Google+ Pages: Adding Your Brand to the Social Networking Site

Google+ Joins Ranks
Last week Google+ joined the ranks of the social networking sites that allow companies and brands to create business Pages.

I have to be honest, my first thought was, “NO! Not another site to manage!”. I continue to feel that social media is a double-edged sword. As a new business, it is a marketing boon to have so many tools at my fingertips free of charge. Of course the charge (the other side of the sword) comes in the form of human capital investment. I spend a lot of time on-line learning about social networking, engaging with others whom I find interesting, and sharing information about Eclectic Verve with people who might be interested in booking the band or buying our music.

Should You Join the Ranks?
As a small business owner, what should you do about the news that the doors of Google+ are now open to your brand? I encourage you to check it out. Claim your brand now, while many other businesses are not even aware that the doors have been opened. The largest advantage right now is increasing your search presence. As you know, Google has a very powerful search engine, and this is another way for your brand to show up prominently in their algorithm. However, I will also share that although I have created our Google+ Page, I probably will not start spending a lot of time on the site until it has been adopted by the masses.

How Do You Create a Google+ Page?
Creating a Google+ Page is remarkably easy. Many how-to articles have been written. Here’s a link to one I found that you might find useful: “How to Make A Google+ Page For Your Business”.

Are Google+ Pages Similar to Facebook Pages?
You will find that the functionality of Google+ Pages will have both similarities and many differences to its leading competitor Facebook Pages. This blog, “Google+ Pages, 11 Tips To Get You Started” provided some analysis of the two competitors in addition to tips on how to create your own Google+ Page.

My favorite tip is the last one. Google+ does not allow you to change the URL that is assigned, so you will be stuck with a very long string of numbers as your Google+ ID.

Our Google+ URL is https://plus.google.com/105776247630220910531.

However, already there are sites where you can create a shortened intelligent nickname for your brand.

Ours is https://gplus.to/EclecticVerve

Early Analysis
Of course Google and Facebook pundits are all writing blogs prognosticating that the other platform is dead on arrival (Google+) or has just received the final death knell to end its domination (Facebook). I am not a prognosticator, so I am not going to add my opinion. If I were to do so, in five years when you re-read this blog you would laugh hysterically at my prediction. Because inevitably I would forecast the wrong winner.

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