Hello Divas! Are you curious about Google+? Maybe you jumped in headfirst – or maybe you totally avoided it – silently hoping it just goes away.
But the truth is, it’s not going away anytime soon. In fact, it’s getting larger and stronger every month. So for those who have yet to dive in, the burning question remains: Is Google+ worth my time?
With so many big hitters like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, what can Google+ really do for your online business? Unfortunately, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. So let’s take a look at some pros and cons to help you decide if it’s right for you.
Pros of Google+
1. “Google+ Your World”
For many years, we had only two things to consider when it came to Google search – Pay-per-click ads and optimizing for organic search results. But now there’s a third consideration – Google+ Your World.
Quick and dirty run-down on how this works: when a Google+ user performs a search, they’ll see relevant pages and pictures shared by people in their social network, as indicated by the icon.
What does this mean for your business?
By sharing information in your Google+ account, you can directly influence your followers’ search results.
2. Google+ Hangouts Bring You Closer to Your Customers
Running an online business can be a little impersonal. After all, it can be difficult or impossible to meet with a group of your customers and chat face-to-face…until now. With Google+ Hangouts, you can video chat with customers live - both one-on-one or as part of a group.
3. Total Integration With Several Online Tools
Google is already much more than just a search tool – they also provide e-mail (G-Mail), video (YouTube) and RSS Feeds (Google Reader). We’re already starting to see Google+ merge with these and many other applications.
For example, you can now add people to your Google+ network and share content with them right from your Gmail account. And what about YouTube? Google is already taking steps towards placing a Google+ toolbar at the top of YouTube pages.
4. Sharing RELEVANT Content Is Easy
One of the most exciting things about Google+ is something called Circles. By placing people in different groups, or “circles,” you can control who sees each piece of content you’ve shared. This is great for sending targeted messages and information to your customers.
Cons of Google+
1. It’s Quiet Over There…
You may sign up for Google+ and find the only people in your Circles are mom, dad and your weird next-door neighbor. At this time, there are about 90 million Google+ Profiles. Compare that with 500 million Twitter users and 800 million Facebook users. So chances are you won’t have a huge following on Google+ just yet.
2. Time Is Money
Social media takes time. Lots of time. And if you’re already juggling multiple social media accounts, adding one more can be daunting to say the least.
3. Limited Customization
Facebook offers third-party applications (or apps) for your account. For example, you can create a welcome page, offer testimonials, or engage customers with Survey Monkey polls. At this time, Google doesn’t have the same customization options.
4. Many Social Media Management Suites Don’t Include Google+
If you have multiple social media accounts, tools such as HootSuite and Nimble can be great time-savers.
But don’t get too excited – chances are your tool of choice has yet to integrate with Google+. At the moment, only six tools have integration available.
Note: HootSuite only integrates with Google+ if you use their rather pricy “Enterprise Package.”
In the end, it really just depends on your business needs…What’s your opinion of Google+? If you’ve tried it, has it helped your online business? We’d love to hear your opinion in the comments section.
Tags: google plus, google+, social media
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