Google+: Looking at the Plus Side

Roadside’s team is very excited about the new Google+ Local updates and the positive effects that these updates can have on your dental practice marketing. Now is the time to take the plunge into Google+ Business pages, and we want to help you make the most of this relatively new social network. Google+ is only a year old and already has over 90 million users that are benefiting from the features it offers. We anticipate that it will continue to grow, making it all the more necessary to use it to the full.

Unfamiliar with Google+? This blog post will help you learn how to use its many features.

GET STARTED
As with all social media, it is a requirement to have a personal profile. To access your profile from gmail, click on the ‘+You’ in the left corner of your gmail toolbar. Once there, simply follow the instructions to set up your profile.

HOME
Your home page is your newsfeed. All content from people you are connected with will appear here. It is also where you launch your own content using the ‘Share What’s New’ bar, much like the ‘Status Update’ bar on Facebook. When you post content, you have the option to specify who will see it. It can be made public or can be restricted to certain circles (groups of people). This is a unique feature to Google+.

PROFILE

Your Google+ profile features a cover photo, which you can customize to be one large photo or five smaller ones along with your profile picture on the right hand side of the page. Under the profile picture (which you can edit), is your basic information, including work, education, and residence. Ensure these are accurately filled out in the ‘About’ section, as this is what visitors to your profile will see.

TIP: Write a small summary about you in the ‘work’ section; this will appear under your profile. This is a prime spot to use SEO-friendly keywords.

Content that you have posted will appear on your profile. Here, visitors can use the sharing tools to +1, share, or comment on your posts. When someone +1’s a post, this will appear in the bottom right of the post itself. You can also see which content you have +1’d in your personal +1 section in the profile options.

CIRCLES

This is where you group your friends, acquaintances, and connections, depending on your relationship with them and their interests. For example, you can create a circle named ‘Dental Patients.’ Select this circle and post content that is specifically directed toward your patients. This is a great way to focus your content and target it for specific audiences. People can be added to multiple circles if you wish.

Use the search feature to find your friends, new connections, and people with similar interests as yourself. You can filter down whom you want to find using the ‘Relevance’ button on the circles page.

TIP: Posting to the public makes it easier for your content to be found by search engines. Make sure to post both publicly and to specific circles.

PHOTOS

Adding photos is very simple on Google+. You can upload them from your computer or mobile device. Photos can be divided into albums and edited before you post them. The ‘edit’ button is a small pencil underneath the photo to be uploaded and is also in the top left of any photo albums.

TIP: Photos must be in your ‘Scrapbook’ album to appear in your cover photo or photo strip.

MOBILE
Google+ has a very simple and useful mobile app. It loads faster than Facebook’s app and is easier to navigate. Google+ mobile is a very useful tool for updating, sharing, and uploading content to your profile. The options that are included on your Google+ app are:

- Live Stream (newsfeed)
- Messenger (Google Chat)
- Profile
- Photos (can upload photos from phone)
- Circles

Google+ has many features and benefits that can help your business. Today, we have just outlined a few simple ways to get started. It’s our goal here at Roadside to help you advance your business using the best tools available. We’ve found that Social Media is a key part of a successful dental marketing strategy, and Google+ is now a game-changer in the Social Media realm. We are here to help and assist in any way we can. Please feel free to contact your Account Manager with any questions you might have, or, if you’re not a Roadside client, contact us at team@roadsidemultimedia.com for more information about Google+ Local and our Social Media Management packages.

Are you using Google+? What do you think of it so far? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!