Google+ may not be the social network that Facebook is, but for the purpose of your local search activities, it is well worth your time to occasionally update your company Google+ local page. Below are just a few things you can do that will place you far ahead of your local competitors.
- Be sure to add a profile image, use your logo, and add a header image that looks good. I like to use the same image that I use for the company Fanpage.
- Be sure to verify both your page(that you are the official business owner) and the email address used with the page.
- Create circles for your major demographic target areas, and follow/add 20-30 business’s to each of those circles.
- First create an empty circle.
- Search for the geographic area while in your Google+ company page and add business and individuals to the circle that come up for the search. Also search for other specific business’s such as restaurants, realtors, or networking partners(real or potential) and add them to the circles.
- When you login to your company page, be sure to check the little number at the top for people that have followed you. Stop in and follow these people back and thank them for following you.(message or leave a comment on one of their updates)
- Make regular updates(at least monthly). Can be local PSA types of posts, include at least one hashtag in your updates. I like to use a geographic area as the hashtag, then your post will be more likely to come up when someone searches for that area.
- Write reviews of other business’s in your target geographic areas as your Google+ business page on their Google+ page. You can do reviews of restaurants in the area. Something like, “Our guys stopped in at Joes pizza in Philladelphia, and raved about the service and pizza” . Search for the business while in Google+ as your business, click on the about link, then click on the Review button.
Other Google+ Suggestions?
Just a few methods that we currently use. But as Google and the Internet change, so will these methods.
Got any other suggestions? If you want to know some other tips, please let me know, and I will try and update the blog.