I’ve been sharing my link to Google Plus invites this week, which prompted a visitor named Julie to ask if I had any tips on where she should start.
I figured that as long as I was sharing this with her, I might as well expand upon it and share it with you.
Here we go…
Where do I start on Google+?
My answer is similar to what I suggest to people using other Social Media, or Social Networking sites, and that is to visit and complete your Profile before you do anything else.
Why should you fill out your Profile 1st?
If you begin to follow people and put them in groups on Google+, which Google calls Circles, they will be notified you have done so. You can create as many Circles as you’d like based on the types of connections you have. Others will not be told the name of the Circle you have placed them in, which is good.
When they read this notification, they have to make a snap decision whether to reciprocate, and add you to one of their Circles. If they don’t do it now, there is a good chance you will be left in limbo until the day when they notice you for other reasons, which I hope are that you’ve engaged them in conversation, or shared something valuable, including their content. The chances of this happening down the road become smaller because of the sheer number of followers they are amassing as G+ becomes more popular, and is launched to everyone.
When they receive notification that you have added them on Google+, your avatar shows with that notification. When they hover over your name next to your avatar, any other related information you have completed will pop up. They can then choose whether to add you to a Circle, or not.
What will help them decide to place you in one of their Circles?
Easy…they will choose you for reasons similar to those that cause you to place them in one of your Circles, which is information about what you do, and for whom you do it. This helps them make a quick, informed decision about you. If you fit their online marketing world, they Circle you. If not, then they might not. This is really no different than non-digital marketing as we want our potential clients to know exactly what we do in order to make it easier for them to decide if we are a fit.
How do you get your information to show when others hover over your name?
Even though I want you to fill out your entire Profile, the important part of that Profile I am focusing on today, which will show up when others hover over your name, can be found in the Employment section.
First, click on the Profile tab of your main Google+ page. It can be found here in the 3rd tab from the left:
Next, once inside your Profile, I’d like you to click on About, like this:
Next, click on Edit Profile in the right corner:
When you click Edit Profile, you will see a red bar across the top that instructs you to click on the part of the Profile you would like to edit, with a Done Editing button to use when you are finished.
To give others additional information about you when they hover over your name, thus causing them less work to find out who you are and what you do…
Add information to your company and title, like this:
Again, it’s important to fill out your entire Google Profile, but I strongly recommend that you make sure you add this additional information to help others discover what you do when they hover over your name next to your avatar, thus making your chances of connecting with appropriate audiences more likely.
What else would like to learn about Google+, or any of the other Social Networking sites?
Read more: Google it With a Plus!