The benefits of Google Plus

AKRON — We are approaching our sixth month of the social media blog! Congratulations to everyone who has stuck with us.

I know the thought of launching social media accounts can feel overwhelming, but hopefully these blog posts have been helping you out. Remember, if you have any questions or would like to learn more about a specific website or topic, please let me know at 330-865-6143 or [email protected].

In the last blog post we learned all about another Google-owned site — YouTube — and we heard from Falken Tire Corp.'s creative director James Yim about some tips dealers can do to utilize the site.

I wanted to start this blog sort of where that last one left off since Google Plus and YouTube are both part of the Google universe and can easily be connected.

Many people think that Google Plus offers similar features as Facebook, so they do not see the point of having both.

Mr. Yim explained that you will rarely find the same people on both Facebook and Google Plus, unless they are in social media for business.

He added, "It is definitely an opportunity to reach new eyeballs that aren't interested in Facebook or our Facebook page."

One of the biggest reasons to utilize Google Plus is that not only is it a way to reach those more tech-savvy individuals who have grown up on the Google platform, but since it is a Google product it can increase your search engine optimization (SEO).

According to a Business Insider article, "Many businesses do build outposts on Google Plus, eager to benefit from its integration with Google's popular Internet search service. Some corporations have even used its online video feature for splashy product searches."

With that said, Facebook still has more than 1 billion people active on its site, so it is still the most popular social media site at this time. However, with 135 million users actively on Google Plus, that is still a huge chunk of people that you could be reaching if you started using the site.

The whys of using Google Plus

Don't believe me?

I spoke with Trey Tyler, marketing coordinator, at Edmonton, Alberta-based Integra Tire & Auto Centres Ltd. about how that tire dealership uses Google Plus as part of its online strategy.

"There are a number of benefits to Google Plus; it isn't really one of the most talked about social networks out there but it still has 500 million members and is growing extremely fast," Trey said.

"There's a ton of people on it and a ton of opportunities to interact with our customers — we're learning more every day."

Trey said the company only started using Google Plus back in February when he found out Google will be converting all Google map place listings into Google Plus local pages "that are more interactive."

"I did some research on the benefits of Google Plus," he added, "and it became clear we had to be part of it."

Trey said the site really stands out against other social media platforms because of its integration with other Google products.

"In my opinion, for a business with multiple locations, directories such as Google Maps are becoming just as important as your website," he said. "We looked at the data and were seeing way more people checking out our Google Maps listing than the 'stores' portion of our actual website.

"The trends show that more people are going to directory websites like Google Maps — especially on smart phones — to find locations near them, check the reviews and scores, operating hours, etc. It's not enough to just have a website with your address anymore."

Using the site

Trey said the integration of Google Maps and Google Plus has made everything more interactive.

He added, "We can respond to reviews, post new pictures and status updates, link to YouTube videos, gain +1s…. And by doing this we're also affecting our SEO — it can be a complicated process with a lot of moving parts, but if you know what you're doing the possibilities are endless."

When posting to Google Plus, Trey said that Integra uses keywords that have been researched in its descriptions and categories to help with SEO.

"For example, we may find that people are Googling 'snow tires' more often in November-December in Saskatchewan so we post based on those trends."

Although Trey has seen the importance of Google Plus, he does recognize that it is one of the harder social media sites to learn because there are "so many moving parts and integration to other Google products." But once "you start using it often enough, you begin to understand how everything is connected."

Trey said that Google Plus is just one part of the company's online and SEO strategy, where Integra integrates Google Plus with Google Maps, YouTube, Google search, Google Analytics and Integra's website.

He noted that "they're all connected like a giant web with similar content, similar posts, similar description, etc. What I'm also excited about is the fact that you can connect Google Adwords advertising to our Google+ page."

Trey said this is beneficial because Integra can run ads for stores targeted to people who recently searched "tires" in a city "when people click the ad they see endorsements and positive reviews from other people directly in their community."

SEO Success

Overall, Integra has seen much success on the SEO side of things, Trey said, because of Google Plus.

"We did a test run Google+Local page for a store in Mississauga. We created the page and key-worded it to the most popular automotive and tire keywords in his area and he immediately saw new customers coming in."

He said he encourages all the company's dealer locations to ask for reviews from their customers because "not only are you gaining great credibility but the more people interact with your Google+ page, the better your SEO score will be."

Ultimately, he said, the company realizes that social media is about building relationships and that takes time—"especially when you're in a business where one customer only visits three or four times a year" and that "you have to be patient" when waiting for your return on investment.