Marketing in the Age of Google: Your Online Strategy IS Your Business Strategy, Revised and Updated

GOOGLE+ BUSINESS PAGES

In 2011, Google launched Google+, their answer to Facebook. Google+ opened brand pages in November 2011.18 You can see Pepsi’s Google+ brand page in Figure 9.21.

Figure 9.21 Pepsi’s Google+ Page

Source: Google+

Google said:

For you and me, this means we can now hang out live with the local bike shop, or discuss our wardrobe with a favorite clothing line, or follow a band on tour. Google+ pages give life to everything we find in the real world. And by adding them to circles, we can create lasting bonds with the pages (and people) that matter most.

For businesses and brands, Google+ pages help you connect with the customers and fans who love you. Not only can they recommend you with a +1, or add you to a circle to listen long-term, they can actually spend time with your team, face-to-face-to-face. All you need to do is start sharing, and you’ll soon find the super fans and loyal customers that want to say hello.

Is it important to establish a Google+ brand page? It remains to be seen if Google+ will become as ubiquitous as Facebook, but it makes sense to claim your organization name and set up integration with your Google+ page and your website. Right away, Google began integrating features from Google+ into search results (such as showing author photos and the number of people who have that author in Google+ circles) below listings in the search results display. ...