The seemingly nonstop effort you put into maintaining your professional Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn profiles might lead you to believe that you can maintain a strong enough social media presence without a Google+ Business account. After posting, tweeting, following, pinning, liking and sharing day in and day out, one more place to keep up with the virtual “Joneses” might appear at first glance to be a superfluous endeavor.

The truth is, Google+ Business is much, much more than a social media platform. It is an indispensable way to connect with other industry professionals, utilize highly customized promotions, help yourself rise to the top of the SERPs, and put your business’s offerings in front of a hungry, ready-to-buy audience.

Here’s Why You Need a Google+ Page for Your Company

>>> There’s no other way to say it: Google is the king of the virtual world. Your articles, blogs, press releases, and customer testimonials you publish to your Google+ page are in a prime position to be shared by others in your industry as well as potential clients. Every time someone in your circle shares your content, King Google rewards your authoritativeness and trustiworthiness by giving you a bump up in the organic search listings in Google+’s “Search, Plus Your World,” internal feature. Over time, this creates a domino effect that strengthens and expands your web presence on other search engines, as well.

>>> Google+ Hangouts allows you to video chat with up to 10 of your business associates with an effortless, streamlined system that instantaneously switches the focus to the person who is speaking. Use this tool to optimize meeting productivity. Give out a few freebies to a focus group and receive eye-opening revelations about what you can do NOW to gain more business across a wide demographic spectrum.

>>> Google+ Circles gives you the freedom to separate your work associates, customers and friends into separate groups. You release posts only to the circle(s) that have the highest interest in your message, instead of everyone in your network. Use your circles to share business advice with your contemporaries, personal information with your friends and loved ones, and promotional materials with your current and prospective customers.

*Google+ Communities connect you to large numbers of people that share common personal and business interests. Join several communities to reach out to new prospects with timely, relevant info designed to meet their immediate goods or services needs.

Ready to set up your Google + Business account? Here’s how:

Go to the Google+ Business sign-up Page. It looks like this:

Choose “Create a Google+ Page”

Select the category that bests describes your business. Choose other if your company does not easily fit into the four given categories.

Add your company name and website address to the “Basics,” page, and read and agree to the terms and conditions.

Continue to customize your Google+ Business page with a captivating photo, an attention-grabbing tagline, a cleverly written company bio and all of your business’s contact information. Be sure to enter your contact info as it appears on your website and directory listings of continuity – it helps strengthen your standings in Google’s local search.

My Google+ Business Page is Created – Now What?

Start connecting with business associates, clients and personal contacts to begin building your Google+ network. Don’t be afraid to connect with those you may consider competitors – you may learn something useful, possibly start a professional conversation that will be mutually beneficial.

Take some time each day show activity to build the content on your Google+ page. This might include:

• Insightful or useful articles related to your industry that could help both your peers and your prospective customers
• An inspiring or funny piece to lighten your networks and professional contacts’ days a little brighter
• Unique and creative marketing materials, promotional contests, and product info to increase brand awareness and interest in your products or services
• Testimonials and case studies from satisfied customers
• Fun company news, achievements, and activities
• Images, videos or other forms of content related to any of the above ideas
• ‘Plus’ing and commenting on other Google+ pages in your circles – even your competitors! A little good will goes a long way!

Keep adding targeted, valuable content to your circles, and watch as activity on your page increases, your social authority increases, and more traffic is funneled to your website. Social communication through Google+ and other social sites is a key component to expanding your brand’s web presence.

By Ashley Lichty, Director of Client Strategy