The first thing people do when a new social network comes out is write a guide. The same thing happened, big time, when Google+ launched. Countless books, ebooks, Hangouts, blog posts, and infographics later, and the “little ghost town that could” is still chugging along and growing like mad.
A lot has changed since 2011. It is easy to turn up a Google+ guide that no longer applies to the Google+ we know today. But if you don’t know a piece of Google+ advice is outdated, it can give you headaches trying to figure out how to become visible and closely followed. This guide is a series of links that are either timeless “oldies” or current, cutting-edge Google+ tactics written by people who have clout on the network and know what it takes to go big with it. I am learning a lot right along with you and have more reading of my own to do from this list. But everything has been checked to make sure its not that “old” Google Plus they’re talking about. Plus I know the people linked below and know they don’t produce anything but the best intel.
Updated 4/1/15
The Canva guys just dropped this in my email:
Thanks to Guy Kawasaki for helping to bring such a useful tool in Canva to the world! —
Demian Farnworth’s Best Stuff on Google Plus
If you have to choose just one Demian article to read right now among this list, make it this one: Seven Ways Writers Can Build Online Authority with Google+
- A Cheat Sheet for People Afraid of Google+
- The Art of Writing Great Google+ Posts
- Google+: The Bridge Between Social Media & Blogging
- 10 Rules of Google+
- 17 Ways to Go from Insignificant to Significant on Google+
- How You Use Google+ Depends Upon Your Goals
- Write a Google+ Bio People Can’t Resist with This Formula
- Use Do Share to Schedule Google+ Posts
- How to Beef Up Your Google+ Bio Instantly
- Why Google+ Is the Best Social Platform for Content Marketers
Chris Lang’s Best Stuff on Google Plus
Chris Lang’s Google Plus advice is best learned by watching him in his natural habitat. His best “stuff” shows through in how he uses Google+ on a daily basis. He’s taught me a lot just by watching what he’s doing and seeing the results (in +1’s and shares his posts generate) and, especially, how he monetizes his Google+ presence. It’s a thing to behold! Chris has trained thousands of people how to use Google products in general over the years. I dubbed him Google’s Nostradamus for his ability to see what’s coming before most others know how to use the stuff Google is already doing. Check out Chris’ G+ For Business blog if you want to get all “Jedi’d Up” in Googl+ marketing. You’ll want to be on his list because 7 days ago he shared how he got over 700 new followers in 24 hours with a super nifty technique. It was just, free and awesome. What an email news list should be! See also:
Yifat Cohen: Google Plus Marketing go-to gal
Yifat, like Chris Lang, is a first-generation Google+ success story. It’s nice to see people finding Google+ and just flourishing as if they’ve been searching all along for the perfect place to do their thing online. Google+ combined with YouTube are Yifat’s perfect places to flourish. And she has. She teaches her followers about using Google Hangouts on her weekly Hangouts on Thursdays. The best way to get to know her is to attend on of these great events. You’ll be sucked into her swirling vortex of Google+ goodness in the first 3 minutes. And it will lead to all kinds of discoveries to help you in your Google+ marketing. Check out her .
Killer Google Plus Marketing Resources
I’ve given you 3 people above to check out. There are many more Google Plus experts you will find through them. Demian, Chris, and Yifat are your keys to open the gates to Google+ insider information galore, so there’s not need today to create a massive list of people that will only stun you into inaction by the sheer size of resources available to you. Best to take it a step at a time! I will, though, finish off with a list of really great stuff I’ve found that will help you with all facets of the Google+ world of marketing best practices.
- This Changes Everything: Social Signals, Your Website, and Google+ -Dustn.TV
- How to Optimize your Google+ Cover Photo for SEO -Stephan Hovnanian
- BE The Expert on Google Helpouts -TNW
- 12 Most Creative Ways Businesses Can Use Google+ -12Most
How to run Hangouts on Facebook
Google Hangouts App for Mobile
The Google Plus Hovercard: Your calling card across all of Google
Click the image below to find the most extensive and well-received guide to Google Plus Hovercards I’ve ever seen. Stephan Hovnanian will show you what they are, why they are important, and how you can set yours up to be authoritative and help you drive more traffic!
This set of links just in from Andrij Harasewych:
- Using #hashtags – Guide to Hashtags, Focused on G+ use
- Guide to Posting on G+
- Member’s Guide to Communities on G+
- Owner’s and Moderator’s Guide to Communities on Google+
And this from Carol Dodsley
Gplus Girls TV – A short sharp burst Of All things Google Plus For Business Success: Plus a neat example of what happens when you start your hangout while you have your Hangout embed page loaded! 🙂 (It happens to everyone Carol!)
Updated 9/7/2013
Learn More About G+ 1. Your Profile: google.com/+/learnmore/profile 2. Circles: google.com/+/learnmore/sharing 3. Photos: google.com/+/learnmore/photos 4. Events: google.com/+/learnmore/events 5. Hangouts: google.com/+/learnmore/hangouts 6. Mobile: google.com/+/learnmore/mobile 7. Local: google.com/+/learnmore/local A MASSIVE list of G+ resources by Jaana Nystrom
Updated 9/24/2013
This is a a great post by +Joshua Berg on “How to Use Google Plus Embedded Posts In Your Websites“
Added 7/14/2014.
+Mike Alton‘s articles shared by +Simon Phillips. (This is a sweet set of Google+ resources!)
NOTE: I am fully aware that, even though this post is 4325 miles long, it doesn’t begin to cover the movers and shakers and the resources that are out there for Google Plus Marketing. I did this for 2 reasons:
- I want to go outside now.
- I want YOU to be a part of this giant resource by sharing your favorite Google+ experts, videos, and links in the Google Comments below!
You will be part of a viral post that gets a LOT of traffic, and you might even get Google+ famous!
So help me make this the Ultimate Google Plus Guide for fall 2013 and contribute your favorite resources below! (And please share with people who need these resources before Facebook swallows them up for good!)