Should I Set Up A Google Plus Page?

Yesterday, Google opened the flood gates to allow anyone who has a personal Google+ account to now be able to create a Page. If you’re thinking this sounds familiar, it’s because Facebook has been doing the same thing for years now. Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg was even quoted as saying Google is “building their own little version of Facebook.”

Piehead has since created its own Page. Not because it’s the new shiny toy, but because the way Google+ is set up is inherently beneficial to brands and we had a per-conceived strategy for it. I actually wrote about this in the past when Google+ first came out and marketers were wondering if they should pay any attention or not. Mainly, it gives the ability to bucket your customers into different groups, or Circles, which now allows you to create specific content for those customers and only them. A big +1 for Google on this one.

So, now the big question is should marketers run and set up a page themselves? The answer actually isn’t as simple as you may want. There really isn’t a “yes” or “no,” but a process of answering a series of questions to determine if it’s right for your brand. Basically, it’s the same process you went through when you wanted to join Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Here’s an example of a few of those questions you should ask yourself before creating a Google+ Page:

1. Are your customers there?

2. What do you want to achieve with a Google+ Page?

3. Do you have the resources to keep it fresh and engage customers?

4. Do you have a content strategy?

Step back, take a deep breath and think about your brand, what goals and objectives you’re still trying to achieve for 2011 and whether a Google+ Page can have a role in not only the rest of the year, but into 2012 and beyond. I’m a firm believer in quality, not quantity.

Also, beware of people calling themselves Google+ “specialists” or “experts.” That’s impossible. We are all just trying to figure it all out and common sense tends to trump the rest.

We have some additional insights on Google+, so if you have any questions or concerns, shoot us an email at [email protected] or leave a comment below.

Read more: Google Plus page for Business