Are you on Google+? Should you be? Maybe

As marketers, we love to tell our clients that they should be on Google+.  It’s the second largest social networking site in the world. It’s indexed by Google, which means that having a business page on Google+ can help your customers find your business faster and easier. In fact, adding +1’s to your web pages can get you up to 3.5 times more traffic than pages without them.  And let’s face it, you’re out there anyway.  You’re checking Gmail, adding appointments to your Google calendar, working in Google Docs, finding pics for your blog posts in Google Images, or watching videos on YouTube.  And I’m willing to bet that you’ve searched for something on Google today. So, it really does seem like a no brainer, right?

Well, for many small business owners, it’s not so simple. There are so many social platforms out there that it’s hard to keep up. As one business owner vented, “I just figured out Twitter!”  I hear ya!  Many small business owners feel pressured and overwhelmed to launch a social media campaign and to maintain an ongoing presence on at least one of the big three social media sites – Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Now we’re asking them to join another. Time and resources are scarce in the small business world so it’s a lot to ask.

But I’ll share a secret with you. I’m not on Google+ either.  Not really.  I have a Gmail account, so I can +1 things, but my profile is very dormant, and I don’t have a business page. Not yet, but I’m working on it because for me, sharing as much content as I do, it makes sense. But for your business, should you rush to Google+?  The answer to that question lies in your understanding of what you’re trying to accomplish with your business and determining if Google+ can help get you there.

When I first started out,  I choose Twitter and fell in love and it’s still my favorite. But, as the needs of my business have changed, so must my strategy evolve. And that strategy, for me, involves Google+.

So, as I work to build my Google+ page, I hope we bump into each other… so we can hangout.