The Google+ redesign has caused a lot of changes to Google+ Business Profiles. However, the redesign is hardly surprising. As Google+ is a relatively new social networking website, Google need to keep enhancing it in order to encourage more people and businesses to move away from Facebook and Twitter and onto Google+.
Due to the Google+ redesign, Google+ Marketing has changed overnight, which means that – if you have a Google+ Business Profile – you will need to spend a lot of time the next day updating it or risk getting behind your competitors.
So, what exactly has changed in Google+ Business Profiles?
One of the most important changes to the redesign of Google+ Business Profiles is the new Hangouts Menu Bar on the right-hand side. Similar to Facebook Chat, Google+ now offers a Hangouts Menu Bar with the option for pages to hold a quick video conference (Hangout) with anyone who is currently online in their Google+ circles. This is a great way to communicate with potential customers and helps you engage with them on a very personal level.
Another crucial part of the Google+ redesign, for Google+ Marketing, is the ability for businesses to create an eye-catching, promotional cover photo, in a similar way to the new Facebook cover images on Facebook Timeline. Having a professionally designed Google+ cover photo on your Google+ Business Profile should encourage more people to read the content on your Google+ business page.
The current dimensions for a Google+ cover photo are 940 x 180 pixels. You can upload larger cover photos as long as they are a minimum of 940 pixels wide. The Google+ image tool will allow you to crop to the correct dimensions once your cover photo has been uploaded.
Due to the addition of the Google+ cover photo, your business profile photo will also have to be redesigned to fit the new dimensions. These are currently 252 x 252 pixels.
Google have also taken some of the most popular features from Twitter and incorporated them into the Google+ Business Profile redesign. Just as Twitter has a list of Trending Topics, Google+ now has a ‘Trending on Google+‘ section, which allows Google+ users to quickly browse through all posts about popular topics. Google+ posts can also now also include hashtags, which – when clicked – allow Google+ users to see other relevant posts; again in a very similar way to Twitter.
The Google+ Business Profile redesign can also encourage customer loyalty, through the Google+ customers tab. Everyone in your Google+ Customers Circle can be quickly contacted from within your Google+ Business Profile. You can share photos, videos and links with all your customers, to keep them up-to-date with all your latest company news and special offers.
The Google+ redesign also has a ‘What’s Hot‘ section, which will become a crucial tool for companies using Google+ marketing. ‘What’s Hot‘ is a prominent list of the most popular polls, videos and photos on Google+. Therefore, making sure your Google+ Marketing content eye-catching and popular will mean your business could now appear in the new ‘What’s Hot‘ section, which will ultimately drive a lot more people to your Google+ profile.
However, making your Google+ Business Profile and Google+ Marketing Strategy effective will be very time-consuming, which is why it worth investing in a team of Google+ marketing experts.
MediaHeads are Google+ Marketing Experts in Stoke-on-Trent, with a specialised team focusing specifically on Google+ Marketing and Google+ Business Profiles.
From our offices in Stoke-on-Trent, we can do all your Google+ Marketing for you, ensuring your company always implements the latest changes Google+ make to the social networking site.
To find out more, please call us on 01782 450 111, e-mail enquiries@mediaheads.co.uk or visit our offices in Stoke-on-Trent.
