Unless you are posting through a WordPress, Blogspot or Tumblr profile, connected to your Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Myspace, foursquare, GetGlue, and Disqus, you are posting information out to your network that will be forgotten.

Google has always been separate from these social channels- primarily focusing on search engine optimization tools, and developing its online community Google Buzz (which was spruced up, and relaunched as Google+). Google does not stream the content from Twitter or Facebook into its search engine results. Yes, your nightclub in Las Vegas may have posted a flier on both its Facebook and Twitter, and your pages might come up on the first page of Google when you look up your businesses name, but when people search for events at the new Aria Resort & Casino they find NO information about the “future” party on Saturday night. Google+ provides the lacking service- optimized posts that allow business owners to naturally reach the top of the Google search results. Small and large businesses can create Google+ Business Pages, updating all of their pertinent information (from their address and phone number, to menu and delivery distances). Inevitably, this Google+ presence will help businesses through keyword searches. With each descriptive term used on your Google+ profile, businesses permanently place their content online. The Google+ stream can be connected to your Facebook and Twitter through the Google Chrome browser (you can download the Google Chrome browser here). By connecting your Facebook and Twitter to Google+, you are guaranteeing that any posts you place on your Google+ stream is findable (whether searching through your cellphone or desktop browsers)!

Google+ for Smartphones

The Google+ cellphone App is also changing how data is stored and shared. All images, contacts and music downloads are able to be saved and shared through the Google+ profile.

Google+ +1 Feature

The Google+ +1 feature combines the collating of articles and blogs- a vital tool for reference work and cataloguing. Google+ provides a section of each users profile to the collating and preservation of bookmarked content. Unlike re-tweeting or sharing to your pages, this tab on Google+ is chronologically organized, and can be returned to (almost like a novel, you can fold a page and pick up right where you left off). From saving YouTube videos, to articles about the presidential election- the Google+ +1 feature helps document your online activities. This is a great way to maintain an online journal, or define what you (or your customers) are most interested in.

Google+ Hangouts 

Google+ recently rolled out a tool to video chat en masse. Over time these “hangouts” will compete with Skype or GoToMeeting- chipping away at the revenue that these cloud services generate.

Inevitably, Google+ is new, and thus, something your business should know about! Your business will ONLY succeed if it is at the forefront of technology, embracing the cutting-edge opportunities that the online sector offers. The Internet is the only forum that business owners can identify their audience, create relationships, reach out to their patrons, and network with other companies. Having a Google+ page doesn’t mean that you will be telling people to walk out of your coffee shop- that you can’t handle so much business. Having a Google+ page does mean that you will be in control of the pertinent information your business needs online: the correct address, phone number, menu, store selection, holiday operational hours, your chief executives contact information and your corporations professional mission statement. Once this information is online, the content reinforces the posts, tweets and videos you disseminate.

About Andrew Krebs-Smith

Andrew sings our praises to anyone that will listen. Before founding Social Fulcrum, he developed and managed social media strategy for accounts including Pfizer, Ocean City MD, The National Aquarium, and Strayer University. Andrew loves food, travel, music, exercise, and tea. Connect with Andrew on Twitter and LinkedIn.