Grasping Google+ A Quick-Start Guide to Google+ Brand Pages Vol. 1, Issue 1
A Leo Burnett Position Paper for Our Clients On November 7, Google launched brand pages for Google+, and now anyone can create a page. We know some brands are unsure about Google+ while others are anxious to establish a presence on Google+. We’ve put together a quick-start guide to help you understand what it means to launch a Google+ brand page.
What is Google+ Pages? Google+ Pages is part of the Google+ Your Business suite of tools. Google+ Pages serves as your brand’s identity on Google+. Since its launch on June 28, 2011, Google+ has grown to over 40 million users. The evolution of Google+ and +1s will provide Google with more data on users. This will result in better insights and targeting for advertisers. Soon, Google will release extensions that allow brands to link +1s from across the web and connect their Google+ Pages to AdWords campaigns.
How do I get started? Be sure to plan before you leap. Consumers expect your Google+ Page to be on par with your other digital presences. Don’t launch an incomplete account. Make sure you have the following in place:
1 Gmail/Google+ Account. Currently, multiple moderators and pseudonyms are not supported. We recommend creating a designated Google account specifically for your Google+ page.
2 Imagery. Create a profile image and five header images for the top of your page. Be creative and strategic with your header images. Try to get them to work together.
3 Headline. Ten words (approx. 80 characters) that best describe your page or brand. This headline will appear under your brand name on your page.
4 Linkage. On the About tab, include the URL to your website and links to your brand’s other social accounts and digital presences in the Recommended Links area.
5 Management Plan. Once you’re on, you’re on. Don’t create an account and leave it dormant. Content creation and community management begin now.
Once you’re ready, go to http://plus.google.com/pages/create to create your page.
Now what? Direct the Traffic. After your page is set up and you have a few posts, it’s time to get noticed. Help people find your page by promoting it on other channels and linking to it on your website. Build Your Base. There are two ways for users to connect with your page: Circles and +1s. What’s the difference? +1s influence search results and are a way for consumers to show support for a brand without receiving branded content in their feeds. +1s are public and reach both Google+ users and everyone else who uses Google. Circles are a way for users to connect with brand pages and receive content from those pages in their Google+ feeds. Encourage users to both add you to their circles and +1 your page. (Note: You might offer your users a little guidance.)
© 2011 Leo Burnett November 2011 1
Grasping Google+ A Quick-Start Guide to Google+ Brand Pages Vol. 1, Issue 1
A Leo Burnett Position Paper for Our Clients Experiment with Posts. On Google+ we’ve seen a variety of types of posts. Experiment with both shortand long-form posts—for example, news and questions, images and videos, and blog-like posts. Whatever you post, make sure it’s something people want to engage with or share. Do Something Buzzworthy. Create an infographic (Zagat), hold a contest (Macy’s), host a hangout (The Muppets), share exclusive or breaking news (H&M), recognize followers (via tagging or posting a screenshot of your Circles; Dell), and so on. Be Eye-Catching. Posts on Google+ display images and video in a much larger format than on Facebook. Take advantage of this with cool, interesting, or stunning visuals that catch the eye and encourage +1s and shares. Additionally, Google+ supports animated GIFs that can be used to make your header images come to life. Check out H&M’s, Toyota’s, and Burberry’s pages for visual inspiration.
Five Unique Things to Know About Google+ Edit. You can edit content after it’s posted. Listening. Use the Search bar to see public conversations about your brand. Share Posts. You can link to specific posts. This means you can share a link to a Google+ post across social and digital platforms. So if you post a coupon on Google+, you could share a link to the coupon post on Twitter, Facebook, email, and so on. Abuse. Any user can flag another user’s posts or comments as abuse. This means that followers can report a brand’s posts or comments as abuse. No Vanity URLs. Currently, Google+ does not support vanity URLs.
Looking forward Remember, this is a new platform. Be prepared to grow with it. This means accepting the current features, being ready to utilize new ones, and getting to know your audience. Google will be releasing richer analytics tools for Google+ and ways to link your +1s in the coming weeks. If you have the +1 button installed on your website, you can track social analytics through your Google Analytics account. We will continue to monitor the evolution of Google+ Your Business and share insights on how brands can best utilize it. If you’d like to discuss Google+ further, contact your account manager to schedule a discussion with our digital strategy and community management experts.
Current Google+ Metrics Page Level: Followers, +1s Post Level: +1s, Shares, and Comments. Ripples, which tracks the spread of a post and its influential sharers, is slowly rolling out as well.
Click the icon to connect with Leo Burnett on Google+
Contributors: Carey Isom SVP Director Digital Strategy
Marina Molenda Manager Digital Strategy @marina81
Alina Cowden Director Commuity Management @alicowden
© 2011 Leo Burnett November 2011 2