I've been experimenting with Google+ Business Pages and recently blogged about how to set up a Google+ Page quickly and easily. But should you create a Google+ page for your business?
Here are some of my thoughts on the topic:
Why you may not want a Google+ Page
1. It is one more place to post.
2. It is unfamiliar and there are fewer case studies at the moment to validate it.
Why you SHOULD get a Google+ Page
1. It's already big and getting bigger. It has made significant impacts on social media communications with surprisingly rapid adoption. If the people you are trying to reach are using it, it's logical for you to at least explore it and see if you can provide value by being there.
2. It's different enough from Twitter and Facebook to potentially be useful to you. You probably already have a preference between Twitter and Facebook or having more success on one over the other. G+ fits somewhere in between both and it is worth checking out the features and functions to see if it might work even better for you. I wouldn't advise giving up something that is working, but adding G+ could round out how you reach out to customers and potential customers.
3. You can save your place there and learn as you go. Even if you are not sure how to use yet, having a placeholder presence, especially at this early stage, is important, even if you initially only used it as a gateway to your other social channels. Because it is new to everyone, the G+ community is more forgiving and also very helpful. But be careful not to create a virtually empty like Kaboom. At least fill out your About page and post several times with relevant content that gives first-time visitors a sense of who you are and what you do. If you know you aren't updating yet, conclude with a post that explains your strategy. Encourage people who stop by your Page to circle you so they will know when you do start posting.
4. You could be one of the first in your industry or area to be there giving you some of the benefits of "first mover advantage." Granted, that advantage may not be sustainable as adoption increases exponentially, but if you're the first, you'll always be able to say you were the first.
5. You can gain attention right now for being there, before it gets too noisy, and potentially build a strong following that you can learn over time how to leverage appropriately.
6. Updating it would be negligible to start - just a few minutes a day to start to get your feet wet. Soon G+ will be integrated into more social management tools so it will be as easy to update as Twitter but with the multimedia capabilities of Facebook. It is already available in Hootsuite for Enterprises, for example. (See their announcement).
Here are some Google+ Pages for companies and organizations that are braving the waters.
Sherpani
BlogHer
Ford Motor Company
Burberry
Red Bull
Some organizations and government agencies on G+:
Pencils of Promise
NASA
Save the Children UK
El Prado (Spanish)
National Wildlife Federation
National Parks Conservation Association
The Nature Conservancy
World Wildlife Federation
The Hunger Project
charity: water
Here is a list from BrightEdge of major brands using Google+.
Some media outlets on Google+:
Mashable
Anderson Cooper 360
Business Insider
Newsweek and The Daily Beast
Financial Times
BBC News
NPR Fresh Air
What are your favorite Google+ Pages so far? What is your Google+ Page URL?
