Google has finally come out with the Google Plus Business Page, and businesses have yet another social media marketing outlet to take advantage of.
The promising news is that if you are researching how to set up and use Google Plus, you are aware of the importance of using all approaches available to promote your business. Too many business owners neglect to see the value and importance, and then cry victim when their business fails.
The opportunity to get your business visible and recognized so it is generating more traffic, is available to you online in so many ways. Learning how to use each one and following up regularly may be the tricky part. Consider this the “hard” work that goes into helping make your business a success story and not another dream down the drain.
Getting Started
The most difficult part is finally putting this task on your to-do list and following through. Already, you are partway to having this task complete. From there, follow these steps to get your task actually completed.
Use your personal Google+ account
First, you need to have a Google Plus user account. This will be your actual personal account from which you will be allowed to launch a business page. If you have this or once you have yours set up, look for the “Create a Page” section on Google Plus to get started.
First, hover over the “More” tab in the sidebar.
Then, “Create a Page”
Like other social networking sites, you will first have to pick a category. Choose from options including:
- Brand or Product
- Company, Place or Local Business
- Institution or Organization
- Arts, Entertainment or Sports
If your business page simply will not fit into one of these categories you can opt for Other. Before deciding, or if you are unsure about your category, make sure you read the Additional Terms of Service so you are not in violation of any rules.
Customize your Google+ page
Next, it is time to customize. Here, you can add important details that personalize your page such as a photo and tagline. You can continue and make your page live or do some more refining before going live (and visible to all).
Editing your business page info is the next crucial step. This is where you can elaborate on your company’s mission, provide links, offer your location, include contact information and so much more. Be sure all of your text and data is correct before making it available to the public.
Your photostrip is the final step and what helps offer that all important visual aspect of your business. More than likely you are familiar with this type of block of five photos from Facebook. Here, however, you choose photos that best represent what you want potential customers to first see about your business, so choose wisely. Also, make sure that your image is at least 250 pixels wide.
Halfway there…
The good news is that you have gotten the first half done. Now, it’s all about promoting it. At least you have another avenue open for potential consumers to find you. Don’t make the mistake of not putting effort into getting your pages promoted or letting professionals help you make this happen.
In a future post we will discuss how to use your Google+ business page as a promotional tool for your business, so stay tuned.
What do you think?
We’d love to hear what you have to say about Google Plus business pages. Better yet, give us some feedback or additional tips in the section below to make it easier for others to get their first page started.
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