Here is the big question: ” Will Google+ overtake Facebook’s dominance?”
People have different opinions. While Facebook and Twitter had regarded as “popular” social media channels, Google+ appeared to be a wild card in the mix as sources across the Internet contemplated just what Google’s social media experiment would accomplish.
Although Google+ boasts 20 million users or more, people were not spending a lot of time on the site. It’s nice having a lot of members, but it means nothing if people are rarely using the network.
Google vs Facebook
How can we accurately compare Facebook to Google+? It’s important to note that the Google+ platform is different from the platforms of Facebook and Twitter. Google+ platform is often regarded as a “different type of platform, with a different target audience.” The biggest benefits of Google+ are for the business users because this is the target audience. It allows you to connect powerfully with a world that could return your ROI—customers, employees, colleagues, communities and friends.
Will Google Plus overtake Facebook? Perhaps. Here is why:
- Facebook is an avenue for joking with your customers and running competitions or giveaway. It’s a place to build a “cult following.”
- Twitter is prime real estate for getting personal and talking directly to your customers.
- Google+ is a professional landscape, geared toward connecting businesses and professionals with each other, and opening the door to engaging with individuals outside of your usual social circles.
It’s like comparing apples to oranges. But statistically, Google Plus just might have slight advantages over Facebook.
As of February 2014, Google Plus garnered over 1 billion registered users. Facebook has 1.19 billion. It’s true that Google+’s stats are somewhat artificially inflated due to Google integrating accounts for its various services. Many of G+’s active users are younger, which makes the network an important resource if your business is looking to target the teen and young adult demographics. Google Plus is also highly mobile with 26 percent of mobile users accessing G+ for social reasons from their mobile devices.
However, social media is only as useful as you make them, and you will only get out as much as you put in. With that in mind, how should you use Google+?
Google + Best Practices
Google Plus can be overwhelming to use. The site itself is huge, and it seems like features are being added before you have a chance to master what’s already there. Google is always innovating, and G+ is no exception. So, just how can you best use this social media platform? Here are some common uses of Google+:
- To meet new people
- To connect with prospective customers
- To deepen relationships with your consumers
So, how can you utilise Google+ productively? Take a look at this top 10 tips of Google+ best practices:
1. Tag people
One of the best ways to get noticed on G+ is to tag people. Tagging can accomplish two things. First, it ensures the person tagged sees your post. Second, it can prompt them to interact with you. Every time you tag a person, they receive a notification (unless they’ve disabled notifications). Tagging is a primary step of being seen.
2. Set up Google Authorship
This is also known as using the “rel=author tag” on your blog. Thanks to Google Authorship, you will see your photo beside your published content in Google search results. It’s very important for search engine optimization, so you should use the rel=author tag on your guest posts as well.
3. Post on Community pages
This is a tip easily overlooked by a lot of G+ users. You won’t get a lot of traction from just posting ‘public’ unless you already have a lot of followers. The trick to gaining traction is posting valuable content in relevant communities. Communities are populated by people who have topic specific interests. By posting valuable content to these communities, you can tap into an audience you might otherwise have not realized existed.
4. Cross post to Google+
If a topic is trending as popular on Facebook and Twitter, cross post it to your Google+ account for those followers who are exclusive to your Google+ network. Don’t cross post everything, though. You’ll likely have some diehard followers who follow you across all three networks, and they won’t want to see the same content three times over all of the time. Instead, pick and choose the really prime content to cross post.
5. Use Google+ Events to launch products
Google+ Events will automatically e-mail your social circles about a scheduled launch while simultaneously adding the event to any user’s calendar who accepts the event invitation.
6. Use G+ to write long messages, and then tweet the link via Twitter
One of the most irritating things to most people is the character limit instituted by Twitter. One workaround is to use G+ to write a long message, and then tweet the link out via your Twitter account. Not only does this allow you to share more, but it lets your Twitter following know that you’re actively using Google Plus.
7. Incorporate keywords
In 2014, keyword optimization has seen some massive evolution in SEO. Yet, keywords still have a place on Google+. You can use keywords in your profile page, which is uniquely effective should you want to be associated with them for either your business or blog.
8. Use images
Images are a great way to generate greater attention. Some of the “geeks” recommend uploading the image separately because it comes up bigger and generates more attention. Create a new title, and subsequently tag the person from the original post for maximum exposure.
9. Use bold and italic text styles
One of the exciting features that sets Google+ apart from other social media networks is the capability of posting with bold, italic and strike through text. These styles can make your posts stand out. Take advantage of these capabilities.
10. Emphasize G+ on your website or blog
Google+ is a massively growing social media channel. However, a lot of people don’t realize just who is using it. You can show you’re actively using it by emphasizing it on your website or blog. Do this by displaying the +1 button on your posts and pages, and actively promoting your G+ profile link.