With the big news that Google is slowly beginning to bring Google + (its early answer to Facebook) to a halt, we thought it’d be a great time to have a quick look back at the ways Small Businesses just like yours were using the social network to grow Online.
Although Google+ definitely isn’t the future of Digital Marketing for your Small Business, there are a couple of smart cookies out there who used it to get their brand in front of the eyes of prospective Customers. The lesson here is pretty simple: just because something isn’t the biggest or shiniest in its field (and Google+ never grew beyond a fraction of the size of Facebook or Twitter) doesn’t it mean it can’t significantly boost your business.
GOOGLE+ EXPLAINED
Google+ was a social network built and owned by Google. Early numbers were inflated by the fact that if you created a Google account you were automatically allocated a Google+ account, regardless of whether you liked (or knew) it. Savvy Business Owners were quick to realize that the network could be used to grow your Online visibility and the amount of traffic landing on your page. The majority of this was done through boosts to the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) of active users.
SEO PERKS
A big advantage with all content posted on Google+ was that it was indexed for Google Search immediately. This was implemented as one of the primary goals for the network was to replace Twitter as the primary source of ‘live news’. In practice, this meant that Small Business Owners could post about a particular service or product in their area and then see themselves immediately appearing in the Search Results… this was obviously a huge boost compared to the traditional (and existing method) of making on-site changes, only for them to take months to be reflected in the actual Search Results.
Additionally, the clever drafting of Blog titles and content gave many entrepreneurs the ability to pull large amounts of traffic to their Site at certain intervals. One thing that needs to always be remembered, however, is that SEO is not an exact science. Just like any current SEO campaign, if anybody told you that doing X with Google+ would definitively delivery, they were probably after a quick buck and not the chance to help you move forward.
MAKING THE MOST OF EMAILS
Another great use for Google+ was to convert recipients of your Emails into more involved readers of your content. Every time one of your Emails was opened by a Gmail user, they would have the option of opening your Google+ account by clicking on the picture of your pretty face in the top right of the message.
Many Small Business Owners were able to use this as a second Call To Action, complementing the one they had included in the body of the email. By pulling people through to a shiny and regularly updated account, Business Owners were able to quickly and conveniently display their products and services in an appealing way.
Ultimately Google+ is on its way out, and is destined to be remodelled as a communication tool for large enterprises. However, a look back at the network shows that there were some huge advantages there for Business Owners who were invested in using Digital Marketing to grow.
Give us a call if you’re interested in joining the hundreds of Small Business we’ve helped to achieve Online success.