I've Been Nodding My Head and Smiling At: Google Plus

Welcome to my new segment called: "I've been Nodding My Head and Smiling At:" where I give you the low-down on things that you will hear regularly, but you may just be nodding and smiling because you have NO IDEA what it is. Google Plus (or G+ as people in the biz call it) just so happens to be one of those things.

Now, we all know that Google is run by aliens that secretly want to take over the world, one part of the internet at a time.What you may not know is the purpose of these Google applications (made by said aliens, respectively), and how you can use them in your daily life.

What Google+ Is

Google+ is Google's social media tool that can be used to chat, promote your business or share interesting articles or news bits. Part online community, part social media and a whole lot of content, Google+ can be managed easily with your existing Google account and you don't have to see your whacked-out high school friend's theories about the upcoming apocalypse strangely mixed with their political beliefs. Breathe the free air, my friend.

A Little Bit of History

Many think that Google+ is Google's answer to Facebook. However, Google had been experimenting with social media before Facebook and even before the social media dinosaur known as MySpace. Under different names, Google has been creating social media buzz (pardon my pun, or click the link to actually get my pun) since 2004. Hipster Google was social media-ing before it was cool.

Marketing Tip

One main difference between Google+ and Facebook is the way that businesses have to market to those on Google+, and gain recognition. Like Facebook, businesses can make pages that fans can then "follow" to read their posts and updates. For instance, here is my company's Google+ page.* As you can see there are two different groups of people. One is "followers" and one is people who have PGi in their "circles". When someone follows a page, they can choose to put the person or business that they are following in a category (Friends, Family, Aquaintences, etc.), or as Google calls it, a "circle". While Facebook marketing measures how many "likes" a page receives  Google reps actually measure how many people put your company in one of their circles  If you have enough people put your business in their circle (Google reps won't tell you how many it takes, but it looks like you have to have 100 or more), then you will get a badge underneath your Google Ads. This badge lets customers know how many people are looking and participating in the content you put on your page, and adds credibility to your company.


I really enjoy Google+ because I love the clarity that comes with a social media site that lets me pick and choose the content that I see. But, if you still have your reservations, always remember: the Google aliens come in peace.

*This post does not reflect the views or opinions of PGi or any of its affiliates