Courtesy of digitaltrends.com

#1: Improve Internal Communication

Set a time to host internal meetings via hangout’s excellent video function, and you’ll find that your employees are more eager to attend your meetings. Everyone will always be able to connect and share, so meetings won’t be stalled by absentees or missing management. Swap documents, and use the ‘share screen’ function to collaborate on something together.

#2: Become a Hangouts Training Wiz

Use your Google Hangouts account to record training discussion sessions, live with your employees. That way you can build up a library of easy-to-access training videos that future employees can view and learn from. Savvy businesses might even find a way of monetizing these videos for additional passive income online, or to improve their Youtube traffic.

#3: Client Meetings

Host private client meetings with your clients, and you’ll be able to record them for later viewing. Plus you can connect with up to 10 clients from around the world, to host a webinar or to offer your consulting services over the internet. Share learning materials with them, project details and discuss important points.

#4: Client Testimonials, Case Studies and Demos

Looking for a great way to hook new clients? Use Google+ hangouts to give live demonstrations of your work, or share live case studies with them. These presentations will be more personal, resulting in more clients gained. Plus you’ll have the chance to collect more video testimonials than ever before, directly from your clients.

#5: Twitter Market Research Videos

Invite 10 or so if your most active Twitter users to join you for a market research webinar, and reward them with free stuff. Once they’re live, get them to answer all the questions you can, and gather that all important market research. Then posts the videos online to increase your online traffic, and expand your Youtube feed.

#6: Answer Customer Questions

You probably get sent queries all the time – if they’re knowledge based, host your own Q&A on hangouts to answer these questions. Answer them live on video and your fans will get to know you better. This in turn will improve every aspect of your online profile. Gain more fans, more clients and become a rockstar customer service business.

These 6 great ways to use Google+ hangouts are just the tip of the iceberg. Add casual meetings, interesting ways to enhance your Youtube feed and more, and there are literally dozens of other ways to take advantage of this video feature.

Play around with hangouts and see what works. It’s quick, easy and a great way to support your more challenging social pages.

How do you use Google+ hangouts to improve your business? Leave your answer below!

Courtesy of waynemoran.com

#1: The Google Revolt

Like it or not, Google+ is a Google product. To use it, means that you have to be logged into the Google network. And Google sees all. This freaks a lot of people out, contributing to the mass absence of normal users on the platform.

#2: Blinding Whiteness

It might sound petty, but Google+ is not well designed. There’s white everywhere. It gives the site a very stark and clinical look. It doesn’t have the same structure as sites like Facebook or the old Youtube that made white work. A re-design perhaps?

#3: Forced Use For SEO

I advocate that Google+ is a great network to use if you’re a business, and it is – for SEO benefits. I just don’t know about the B2C benefits. It’s a great place to connect with B2B clients and other authorities, but there is a noticeable lack of normal users there.

#4: Fruit Vs MSG

Google+ has all the addictive qualities of fruit. You know it’s good for you to use, but you’re not that interested in using it. This is in stark opposition to other social sites like Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter that are coated in MSG – you just can’t get enough of them!

#5: Scrolling Never Ends

Unlike sites like Facebook, on Google+ you really have to scroll – and I mean scroll – to find stories or people you want to communicate with. Perhaps Google’s social algorithm just isn’t as efficient as Facebook’s, but whatever it is, its labour intensive and NOT FUN.

#6: Limited Business Page Use

You still can’t leave messages on your communities ‘walls’ which was the big appeal when Facebook launched. This limited business page functionality is backfiring. I think Google should stop trying to ‘not copy Facebook’ and instead use what is known to work.

#7: Comparisons are Futile

Google+ does not match up to the popular social media networks, especially up and comers like Pinterest. When you compare Google+ with your other profiles, it always comes in last. This is a big reason why Google+ is becoming a business network.

#8: Facebook is Better

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the ‘Google+ is going to destroy Facebook’ hype was short lived and ridiculous. Facebook is just better. It has been forever. Why bother chatting to your friends on Google+, when you can do it on Facebook?

#9: Privacy Flaws Don’t Make a Site

When Google+ first launched, they were hoping to capitalize on the privacy flaws that Facebook had. It was a great concept, but silly in reality. No one really cares about privacy, unless you’re a criminal, a pirate or a troll. Epic fail.

Do you have a theory on why Google+ is failing? I’d like to hear it!

Courtesy of searchengineland.com

Google+ On The Top Right of Search Results

Google has placed Google+ accounts on the top right of targeted search terms on the search engine’s pages. The implications of this bold move are far reaching, and they’re going to have a massive effect on the social marketing niche. Let’s explore how.

• This change to their algorithm means that Google+ accounts are now vitally important to SEO. In fact, we predict that account sign ups will skyrocket, now that Google has made their social network so desirable to marketers.

• The new algorithm makes social networking a dominant player in the success of any business online. The more you connect and share on Google+, the higher your chances of getting free placement on a top ranking search result.

• Marketers will begin to move away from traditional forms of SEO, like mass backlinking or the more dubious black hat techniques to get high rankings. You can’t trick this system, placement has to be earned.

• The size of your network on Google+ matters, the amount of content you publish daily, and the level of interaction you have on your page. With a great Google+ account, you won’t have to invest so much cash in PPC marketing.

• Social influence is now irrevocably linked to your Google+ account. We expect to see larger social budgets, and more time and effort spent on developing and maintaining Google+ pages.

• Search and social are now combined. You’ll be able to search logged into your account, to receive a personal search display, based on your Google+ preferences and tracked data. You’ll also be able to search logged out for more general results. Either way, Google’s new social network will be there.

• Content creators will have more influence online, and better SEO. Your business will need to feed your company’s content engine, if you’re going to place well. This means that you’ll need a lot more content, more often. Social divisions in companies, and outsourcing social marketing just became more important than ever.

• Stickiness matters. In other words, its not enough to publish content, this content has to keep people reading, interacting and returning for more. You could have 8 million updates, but if you don’t have ‘stickiness’ you won’t rank for this new SEO opportunity.

It’s clear that Google has finally done something right. Gone are the days of bots, fake humans and automated campaigns. It’s virtually impossible to cheat in social media, because people only interact with other people.

The opportunity has presented itself. Almost overnight, Google+ has become one of the most influential tools in your social marketing box of tricks. Use it well!

What do you think of this bold move by Google? How will it affect your strategy this year? We want to know, so leave us your comment!

This will change everything.

Courtesy of crazyengineers.com

Your Google+ Business Page

We’ve spoken previously about the precarious nature of Google+, and how the social network seemed to be losing ground. Now with the launch of their business pages, we’re bound to see another boost in signups, and people returning to complete a very advantageous business presence on the platform. Google is indexing each Google+ business page super fast, and this alone could change the tide for Google+.

They’ve included a handy little feature called Direct Connect, which allows Google search users to add a ‘+’ in front of their search term, if they would like to find a company listed on Google+. In other words, if you want to find our presence there, simply type +socialmediamagic into the Google search bar. This is quick, easy, and very appealing for businesses that want to secure prominent keywords.

The Impact of Your Google+ Page

Now your business can take advantage of the other features on Google+, for your company page. The hangouts feature alone could open several new revenue streams for you, as your business delves into livecasting, webinars and live chat with your fans and clients.

Your circles will get an enormous boost from Direct Connect, as fans are able to find you easily, then +1 or add you to their circles, right from a basic Google search. The page layout seems remarkably Facebook-esque, but this isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it will give new users the confidence to create beautiful profiles for their businesses.

Courtesy of launch.is

Should You Get a Google+ Page?

Yes. There are enough benefits now – so you’ll want to establish a community on this network. You’ll be able to use Google+ as a promotional tool, and even a cloud based work tool – as your team members, managers and clients will all be in certain circles. Google+ has only just launched this new feature, so it will be some time until they’ve sorted out the kinks.

One small thing we don’t like, is that fans can’t post on your business page wall. Having said that, we can’t expect Google+ to be exactly like Facebook. Are they rivals yet? No. Facebook is still miles ahead of Google+, and we don’t expect this to change anytime soon. As a platform in its own right however, Google+ is worth including in your next social marketing plan.

All you have to do is sign up for a Google+ profile, and on the homepage click on the Google+ create a page. It will take you to a set up screen, where you can fill in your details and get started. The sooner you do it the better, so get cracking!

Do you like the new Google+ business pages? Please tell us what you like or don’t like about the new features.

Courtesy of vsee.com

Using Google+ Hangouts

The Hangouts section of Google+ is where a lot of the main action happens between friends, groups, business contacts, or anyone willing to join in the conversation and meet new people. It’s basically a live video chatroom, where you can speak with up to nine different people at once. Don’t worry about the limit right now, Google+ is going to expand it soon. First you’ll have to invite people to your ‘chatroom,’ and you can do this by selecting one of three options.

Invite friends by email that aren’t on Google+, invite friends from your circles or leave it public, so anyone can decide to pop in. Once all of your friends have arrived, you can chat to them in person, or use the text chat option as well. There is a Youtube button that means you can watch videos with the people in your Hangout. In the extras section, you can even work on a Google document with your group.

How Do You Use Hangouts For Work?

Google+ is a great tool for any person that needs to connect with people when they aren’t at the office, or aren’t in the country. All over the US clubs, groups, societies and companies are using Google+ to bring people together. Collaborate on a project with co-workers or host a video conference with a few of your clients – the applications are virtually limitless.

New to Hangouts is the Hangouts on Air concept, that allows Google+ users to broadcast live videos to the public. This is great for anyone that loves to webcast. It seems the whole goal of Hangouts is to eventually become a fully integrated collaboration tool. There is even screensharing and a sketchpad tool. Will this usher in a new generation of live-cast videos? Perhaps.

Here are some great ideas on how you can use the new Hangouts. Start a vlog, and gain a following by doing it on Google+. Do you love reviewing products? Do it in Hangouts. Use it for expert Q&A sessions, or to clear up project details with a new client or two. Why don’t you crowd source new ideas from the public, or announce you need help with a project and see who answers!

This is an excellent tool for developing your personal brand on the internet. It makes using video online easy and fun again. It also feels more fun that using a similar program, like skype. This is definitely one of the better things to come out of Google+, we hope they run with it, and keep developing the concept.

Have you used Hangouts yet? What do you think of it? We’d like to hear what you have to say.

Courtesy of plusheadlines.com

#1: Sheering The Notification List

If you’ve been on Google+ for a while, you’ve probably noticed that the notifications come thick and fast – for everything. If you comment on a post, you get every notification thereafter. If someone +1’s you, you get notified. When people add you, you get notified. Lists of names, actions and nonsense that really don’t have to be there. It’s nice to know people are interacting with you. But then make it exclusive interaction, or pop in some control setting for this. It’s info overload gone wild.

#2: Extreme Stream

The main news stream on Google+ is very disorganized. It has absolutely no filters like the Facebook edgerank system, that ranks updates according to relationships. Instead, every time you scroll down to read something, and scroll back up again, the posts gone – replaced by new posts from a huge influx of people. When you follow thought leaders that post often, the endless scrolling really gets to you. How about a new algorithm that sorts this out?

#3: So Very Many People

Google+ has the potential to form huge communities, well beyond the average Facebook users 130 people limit. This is mostly due to the find people section on the circles page. It’s great to suggest people that we don’t know, Google, but having to click on each one of them to find out who they are – is mission impossible. Everyone likes to race to have highest numbers – so are we forming communities of useless people we don’t know? This system needs some streamlining.

#4: The Games Issue

Google may not have realized it, but their brand continuation on Google+, makes the games section feel a bit…redundant. Why not do a normal Google search for games and play on other websites with a greater selection? Why should I play these generic games on Google+? They just don’t have the same appeal as Facebook games. If Google+ doesn’t do something to their games section, its going to fail.

#5: Complete Lack of Business Functionality

Yes, Google+ is working on getting the business functionality ready. But in the meantime, they’re losing users and people are seeing less and less value in the platform. Business features are what attract so many people to Facebook. Google needs to get moving on this sooner rather than later, or they’re going to miss their chance. And once it’s gone, they’re going to experience a MySpace-like meltdown.

#6: Limited Connectivity

At the risk of continually comparing Google+ to Facebook, Google+ lacks something rather large. When you arrive on Facebook, there are a million things you can do, waiting to be done. Playing, shopping, chatting searching pages, finding groups to join – enjoying the social atmosphere. Google+ doesn’t have this. The platform feels hopelessly limited. There’s not much to do, but interact with people, and that’s not always what people want to do. Perhaps some deeper layers Google+?

Do you have any suggestions here? We’d love to hear your comments!

Courtesy of businessinsider.com

But Google+ still has a respectful 43 million users, so is it worth using?

The Life and Times of Google+

One of the first things we noticed about Google+ was that it attracted lots of tech-people and business influencers. The kind of people that tend to be progressive and embrace new technology. We also noticed that conversations and comments tended to be a lot longer on the platform, than on Facebook. This may have been due to Facebook’s character limit on their updates.

Now Facebook has upped their character limit from 500 to 5000 – which essentially destroys that unique feature on Google+. It seems at every turn, Facebook has been able to come back with updates and fixes that have blown Google out of the water. But Google+ is still ticking along, with a host of new features coming out soon, like the much anticipated business pages. Perhaps this will attract more online users, and their numbers will start to climb again.

One thing is becoming bracingly clear. Google+ has not been the runaway success that tech-lovers predicted. All the hype, secrecy and beta-phase testing in the world, could not combat the kind of innovations being produced by the Facebook team. So the question remains – should you bother being on Google+?

Facing The Music: The Google+ Dilemma

Honestly at this stage, it’s hard to say. For business-minded people that want to connect with influencers, it’s a nice platform. For the average, everyday user – it may not be as valuable. And that’s why the influencers are there in the first place. Google+ can’t be successful without a mainstream market. It’s behaving more like a really powerful LinkedIn group at the moment.

Bottom line is that it lacks the addictive-ness of Facebook, the marketplace, functionality and connectivity of Facebook – and is living in the shadow of an established giant that will not be supplanted. Google+ does not give users a compelling reason to stay. They check it out, muck around, and then head back to Facebook. It’s been blindsided by the incredible Facebook team.

At the end of the day, it’s up to you to decide whether Google+ will be worth using. Yes, you can establish a business presence there without the business ‘page’ functionality, but even that seems forced. Why not spend more time on your Facebook business page, where you know you can get good returns?

Even business people know that time spent on any social network is money. Either you’re earning it, or you’re losing it. All we can say is, good luck Google+, you’re going to need it in the coming days ahead.

Do you use Google+? What do you like about it? Leave your comment below!

Courtesy of gradualmoneyearner.com

Reports are pouring in that Google+ is better than Facebook, and even trumps the business network site LinkedIn. Creating a solid business presence on this site has many instant benefits – as everything is connected to Google, and its dominant search engine power on the internet. It could turn out to be the quickest way to secure niche-related keywords in your field.

The business pages haven’t been launched yet, but you can still get in early and start creating a presence for your business on the platform, with a profile page. Simply fill in the details (much like your Facebook profile) and begin to use the various new functions that Google+ has to offer. As we mentioned earlier, this platform could be highly valuable for generating traffic to your business website.

All you have to do is begin a little cross promotion on your profile. This means adding all of your different networks to your Google+ profile, and promoting them to gain quality inbound links to your other sites. Be careful to write keyword rich descriptions where you can about your business – in the employment section, about, and in the various chat areas, where you can introduce yourself as a business owner.

Once Google+ launches their business profiles, you can focus on building that page. Much like Facebook, you really will want a business profile on this platform. It will make all the difference when you start promoting and marketing your company there.

Google+ makes sharing content easy, which is great news for business that have comprehensive social media and content marketing strategies already in place. Use Circles, Huddle, Hangouts – all the new functions – to share your articles, blog posts, images, videos, podcasts and slideshows. You might even make some great connections with other business owners in your niche.

The world of online marketing is changing once again, and as business owners, we all need to be aware that Google+ could be a mighty force in our internet marketing campaigns in 2012. As always with new social sites, you’ll want to get on this platform early. It will help you build your community faster, and you’ll be able to start earning from Google+ sooner.

Initial expert reports are in, and the world seems to be embracing Google+, despite Google’s long line of dismal failures. Our advice, is to integrate it into your social marketing plan now. Facebook and Twitter will go on – we don’t believe for one minute that Google+ will destroy them, but this doesn’t mean Google+ won’t become an independent social power in its own right.

Have you tried Google+ yet? If so, what do you think? Is it a site you’d return to as often as Facebook? Leave your comment for us!

Courtesy of businessinsider.com

Google+ addresses many of the problems fans have with Facebook, and there are visible improvements in its development. But – to put it in the context of a childhood analogy – a kid will always play with their favourite toy, broken or not.

Will Google+ just be another new toy that we all leave lying on the kitchen floor? Let’s take a look at how it could improve network building and our presence on social media sites.

Google+ Insights

With Google+, Google is rolling out a more efficient way to share with different groups of people. They call it ‘circles,’ and you can segment different friends, family and work colleagues into groups. While all of these circles will still be contained on your Google+ network, it allows you to share information in a much more controlled environment. This is great idea, but as many tech bloggers have explained – it makes sharing a whole lot more fangled.

Google says that sharing is sloppy, and on sites like Facebook – everyone is your friend and gets to see your private messages. This isn’t the whole truth of course, as it ignores the Facebook edgerank system. But this sort of sharing does have incredible possibilities for businesses. You’ll be able to segment various clients and connect to groups of them for specific tasks. And Google+ will have it all, image and video sharing, chat and targeted interest search.

Let’s take a closer look at the other 3 main features of Google+:

Sparks – Google’s new online sharing engine, that tracks what you love, and feeds it to you in a neat, digestible section on your profile. Great news for businesses, as the conversation around products people really love will get a major boost.

Hangouts – The on-screen get together location, between friends, or various people in your group – via live video feeds. Useful for mass conferencing, or if you just want to spend a few minutes of your day chatting with some friends.

Mobile – Google’s new mobile idea, lets people know where you are (geo-location) and will instantly upload photos of you onto the internet if you let it. It’s a very useful photo sharing service – and a great way to let your colleagues know when they are late for the meeting.

Google+ is poised to become the all-in-one Google solution to social networking. You know that new black bar across your Google homepage? It’s here to stay, and more – connect all other Google apps to you. Having one single location built for connectivity will do marvels for your social media presence.

Everything you do will be indexed and valuable. Will Google+ charge onto the internet and steal people from Facebook? We’ll see. Until then, it’s always best to do what the giant search engine suggests. Being a thought leader means early adoption!

What do you think of Google+? Dead in the water, or Facebook’s impending doom? Leave your comment below, right now!