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How to Promote Your Blog With Social Media

May 23, 2012 / Marc Pitman / No comments

Are you looking to use social media to promote your blog?

Sharing your blog posts on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and even Tumblr can help your content gain significant exposure.

But each social media platform is distinct with different benefits and abilities. You need a simple process to tailor your social sharing to generate as much engagement as you can on each of these platforms.

Here’s a process you can use to ensure your posts get maximum mileage. Consider these steps and adapt them to the social platforms where you find your customers.

#1: Tumblr

I’ve been blogging since 1999 and have had my own hosted WordPress blogs since 2003. So I never used to bother much with platforms like Posterous or Tumblr.

Fortunately one day I realized that many of my best prospects were using Tumblr and decided to include it into my social media marketing. And I’m surprised by how many people I know are using it.

Tumblr makes it really easy to share your blog post. You can share with either the “text” or “photo” option.

The HTML code is all ready to use, so I copy it just before publishing the blog post.

Here’s how to share with the “text” option.

Just after you’ve published a post and while you still have the HTML of your blog post open, grab the code and pop over to Tumblr.

Tumblr offers lots of ways to easily share information.

Sharing a post as text is as easy as 1-2-3.

Sharing your blog post on Tumblr is as easy as 1-2-3.

After clicking on “text,” you:

Type in your blog’s title. You’ve already written it to be compelling and to attract attention, so why reinvent the wheel?
Put in your link back to your blog post. We could all use more inbound links to our sites, couldn’t we?
Click on the “HTML” option, paste the code from your blog and hit the green Update button. You’ve already done the formatting, so it works in Tumblr.

You can use Tumblr's WYSIWYG editor or you can click on HTML to add your code.

Voila! Now you can see what the post will look like. The only thing you may need to add are the paragraph breaks.

Add a few tags in and click on the green “Create Post” button and the Tumblr blog is up with a link to your original blog post.

After adding some tags, you're ready to create your post in Tumblr.

Using the “text” option makes your post look like the image below. People will see your headline and formatted text, but all of the images will be reduced to a gray box. When a reader clicks on the headline, they’ll be able to see your post in all its graphical glory.

A problem with posting as text is that images show as gray squares.

Many of us find that the image is more attention-grabbing than the headline. Images are what draw people into your posts.

Here’s how to share with the “photo” option.

To get people to see an image in their Tumblr feed, you simply need to share your post as a photo. You’ll need to provide a link to the image (or upload it from your computer). Then you use the post as the “caption” by pasting it using the same “HTML” option as above.

I chose to do this with my “100 Donors in 90 Days” post:

Posting as an image allows the image to be seen in people's Tumblr feeds without their having to click on the post.

The Benefits of Tumblr

Tumblr isn’t yet one of the top referrers of traffic to my site. As with many platforms, people on Tumblr seem to want to consume the information within Tumblr. Sharing my posts here allows them to consume my content without having to go anywhere else.

As a business owner, the primary benefit of Tumblr is the link back to your site. Inbound links to your site help your site’s search engine optimization.

And I’ve been pleasantly surprised to see the prospects and colleagues that choose to follow me here.

Despite how long it took me to describe this process, the Tumblr step really goes quickly.

#2: Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn

The largest social media referrers to my site include Facebook and Twitter. I use HootSuite to post to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn all at the same time.

Using HootSuite saves time and helps you make sure people see your post. Images inspire clicks, so Facebook tends to pull images from web links. But Facebook and auto-published RSS feeds don’t always choose the image that fits the post.

HootSuite allows you to choose the image you want to share on Facebook. Being able to choose the image you share is important to your branding. This is why I recommend you use HootSuite to simplify sharing your blog posts on multiple platforms.

Using HootSuite to post as your Facebook page and then going to your personal profile to reshare the page's post helps it to be seen by more people.

While you’re sharing your post, you may as well add LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the “little engine that could” of social media. Other platforms come and go, but LinkedIn keeps chugging along growing every day. For many, it is the main social media platform. So sharing the link there is handy and smart.

Back to Facebook. In the image above, you’ll note that I encourage you to share to your Facebook page, not your Facebook profile.

I used to share it to both until I learned about Facebook’s EdgeRank. Facebook pushes very few page posts into other people’s streams. It favors posts that have lots of interaction such as people liking the posts, commenting on them and sharing them with their friends.

To help your Facebook page get more exposure, use HootSuite to post the blog link to the page. Then manually go into Facebook using your personal account and share the page’s post with your followers. That gives exposure to both your Facebook page and your blog post. Since I’ve been doing this, I’ve seen my Facebook page follower count rise more quickly than it had been.

Share your blog on your Facebook page. Then reshare it using your personal profile.

When I share the page’s update through my personal Facebook profile, I always paste in the same message that I used in HootSuite. Facebook often only shares the link on the page, not the comments about that link. You should consider doing this too. If you don’t add text, your friends won’t have a context for why you’re sharing the link.

Cut your HootSuite update text and paste it into the comment box when you share your page's update.

#3: Google+

Sharing your blog post with the world on your site and on Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn isn’t enough. I’m also a huge fan of Google+. In addition to being an amazingly helpful social media platform, Google+ allows you to train Google on how to categorize your site in searches.

I suggest you put your entire blog post into Google+. Google+ allows you to share 100,000 characters rather than LinkedIn’s 120, Twitter’s 140 and Facebook’s early 460. (Facebook appears to have increased its character count to over 60,000 in response to Google+.)

Since Google is indexing Google+ updates so they can be found in regular Google searches, consider helping Google help others find your site.

Here are 6 steps to share your post on Google+:

1. Use Google+ as your brand page.

First, get on Google+ and sign in as your brand page. You just need to click on the gray arrow near your head in the upper-right corner and you’re fine.

As with Facebook, you will first want to share your blog through your Google+ brand page.

2. Paste in the complete URL before putting anything else in.

When you are using Google+ as your page, put in your blog’s URL before you put in anything else. Google+ will grab images from the first web link it identifies.

Paste your blog link in first to ensure the update ultimately links to your blog.

You can use the gray left and right arrows on the image to choose which image is shown with the update.

3. Grab the entire text of your blog post.

Now go back to the tab with your blog post and grab the entire text. Paste that into the Google+ update above the URL you already put in there.

Then go back and copy the blog post title and paste that on top of all of the text.

There are two reasons for doing this. First, you’ve already invested the time in using specific keywords in your blog posts to help Google and other search engines classify your site. Why wouldn’t you reuse them here in Google+?

Second, most people like to consume information from within the social media platform. Few Google+ readers are actually going to click on a link and read your blog post. So make it easier for them by including the entire text here.

Google+ shows readers only the first section, but they can easily click on “read more” to see the rest.

Put the entire text of your blog post over on Google+.

4. Use Google+ formatting.

Now that your entire blog post text is in your Google+ update, format it a bit to make it easier to read. Here is how to format text in Google+:

Bold words or phrases by putting “*” on either side of the text you want to make bold.
Italicize words or phrases by putting “_” on either side of the text you want to make italicized.
Strikethrough words or phrases by putting “-” on either side of the text you want to have a line through.

Formatting text makes it both easier to read and makes it look more like the blog post on your site.

Make your update easier to read by using Google+ formatting options.

5. Share with your page’s circles.

Now you choose whom to share your update with. Since Google+ makes it a bit challenging for pages to get followers, it’s probably a good idea to share it with everyone you can.

Choose the circles you'll share your blog post with.

6. Reshare as a person.

As with Facebook, you’ll now want to go back to your personal profile on Google+. You’ll see the blog post in your stream. Simply click “share” to share it with the circles you find appropriate.

Google+ does a great job of including text from your page’s update, so there’s no need to add much more yourself.

Share your Google+ brand page update in your personal stream.

Since Google+ still makes it difficult for pages to get followers, you probably have a larger following on your personal profile. Using this technique allows your blog and your Google+ brand page to be exposed to more people.

Note: Always remember to choose “public” in addition to any circles you share with.

Share with the appropriate circles and add an interesting heading.

Your blog post now appears in your personal stream.

Now your post is available to all of Google+ in your personal stream.

Too Labor-Intensive?

This all probably seems labor-intensive. It’s not nearly as easy as letting an auto-publishing service share your blog posts to your social media platforms.

But taking these steps respects the way the users of each service interact with each of your blog posts. It’s a great way to keep your brand in front of people. And it helps increase traffic to your website.

I’m getting great results by using these tactics and would love to hear your comments.

What do you think? What are ways that you repurpose your blog content? Leave your questions and comments in the box below.

Category: blog post, blog promotion, blogging, facebook share, hootsuite, How To, linkedin share, marc pitman, reshare, share, share post, Social Sharing, tumblr feeds, tumblr share, twitter share, Visibility /

How to Promote Your Blog With Social Media

May 23, 2012 / Marc Pitman / No comments

Are you looking to use social media to promote your blog?

Sharing your blog posts on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and even Tumblr can help your content gain significant exposure.

Here’s a process you can use to ensure your posts get maximum mileage. Consider these steps and adapt them to the social platforms where you find your customers.

#1: Tumblr

I’ve been blogging since 1999 and have had my own hosted WordPress blogs since 2003. So I never used to bother much with platforms like Posterous or Tumblr.

Fortunately one day I realized that many of my best prospects were using Tumblr and decided to include it into my social media marketing. And I’m surprised by how many people I know are using it.

Tumblr makes it really easy to share your blog post. You can share with either the “text” or “photo” option.

The HTML code is all ready to use, so I copy it just before publishing the blog post.

Here’s how to share with the “text” option.

Just after you’ve published a post and while you still have the HTML of your blog post open, grab the code and pop over to Tumblr.

Tumblr offers lots of ways to easily share information.

Sharing a post as text is as easy as 1-2-3.

Sharing your blog post on Tumblr is as easy as 1-2-3.

After clicking on “text,” you:

Type in your blog’s title. You’ve already written it to be compelling and to attract attention, so why reinvent the wheel?
Put in your link back to your blog post. We could all use more inbound links to our sites, couldn’t we?
Click on the “HTML” option, paste the code from your blog and hit the green Update button. You’ve already done the formatting, so it works in Tumblr.

You can use Tumblr's WYSIWYG editor or you can click on HTML to add your code.

Voila! Now you can see what the post will look like. The only thing you may need to add are the paragraph breaks.

Add a few tags in and click on the green “Create Post” button and the Tumblr blog is up with a link to your original blog post.

After adding some tags, you're ready to create your post in Tumblr.

A problem with posting as text is that images show as gray squares.

Many of us find that the image is more attention-grabbing than the headline. Images are what draw people into your posts.

Here’s how to share with the “photo” option.

I chose to do this with my “100 Donors in 90 Days” post:

Posting as an image allows the image to be seen in people's Tumblr feeds without their having to click on the post.

The Benefits of Tumblr

As a business owner, the primary benefit of Tumblr is the link back to your site. Inbound links to your site help your site’s search engine optimization.

And I’ve been pleasantly surprised to see the prospects and colleagues that choose to follow me here.

Despite how long it took me to describe this process, the Tumblr step really goes quickly.

#2: Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn

The largest social media referrers to my site include Facebook and Twitter. I use HootSuite to post to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn all at the same time.

Using HootSuite to post as your Facebook page and then going to your personal profile to reshare the page's post helps it to be seen by more people.

Back to Facebook. In the image above, you’ll note that I encourage you to share to your Facebook page, not your Facebook profile.

Share your blog on your Facebook page. Then reshare it using your personal profile.

Cut your HootSuite update text and paste it into the comment box when you share your page's update.

#3: Google+

Since Google is indexing Google+ updates so they can be found in regular Google searches, consider helping Google help others find your site.

Here are 6 steps to share your post on Google+:

1. Use Google+ as your brand page.

First, get on Google+ and sign in as your brand page. You just need to click on the gray arrow near your head in the upper-right corner and you’re fine.

As with Facebook, you will first want to share your blog through your Google+ brand page.

2. Paste in the complete URL before putting anything else in.

When you are using Google+ as your page, put in your blog’s URL before you put in anything else. Google+ will grab images from the first web link it identifies.

Paste your blog link in first to ensure the update ultimately links to your blog.

You can use the gray left and right arrows on the image to choose which image is shown with the update.

3. Grab the entire text of your blog post.

Now go back to the tab with your blog post and grab the entire text. Paste that into the Google+ update above the URL you already put in there.

Then go back and copy the blog post title and paste that on top of all of the text.

Google+ shows readers only the first section, but they can easily click on “read more” to see the rest.

Put the entire text of your blog post over on Google+.

4. Use Google+ formatting.

Now that your entire blog post text is in your Google+ update, format it a bit to make it easier to read. Here is how to format text in Google+:

Bold words or phrases by putting “*” on either side of the text you want to make bold.
Italicize words or phrases by putting “_” on either side of the text you want to make italicized.
Strikethrough words or phrases by putting “-” on either side of the text you want to have a line through.

Formatting text makes it both easier to read and makes it look more like the blog post on your site.

Make your update easier to read by using Google+ formatting options.

5. Share with your page’s circles.

Now you choose whom to share your update with. Since Google+ makes it a bit challenging for pages to get followers, it’s probably a good idea to share it with everyone you can.

Choose the circles you'll share your blog post with.

6. Reshare as a person.

Google+ does a great job of including text from your page’s update, so there’s no need to add much more yourself.

Share your Google+ brand page update in your personal stream.

Note: Always remember to choose “public” in addition to any circles you share with.

Share with the appropriate circles and add an interesting heading.

Your blog post now appears in your personal stream.

Now your post is available to all of Google+ in your personal stream.

Too Labor-Intensive?

This all probably seems labor-intensive. It’s not nearly as easy as letting an auto-publishing service share your blog posts to your social media platforms.

I’m getting great results by using these tactics and would love to hear your comments.

What do you think? What are ways that you repurpose your blog content? Leave your questions and comments in the box below.

8 Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Site With Google+

March 21, 2012 / Marc Pitman / No comments

Would you like to drive more traffic to your website?

With new enhancements from Google+, you can more easily accomplish just that!

One of the biggest changes recently rolled out by Google might even be called a seismic shift in search.

Google is somewhat clumsily calling it “Search, plus Your World.” You see, Google has years of experience in the search engine business. And they are so good because they aim to deliver what people are looking for, not just what they actually enter into the search window. They have to figure out if your search on “porter” is supposed to show a lot of beer websites or websites focusing on people who carry luggage.

Part of what they’ve learned is that people want to see results based on their own personal history and social profile.

Google’s Search, Plus Your World

Google search is still search, but now they are tailoring a person’s search to include results based on their social media profile.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z9TTBxarbs

In short, Google is now including Google+ updates and people’s +1s (“+1″ is Google’s version of Facebook’s “like”) in Google search. The “Your World” parts are indicated by a blue figure of a person’s head and shoulders.

This blue icon in a Google search lets you know you or someone you know posted this.

Powerful Social Proof for Businesses

Now when you search, you may see a post from someone you know or someone who knows someone you know. These will show up as people’s faces with search results.

Any student of influence knows that this form of “social proof”—seeing faces of people you recognize—will significantly increase the likelihood you’ll click on a link.

Don’t Miss Out on This Opportunity to Get More Traffic

Google has said it would like to include other sites in Search, plus Your World results, but sites like Facebook and Twitter block Google from searching or indexing people’s public posts. While information from Quora and Flickr does surface, most of the social information is from Google+ posts.

Here are 8 ways to help Google drive traffic to your site with Google+.

#1: Use “Their” Keywords, Not Just Yours

Most of us have our industry-specific dialect. So we naturally try to use those words and phrases when we’re being intentional about our keywords. The problem is that most of our customers don’t use those terms or phrases.

For example, here in Maine, the State Park employees may optimize their site to be found when people search for “Ft. Williams Park.” But 99% of prospective visitors will actually be searching on “Portland Headlight” so it behooves them to rank high for that term too.

Put these keywords in the “about” section of both your page and your profile. And remember to use them when you’re posting updates and sharing images.

You might call your place "Fort Williams Park," but if your customers call it "Portland Headlight," you need to optimize your SEO for that too.

#2: Size Matters

In most social media training, we stress quality of engagement over number of followers or size of fan base. Usually, it’s better to have 8,000 engaged followers than 80,000 followers who ignore you. But current results indicate that a bigger Google+ following is better.

Kristi Hines did an interesting experiment on Google SEO a few days before Search, plus Your World was released. She showed that more followers affected her search rank even when people weren’t signed into their Google account.

More followers means better ranking in Google’s search. To grow your followers:

Let people know you have a Google+ page. Put a badge on your website. Tell customers to put you in their circles. Include your link, or a prettier version of your link, in your email and print communications.
Share your brand page posts through your personal profile. Brand pages are only allowed to follow people who have first followed them. So pushing your brand posts out through your personal profile helps your page posts receive more exposure.
Make sure your employees have their own Google+ profiles and follow your brand page. Encourage them to share your page posts and then “+1″ those posts.

If you need help setting up your profile, check out 6 Steps to Getting Started With Google+.

#3: Train the Google Machine

Google search is constantly categorizing and indexing information. Now, in addition to search results, Google is sometimes posting “People and Pages on Google+ related to [your search term]” as a box on the right side of the page.

Not all searches have this feature yet. But the benefit of being listed there is obvious. So train Google to know how to categorize your page by keeping posts on topic and using consistent keywords.

Google says that as you post on the same topic, you’ll be conditioning Google to promote your page in that search.

Not all searches have a "People and Pages on Google+ related to…" box yet, but repeatedly posting on the same topic will help your page be listed here when Google expands this feature.

#4: Author Authority

Last summer, Google started supporting an authorship markup. Basically, you can tag your work in a way that shows Google your writings across the web. It also allows Google to pull them together when people search for you.

This step is bit more advanced, but can be well worth the effort. Kristi Hines gives detailed directions on how to implement the authorship feature.

#5: Web Links Both Ways

Another important way to help Google know how to categorize you is to include links between your business website or blog on your profile and brand page.

It seems Google recognizes some features, like authorship, if you include a link to your Google+ profile or brand page on your business website or blog. One way to do that is to use Google’s own badge creator or one like WidgetsPlus that offers more design flexibility.

Google+ gives you lots of options for sharing links to your other websites, your social media profiles and your brand pages.

#6: Engage and be Engaging

Google says one of the top three things to do to appear in results is to post and engage with posts.

One way to measure the engagement of your updates is through a Google+ tool called “Ripples.” This cool pictorial tool gives you an idea of who is sharing your posts and who the key influencers are. The more you share with the influencers, the more engagement your posts should get. If Google is reporting on this engagement, they’re tracking it. If they’re tracking it, you know it’s influencing search.

So be engaging. +1 other people’s posts. And experiment with posts until you find ones that consistently get shared. On Google+, two of the best ways to get shared are:

Share something incredibly practical and helpful to your niche.
Share something really funny.

People on Google+ tend to respond well to both types of posts.

Google is tracking the level of engagement for posts and letting you see it in a tool called "Ripples" which you can access as shown above.

Ripples allows you to see who shares your updates.

#7: Use +1 Buttons

In most Google searches, you can now see an option to “+1″ a result. Google is specifically using these +1 results in search rank. On December 10, 2011, at the Mediapost Search Insider Summit, Google’s Laura Kelley said that +1 and Google+ pages for brands will become a significant ranking factor for Google searches.

#8: Use Pictures and Videos

You’ve probably noticed people click on pictures more than on text links. And many Google searches now include a prominent display for image search. So use images on your Google+ profiles and brand page. And make sure to use keywords in the “alt” field of all pictures on your own website.

Using images can help you rank higher in Google searches with Search, plus Your World. A quick search on "fundraising coach" not only shows my website, but also images of me speaking and images from my blog posts.

Google+ updates are showing up in normal Google searches. This is an added incentive to regularly post and grow engagement with your posts!

Google Search, plus Your World means that people can now see recommendations from their connections right in their Google search results. This is great for your business. People want to see social proof—proof that people like them do whatever it is they’re about to do. Google is offering that.

This makes Google+ more important than ever for your business. Even if you don’t think your customers are yet active on Google+, you need to get on it for the SEO value. By doing some simple steps like consistently post on the same topics and grow your Google+ followers, you help Google drive even more customers to your site.

What do you think? What other ways are you finding that Google+ helps with SEO? Leave your questions and comments in the box below.

Category: authorship, badge, badge creator, circles, google, google profile, Google Search, google+ page, How To, marc pitman, people and pages, ripples, Search Plus Your World, SEO, Social Proof, tag, Traffic, widgetsplus /

6 Google+ Tips for Businesses

February 21, 2012 / Marc Pitman / No comments

Has your business set up a Google+ page?

Google+ is growing at an impressive rate. In less than one year, Google has reached over 90 million registered users—far exceeding expected growth rates.

According to CNN’s Mark Millan, it took Facebook about four years to grow to that many users. It took Twitter almost five years to grow to the same size.

There’s No Leap of Faith With Google+

You already know Google is important to your business. Just check your analytics. Which search engine are people using to find your website? Google. And if you’re using YouTube effectively, chances are YouTube is driving traffic to your site too. News flash: Google owns YouTube.

If Google is sending you the majority of your traffic, doesn’t it make sense to figure out how to help them send you more? Google+ is the answer.

It’s like Facebook: On Facebook, people can “like” your business. That allows your business’ page updates to have a shot at getting into readers’ timelines. People can do that on Google+ too; it just involves adding your business page to a “circle.” This similarity may help people feel more comfortable trying a new platform.
But it’s not Facebook: Facebook does weird things with the information on pages. But Google wants the information to be found, so it uses Google+ to impact search results.
It’s easier for your customers to share your posts than on Facebook: Like Twitter, Google+ has made sharing much more targeted for your customers. If you post something about a new type of bacon you sell, they have the ability to share it with only their friends who are interested in bacon.

google+ getting started 5 shared circles

Your customers can share your business' updates with the people most likely to become customers.

And if they’re using Google+ in the Chrome browser, they can have an extension like “Replies and More for Google+,” which lets them share posts with their Facebook friends and Twitter followers at the same time they’re sharing on Google+.

Google+ works well in all browsers, but extensions like "Replies and More" make Google+ even better in Chrome.

Six Google+ Business Page Tips

Here are six steps to help your business grow in Google+ influence and in search engine results.

These steps will increase your chances of getting seen on Google+, and more importantly, help Google drive traffic to your page.

#1: Fill Out Your Page

The first thing you need to do is create a page for your business. For step-by-step directions, check out Kristi Hines’ How to Set Up a Google+ Page for Your Business.

As you’re setting up your business page, focus on using keywords as you fill out the Introduction in your Google+ page’s About section. Use both the keywords you want to rank high on and the keywords your customers are using.

And as you fill out this section, be sure to think about what would be attractive to your customers. The day Google opened business pages, Chris Brogan tweeted:

Read over your page and ask yourself if it's bragging about how great your business is or if it's engaging your customers.

#2: Add Links Throughout Your Page

Google+ business pages allow you to add links in lots of different places. Take advantage of it! You are able to create links in the Introduction section.

In the image below, you see examples of inserting links as phrases (like “fundraising training”), as a web page (like “FundraisingCoach.com”) or as a straight web link (like “http://fundraisingcoach.com/subscribe/).

google plus about page link opportunities

Help drive traffic to your own site by using all the link opportunities on your Google+ page.

These links will help you get found in searches. And more importantly, they will help customers go directly to your website.

#3: Make Use of the Hover Text

As with setting up personal Google+ profiles, you can influence what people see when they mouse over your business name in Google+. They might do this when searching on a topic or simply responding to a post.

So you’ll want to have a compelling, short tagline.

The tagline both explains your business and fills in the "hover card" on other parts of Google+.

The extra words on this hover card come from the business' tagline on their Google+ page.

You can see that only the first five words of the tagline made it onto the hover card, so make them count!

#4: Promote Your Business Page Everywhere

One of the best ways to get people to follow your Google+ business page is to let them know you have one! In addition to putting the link in your email footer and on all of your other social media pages, you can add a badge to your site.

Google+ offers a way to make a badge. But a prettier way to make a badge is to use a site like Widgets Plus. This site allows for an impressive amount of customization.

Adding a badge to your site allows people to circle your business without having to go over to Google+.

Including an interactive badge helps people circle you while on your site. They don’t have to go to Google+ to do it. As soon as they circle you, they’ll be able to see your updates in their news feed.

Getting people to circle you is crucial. Being in more people’s circles, or having more Google+ followers, improves your position on regular Google searches.

And at this point, businesses can’t circle people until people have circled them first! You’ll want to be aggressive in telling people about your Google+ page so you’ll be able to share with them too.

#5: Get Your Employees on Google+

Because your posts are generally only seen by the people who’ve circled you, you want to encourage your employees to set up personal Google+ profiles. You can’t tell them how to use those profiles. But you can ask that they add your website as a link in their Links section. You should also ask them to share your business page and its posts with their friends.

#6: Be Interesting

Steps 1-5 set the foundation for Google+ dominance. But only interesting posts will keep you there. Unfortunately, interesting is defined by your customers. Here are some tips to make your posts interesting:

Experiment across platforms. Try posting the same updates on Facebook and Google+ and see where you get the better response. You’ll be surprised at how the followers interact differently.
Try posting your blog in Google+. If you already have a blog, rather than simply posting a link to it in Google+, try posting the text and the link in an update. Posts that take up more of someone’s news feed seem to gain more traction than the Twitter-like 140-character updates.
Use pictures and video. Pictures and video work incredibly well on Google+. People are far more interested in sharing images then straight text posts.
Be quirky. Google+ users are very interested in sharing and commenting on quirky posts. So if there’s any way for your business to do something quirky, it will help people become interested in you. One great example is this picture of a Crockpot from Jeremiah Owyang. Posted soon after Google+ opened, his question generated lots of conversation about food and workplaces.

Being interesting on Google+ involves a willingness to be a bit quirky.

What could you ask your followers that would make your company seem more “human” and generate comments?

Google+ Is Open for Business

While still new, Google+ is open for business. And it will benefit your business both in search engine results and increased interaction with customers.

What do you think? What businesses have you seen using Google+ in remarkable ways? Leave your questions and comments in the box below.

Category: badge, business page tips, Business Pages, google, google+ page, google+ tips, hover text, How To, increased interaction, links, marc pitman, Search Engine, Traffic /

6 Steps to Getting Started With Google+

January 11, 2012 / Marc Pitman / No comments

Are you thinking of using Google+?

This article will explain why Google+ should be considered and show you how to get started.

Why Google+?

Google+ has quickly become a rival social network to Facebook.

People who like Google+ say they like the clean, non-cluttered presentation of their information. They like how easy Google makes it to protect their privacy. (It may not be any less invasive than Facebook, but at least Google makes it seem easy to get back all of your information.)

Google+ has had a growth rate much faster than that of Facebook or Twitter. More importantly, where Facebook and Twitter try to get you to be on their site, many millions of people are already on Google’s sites: Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Reader and YouTube to name a few.

Google is rolling out a navigation system across these products that subtly and effectively promotes Google+. The next time you go to Google, even the Google home page, look for the black bar at the top. Then look in the upper-left corner and you’ll see a button that says “You+.” That’s where you get started on Google+.

Once you’re started, Google+ is literally in your face. If you use a tool like Gmail, you’ll see a red notifications box alerting you to any update to your posts or posts you’ve interacted with! It’s really easy to check them without even leaving the page.

As if that weren’t enough, Google’s search is now using the +1 button (the Google+ version of a Facebook “Like”) to help influence its search results. You’ll see more and more blogs now adding Google+ “+1″ buttons to the existing Facebook and Twitter buttons.

Here are six easy steps to get you started on the right foot.

#1: Sign up

As Maria said in The Sound of Music, “Let’s start at the very beginning.” You need to register for a Google+ profile. But that’s pretty easy, especially if you’re already using Gmail. (You are using Gmail, right?)

Even if you're not yet using Gmail, signing up is fairly quick and simple.

#2: Upload avatars

As with any social network, one of the very first things you want to do is get rid of the default profile image by adding some of your own images. It’s best to add pictures of yourself, not logos of your business. You can create a business page later; right now you’re creating a personal profile.

Make sure your profile picture looks good as a square.

Because your profile picture will mostly be seen as a tiny 32 x 32 pixel image, it’s best to use your face. Also, be sure to use an image that looks good as a square.

Bonus tip: Upload more than one profile image.

Google+ is filled with cool animation designs, and one of them happens on your profile. If you have more than one profile picture, each time you click on the image, it will flip to the next one. This is a little-known feature, but looks pretty cool in action.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=du7W84d7Grw

#3: Include interesting information in your bio

Google is first and foremost a search engine, so it helps to fill out your “about” page as completely as possible. Google will use this to help other people connect with you on Google+ and in other Google searches.

If you already have fleshed out your Google+ profile, this section will be pre-filled for you. But take a look at it to see if this represents you the way you want it to.

Bonus tip #1: Use Wordle to check your profile.

Here is an easy way to see if your profile is presenting you the way you want it to. Copy all of the text in your “about” section and paste it into the box at Wordle. If the words look like what you want to present, you’re all set!

An example of my "about" text transformed by Wordle.net.

Bonus tip #2: A useful glitch in your profile.

The next time you’re on Google+, try hovering over people’s names. Do you notice how some people have lots of text describing what they do and some have very little?

Google+ pulls that text from the "employer name" field in your employment history marked "current."

If you just want your company name to show, you need to do nothing. But try experimenting. (For an example of a lot of text, hover over the profile picture at https://plus.google.com/113554137555104994520/posts. Rob decided to put all of his work experience in the “company” field marked “current.”)

#4: Fill up your links

While you’re editing your “about” page, be sure to pay attention to the “other profiles” section. Here is a list of some links to consider including:

Links to other social media networks
Links to your business sites
Links to special pages on your website

Feel free to include odd links in your profile, as long as they fit the image you're trying to project on your profile.

#5: Look for interesting people

If you’re not following people, Google+ can be a boring, barren wasteland. So start circling all sorts of people who seem interesting. The search field in Google+ keeps getting better. Here are some ways to find interesting folk:

Search for people with the same occupation
Search for people interested in the same cause communities
Search for people with the same hobbies

A search on the word "geek" brings up people and pages that fit. And it shows posts using the word "geek" in them.

Bonus tip: Search for shared circles.

A quick way to find lots of interesting people is to import other people’s circles. As people share circles, you can incorporate those circles into your existing circles or into a new separate circle.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCEOn8yna1E

But you might be waiting a long time to see a “shared circle” show up in your stream. To jumpstart this, simply search on the term “shared a circle with you.” This pulls up the shared circles. You can add a term to narrow those shared circles to ones you find interesting.

This search for "shared a circle with you" shows the most recently shared circle was a circle of bacon lovers!

#6: Play around

Nothing helps you get started better than spending some time on Google+. In addition to following people, be sure to +1 their posts and comment on them. Try resharing posts to specific circles of people. Experiment with hangouts.

Play with the type of posts they share on Google+. Some people are simply reposting their blog links. Others are finding Google+ to be a phenomenal tool for sharing pictures and videos.

In a recent discussion on experimenting with different types of posts, Wendy, director of social strategy for the American Red Cross, said she was “trying out a ‘no links to RedCross.org or posts specifically promoting Red Cross campaigns’ approach on the Red Cross Google+ brand page. We’ll see how it goes! I think it’s important to offer something different on each platform.”

Play around with it and see what works for you.

Give Yourself a Head Start

Anything worth learning takes time. And Google+ is definitely worth learning. So give yourself some time. Using these 6 steps will definitely shorten your learning curve!

After you’ve gotten familiar with Google+ as a person, then repeat the process in making a Google+ page for your business!

What do you think? What other “getting started” steps would you include? Leave your questions and comments in the box below.

Category: about page, avatar, google plus, google plus account, google plus content, google plus photo, google plus profile, hovercard, How To, marc pitman, sign up, wordle /

How to Hold a Google+ Hangout and Why You Should

November 21, 2011 / Marc Pitman / No comments

As Google’s latest foray into social media, Google+ has brought some new tools to the digital table. My personal favorite is Hangouts.

Google describes Hangouts as a “front porch.”

Anyone can drop in and say “hi” just like anyone could drop by when you’re on your porch.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN38vHZjWXw

3 Reasons to Consider a Google Hangout

Your prospects are already here! Video conferencing has been available for a while, but Google+ Hangouts takes it to where people are.

Here are some ways you can use Hangouts:

#1: Part of the sales process: You could invite people who are already in your sales pipeline to hang out. Not to put a high-pressure sales speech on them. Just to further the relationship.

To make it more intriguing for people to join, try naming the Hangout “Overcoming _________,” where the blank is filled in with a key problem you know your prospects tend to have.

#2: Office hours: College professors have standing office hours—times students can be sure to see them at their desk. Why don’t you? You could set up a standing weekly or monthly Hangout as a way to increase customer service or to keep in touch with your staff.

#3: Fireside chats: Everyone seems to want time with the CEO, so why not give it? “Town hall”–style conference calls have been popular in recent years, but they are conducted over the phone. What if you were to set up a standing quarterly time for people to actually hear from your CEO? And more than hear, they’ll be able to see and interact.

Hangouts could be used by colleges to communicate with incoming students, or alumni, or even current students or their parents. Or you could use this as a way for your board and investors to interact with the CEO between meetings. If you have a circle of “investors” and only invite them, they should be the only ones who see the invitation.

This is an incredibly efficient use of your CEO’s time: she doesn’t have to leave her desk. No travel time means she can be doing work right up to the Hangout time and start back up when it’s done.

3 Steps to Start a Hangout

#1: Push the “Start a Hangout” button: Starting a Hangout is as easy as clicking on the “Start a Hangout” button on the right side of your Google+ profile!

Click on the button.

#2: Check your hair: The kind folks at Google even give you a virtual green room so you can check your hair before you go live!

That's me looking into my web camera.

#3: Invite cool people: Hangouts are only as good as the people who join you on them! So even if you make your Hangout public (open to anyone), be sure to invite individual people too.

And then you’re ready to go live with your Hangout! The Hangout shows up on your timeline, and the timeline of those who have you in their Circles.

Google+ posts your Hangout on your live feed to everyone in the Circles you've invited.

In the Hangout

Here’s a video showing you exactly how to start a Hangout and what to do when you’re in there.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSsO6hiozlY

Once you’ve started the Hangout, you still have lots of controls. Along the bottom you have a series of buttons.

You have lots of control in the Hangout: inviting new people, chatting, choosing videos on YouTube and controlling your sound and video.

#1: Invite: While in a Hangout, you always have the option to invite new people. Just click on the “Invite” button on the far left to include individual people or entire Circles.

#2: Chat: Have you ever tried to share a web URL over the phone? It can be pretty challenging. The Chat feature is a great way to share web links and other information during a Hangout. Once you click on the “Chat” button, you’ll see the chat window for the rest of your time in the Hangout.

#3: YouTube: Google has already integrated YouTube videos into Hangouts. So now you can use the “YouTube” button to share a promotional video from your company or a video that illustrates a point. Find a cool video before you’re in a Hangout? Google now lets you start a Hangout right from YouTube.

#4: Volume and Video Controls: If you work at home or in a busy work space, the buttons on the right are very helpful! You can use “mute video” to turn your camera on and off whenever you want. Most people never use this but it is a nice feature.

The “Mute Mic” button allows you to turn off your mic. So if you get a call or someone pops into your office, you can still listen to the Hangout without him having to hear you.

And the “Settings” button allows you even more control. If you have more than one mic or camera, you can choose which one you want to use in the Hangout. And you can choose the “Echo Cancellation” option. That will allow you to use your computer’s built-in mic and speakers without bugging the rest of the Hangout participants!

There is a lot going on in a Hangout!

3 Things to Fine-Tune

#1: Your costume: If you’re using Google+ for business, you’ll need to decide how you’ll dress for a Hangout. When I speak, I wear bowties. Bowties are all over my social media avatars. But I don’t wear bowties 24/7.

I often work from a home office, so I have to consciously choose whether to don a bowtie or simply hang out in a t-shirt.

I chose to hangout in a t-shirt.

#2: Your background: What people see behind you is as important as the face they see. Do you want your business logo to show behind you? Or do you like the clean look of a blank wall?

Some people have found my office to be ideal: the books and degrees in the background speak of my commitment to lifelong learning. (I honestly hadn’t even picked up on that!)

In the picture someone took of a Hangout I was on, you’ll see that I have a trade show banner with my company name on it. Since I wasn’t in a bowtie, I wanted people to remember what I did.

#3: Your purpose: Are you just experimenting with a Hangout? Or are you holding a team meeting? Different purposes have different outcomes.

Google+ is still new enough that I’ve found it more effective to let people know I’ll be holding a Hangout so they can be on Google+ when I share the invitation. Starting a Hangout and having no-one show up is like having your tray of food in the high school cafeteria and wondering if anyone will let you sit next to them. It can feel a bit lonely.

Fortunately, Google has added a wonderful feature. Now, if no-one shows up for your Hangout, they remove the Hangout from your timeline. So you don’t have an embarrassing post saying you hung out with “0 people.”

Some Closing Thoughts on Google+ Hangouts

We all know that people only purchase from us when they know, like and trust us. That used to mean we needed to go to a lot of conferences to meet people. But a tool like Google+ Hangouts can help you do the interacting right from your desk. And as Google rolls out the ability to broadcast Hangouts, you’ll be able to extend your reach beyond the 10 people in the Hangout.

And as you do more Hangouts, and capture more images from those Hangouts, your company will stand out. People will know you’re approachable.

As I was writing this article, I popped in to a Hangout. A Google employee joined us as we were chatting, so we got to ask him lots of questions.

Why wouldn’t you take up this opportunity? The only thing it costs is time.

What do you think? How are you using Hangouts? Leave your questions and comments in the box below.

Category: google, google+ hangout, How To, marc pitman, onine conference, online meeting, video conference, video hangout, web conference /