2012 seems to be the year to push Google Plus. The internet giants are investing huge amounts in promoting their own social network and even stars like David Beckham are on board to back the campaign.
Why have a Google Plus page?
So what can Google Plus do for your business? As with most social networks you can create a business page to help your company connect with users. Similar to Facebook and Twitter, you can promote your page and build up a list of premium members who have tremendous remarketing value.
The network also gives you the opportunity to operate live video streaming and hangouts with your target audience. This can be a very useful way to interact with your target audience and deliver real time video content. For example, a company could host video chats with employees or industry experts.
Having a Plus page will help your company have better brand recognition. If you want page one domination on all major search engines I suggest you secure your brand name straight away. Similar to networks like LinkedIn, the Google Plus page will rank high for all brand related searches.
Why link to your AdWords account?
Once you have your page setup it is worth linking it to your AdWords account. Linking the two will make sure all +1s from your Page, website, ads and search results get tailed together to appear as a single total. This can help your AdWords account stand apart from competitors because consumers will see all the recommendations your company has received, whether they are looking at an ad, search result or your page.
Social Extensions
By enabling Social Extensions on your AdWords campaign you can display all the +1’s your brand has received which in turn will make it more likely that a user who views your ad will have a friend or contact who has suggested it.
Enabling Social Extensions is very easy. Simply click the Ad Extensions tab in your AdWords account and select social extensions from the drop down menu. You then add your Google+ URL and save.
The Benefits
We all know a successful AdWords campaign operates on fine margins. A slight increase in Click-through-Rate, Conversion Rate or Quality Score can make all the difference. Tests have been carried out which suggest social extensions have the potential to improve the performance of your ads.
We all make purchases based on the recommendations of friends or family. Now you can display ads with potential recommendations. This will help increase conversions and enhance the engagement with your company.
Conclusion
If you don’t have a Google Plus business page I suggest making this a priority. Even if you don’t have an AdWords account it is worthwhile to ensure brand protection over a highly ranked profile. Having a page will open up new ways to interact with your target audience.
Linking your Google Plus page to AdWords is a quick an easy way to show consumers you can be trusted. Highlighting +1’s and recommendations will only improve your Click through Rate and enhance the possibility of a conversion.
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Gary HainsworthSenior Organic Data Specialist
If you're after someone to chat guitars with, Gary's your man. When he isn't playing guitar, or bass, he's trying his hand at modifying them. He's even made one from scratch once. He relates strongly with the humble and kind hedgehog, who also happen to be as prickly as his musical taste; anything loud, fast and angry.
Hi Milda,
Thanks for the comment.
Linking G+ to AdWords is proving to be a great way to make your ads stand out.
Hi. Thank you for the post. I was wondering about the reason of this linking G+ to AdWords for quite a while – because AdWords is showing +1 even without a Google Plus page. :) Now I have the reason.
What do you think?
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