Although Google+ hasn’t been around as long as some of the other social media platforms out there, it definitely looks like the new place to be for business. Google keeps adding features that make it easy for businesses to rank higher in its search engine and reach targeted customers. While it’s true that using Google+ forces businesses to work harder to gain followers because of their anti-spam regulations, it pays off in the end because the people who follow are genuinely interested in what you have to say. There are several benefits to using Google+, but these are some of the most important:
Circles
Google+’s circle feature makes it easy to target specific groups within your following. For instance, you may have certain customers that you consider to be especially loyal. You can place these customers in a circle of their own and send them special deals or information. No one else in your following will be able to see these specifically targeted messages. Circles ultimately improves customer engagement and helps you to provide the right information and services to the right people.
Rank higher in the search engine
Using social media on any platform definitely improves ranking in the search engines, but Google+ takes it one step further. Google+ business pages are quickly indexed and can be easily followed. Users are able to click the +1 button in search engine results, giving your company pages more authority that boost its individual ranking. It is believed this will only improve as Google continues to build the social platform.
Direct Connect
When using the Google search engine, users can quickly access a brand Google+ page with a single click, making it easier for your company to be found. For example, say a customer is looking for the Coke brand. All he has to do is enter “+Coke” in the Google search engine, and he is immediately taken to Coke’s Google+ business page without having to go through the search engine results first.
Keep in mind that Direct Connect does not work for all business pages yet. Google determines a page’s eligibility. To increase your page’s chance of qualifying for Direct Connect, you can link your Google+ business page to your website, which improves the relevancy of the business page.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of the many benefits of using Google+ for business, but the above features are definitely the most important. They make it much easier for companies to connect with their customers and create lasting relationships, which ultimately lead to more business.
