You probably already have a business fan page on Facebook as well as one on Twitter, both of which take plenty of time to manage. In this case, creating yet another social media business page might seem unnecessary. But can you really afford not to use Google+ for business?
Definitely not! Google+ may not be Facebook, but it still is a powerful platform through which you can effectively spread the word about your business. And what’s more, Google+ for business has 3 benefits Facebook doesn’t.
1. Circles
Google+ Circles can be used as to target messages to certain customer groups, based on location and demographics. For example, you can create Circles that include loyal customers only, and offer them news or content that only they can see, thus further consolidating your relation with them.
Ultimately, Circles let you better manage your followers and target messages more effectively, to ultimately improve customer engagement.
2.SEO Boost
If you’re trying to get your business website up there at the top of the search results, Google+ can help you. Google+ business pages are quickly indexed and can be easily followed. Moreover, users can give them a +1. All these will boost your website’s search engine ranking.
We know for certain that Google takes into account the buzz your website generates on social media websites when determining its search engine ranking. So, by having a popular Google+ business page, you increase your website’s search engine ranking. Not to mention that you also build authority.
3.Direct Connect
With Direct Connect users can instantly access a brand Google+ page when using the Google search engine. Direct Connect works like this: the user searches for +brand (+pepsi, for example) and he or she is immediately sent to the the brand’s Google+ business page, in this case Pepsi, without having to go through the search results first. Google+ Direct Connect helps users find you more easily.
Note that Google+ Direct Connect doesn’t yet work for all Google+ business pages. Google explains that it determines a page’s eligibility for Direct Connect algorithmically. To increase your chances of using direct connect, link your Google+ business page to your website, and improve the relevancy of the former.
Google+ has SEO benefits, Direct Connect, and Circles, all of which can help you better connect with your customers. But these are not all the benefits Google+ can have for your business. To discover them all, create your own Google+ business page and experiment the many features available.