the potential to bring even more exposure for your brand.
Google’s platform provides circles and collections based on user interests in a mobile-friendly format. The social media giant offers search based on topics and simple hashtag additions, which encourages new followers who are more likely to engage on a post than on Facebook.
Businesses and authors can benefit from an existing reach of of 38 percent of people who are active online in just the United States alone, according to Comscore.
The growth has been steady for Google Plus since it began in 2011, and many of these accounts were generated from Gmail, which is no longer a requirement as pointed out in an article on Marketing Land.
Part of the appeal of Google Plus is the fast connection with users and influencers, integration with YouTube, and a new streamlined version that aims to increase more targeted relationships and improve sharing and interactions.
The most recent update has been Google My Business, which combines their social network with maps and search in one convenient dashboard. This is especially good if you’re a local brick and mortar for several reasons:

• Provides customers instant updates
• Share offers and promotions
• Gives helpful information such as operating hours, location, and more
• Builds relationships by engaging with your community
• Discovers how people find your business online

As your business becomes active and engaged on Google Plus one of the biggest features to take advantage of is Collections, which allows users to group posts by topic. According to a post by Google Plus, these are centered on user interests, much like Pinterest.
Another great feature is the video chats or Hangouts as these have been traditionally referred to. You can allow up to 10 people to participate and provide them with answers to their questions, an introduction to a new product or service, or exclusive updates to your customers and subscribers.
Communities or groups on Google Plus also continue to be a mainstay, and are a great place for your business to build a network and attract more followers to your brand. Google reported 1.2 million new members joining each day, which makes this feature alone worth the time and effort in your marketing mix.
In order to expand your online presence and maximize this social network and powerful search engine to your advantage here are a few tips to follow:

Drive more people to your website by sharing content

In addition to posting eye-catching images and video your brand should also be cross promoting your blog posts. Although these no longer have an impact on search results directly the visibility is still important. Include a longer description with specific hashtags and images that stand out — before long you will start seeing these shared on other social platforms like Twitter.

Attract news organizations and influencers

There are still quite a few large brands and news outlets who are active on Google Plus. The more remarkable content you post there the more likely they will notice your work and start to follow your brand. If you are mentioning a big brand or someone of influence be sure to tag them on the post, which goes directly into their notifications.

Find new recruits or freelancers to work with

What better way to hire a new employee or work with a reliable freelancer than on a proven social network? Use the Collections feature to hone in on the best candidates and get a preview of their work. You will also be able to find links to their website and other social profiles to do more research on before contacting them.

Increase blog comments and shares

If you haven’t seen a lot of activity on your posts and through social media then posting to Google Plus could help improve that process. Not only will you be able to see comments on the posts directly on the network, but you can install WordPress plugins that include these directly to your website.

Gain new subscribers to your YouTube Channel

Video is one of the best ways to build your brand today, especially if you are an eCommerce business. Once something is uploaded to your channel it can be shared immediately with your Google Plus community, which in turn brings more traffic and interactions.
Currently there are about 395 million active users on Google Plus and over 2 billion registered users worldwide according to Dustin.tv. If you haven’t logged into Google Plus for a while this may be the perfect time to start building your network there again and reap the benefits of cross promotion from your website and other social media networks, increased followers, and more subscribers.