Google+ | Internet Marketing Blog

10 brands with great Google+ pages

Overcoming initial doubts about whether the world needed another social network, in just 15 months Google+ has grown from nothing to having more than 250m users.

On average users are on G+ 12 minutes a day, which is just shy of Facebook's average of 14 minutes a day and more than 1m brands now have G+ pages.

It has been helped in no small part by the fact that a strong presence on G+ has SEO benefits, but its continued growth is still testament to the fact that the network offers brands methods of communicating with consumers that can't be found on Facebook or Twitter.

The most obvious example is hangouts, which give brands a unique way of speaking to consumers face-to-face.

We recently trialled hangouts ourselves for the first time in a live chat about email marketing, and is certainly something we will be looking to do more of in future.

So with more brands starting to see the benefits of G+, I decided to compile a list of brands that had been quick to embrace the social network and are reaping the rewards...

by David Moth 09 October 2012 11:12am 7 comments

Why businesses should be using Google+ Local

Google+ Local, formerly Google Places, is a valuable resource for any retailer looking to use the web to drive offline sales.

In a nutshell, it allows businesses to create a listing (via a Google+ page) which will appear next to relevant, especially local, search results.

As more people use smartphones to search for local businesses, a well optimised Google+ Local listing is an essential.

This is something I covered in our recent How the Internet can Save the High Street report.

Here's why offline businesses should be creating a listing...

by Graham Charlton 09 October 2012 09:59am 5 comments

Personal versus professional social networks: infographic

That there are significant differences between personal social networks, like Facebook, and professional social networks, like LinkedIn, seems obvious. But what are those differences exactly, and how do they manifest themselves in terms of actual usage?

To answer that question, LinkedIn turned to research firm TNS to conduct a survey of social network users and determine why they use the personal and professional social networks.

by Patricio Robles 25 September 2012 19:50pm 2 comments

Get on Google Plus or get left behind

In the 15 months since the launch of Google+, over 250 million people are using it. Though many of commented on it being a ghost town, this is far from the case. On average, users are on Google + 12 minutes a day, which is just shy of Facebook's average of 14 minutes a day. With over one million brands jumping on the wagon (including over 50% of the top 100 US brands), this arena is growing rapidly. With 5 Billion plus ones per day, this has been the fastest global social share button in history.

Yes. Today I've been getting schooled on the world of Google Plus in my first session at Social Media Week Chicago. Though I was asked how many people are holding accounts to prevent brand jacking, the stats say that it's use is only growing and I'd argue, if you're just sitting on your brand page, you're missing a huge opportunity to get ahead of your competition.

by Heather Taylor 25 September 2012 14:48pm 24 comments

Econsultancy Google hangout: finding your relevance with email - Thursday, September 20

At Econsultancy we often write about how you can experiment with different types of content with your marketing efforts so we thought we'd take our own advice and try our first Google Hangout: Finding Your Relevance with Email. We will be streaming this through our YouTube channel this Thursday, September 20 at noon EST.

In short, our Google Hangout will be like a conference panel, except no one needs to travel. It will feature:

Nicole Delma, Director of Email Marketing of J. Crew
Donald Parsons, Director of Global Email at Amazon
Morgan Stewart, co-founder and CEO of Treadline Interactive
And our own Stefan Tornquist, VP of Research, who will be our moderator

This session came about as we believe marketers are numb from hearing that they need to be relevant. Combat that by joining our experts to discover their secrets in creating email that is appointment viewing in the inbox.

by Heather Taylor 18 September 2012 18:44pm 3 comments

Five key considerations for brands considering new social sites

To join or not to join. When it comes to new social sites, that is the question brands must ask themselves.

While social networks like Facebook and Twitter continue to be dominant, services like Pinterest and Instagram are attracting more and more individuals. Even Google's social network, Google+, which many were skeptical about, has managed to grow into a respectable channel with more than 100m active monthly users.

by Patricio Robles 18 September 2012 17:14pm 3 comments

Are social and Facebook now SEO?

There has been a lot of talk over the past several years about the intersection of search and social. Many suggest that both will inevitably merge in a meaningful way, and there's good reason to believe they may be right.

But when it comes to SEO, just how big a role is social playing?

by Patricio Robles 23 August 2012 15:43pm 6 comments

Is the rel="author" tag becoming more integrated into organic SERPs?

Further to Econsultancy's interview with myself and the rest of the 3 Door Digital directors earlier this week, I thought I'd share a good example of exposure that can be applied directly into SERPs.

Last week I was performing some keyword research when I came across something interesting. I have found only one example of this SERP and I'd be interested to see if anyone can replicate it with other terms.

by Alex Moss 06 August 2012 11:43am 10 comments

Google tests Google+ sharing in SERPs

Don't look now but Google+ may not be dead on arrival after all.

Quietly, it has attracted some 150m active monthly users and Google's social network scored higher than Facebook in the annual American Customer Satisfaction Index E-Business Report.

On the brand side of things, Google continues to push forward in trying to build an attractive ecosystem. The latest example of that: a new set of Page Management APIs are coming soon.

by Patricio Robles 19 July 2012 17:25pm 9 comments

Chris Brogan: Be helpful, be brief, and listen

Chris Brogan has probably done it all in his 12 years in the digital space of online networks and social communities.

Now a best selling author, his latest book Google+ for Business tries to help businesses understand how Google+ offers tangible opportunities that aren't available anywhere else.

I had a chance to meet Chris in person a couple weeks ago at Blogworld. Normally I'd cut down my interview and weed out the additional exchanges, but because I enjoyed the interview so much I left the whole conversation in.

by Heather Taylor 03 July 2012 22:14pm 1 comment