Google Plus is a social platform that has changed the way marketing is done on social media. In any social media site, there are certain rules that you need to follow in order to be accepted socially by other people. Yes, some social psychology is needed in order to attain the trust and attention of people before they will interact with you.
Google Plus is no different, and if you’re not living by the G+ etiquette code, then you’re missing your opportunity to be influential on this platform.
Google Plus is a little different from the other social sites because it can be used as a micro-blogging platform as well. That’s why I can’t understand why people will share something, and in the description say, “Check this out”(See my interaction with Jay Baer), and publish the update for the world to see. You can literally choose to say anything you want in the description of your social update on Google Plus, and when you choose the three words of death, you’re basically committing social suicide.
Etiquette simply means being mannerly and acting a certain way that is accepted. This is what I want to discuss for the Google Plus platform.
Interaction Marketing on G+
This is an important one. When you surf the G+ platform you need to understand the importance of interaction and how it can affect your marketing strategy. In all honesty, this is the way influence comes. It comes in a number of different ways, however, this is one of the ways that people remember who you are.
Interacting with other people is what it’s going to take to build your repertoire on G+. I know that the pressure to get more followers and bring in more visitors to your site is overwhelming, but interaction marketing takes time.
Interaction comes in different forms
When you think about interaction, most people think that it’s simply engaging with someone’s update in the comment section on Google Plus. While this is still true, and you should be doing it, most people miss another important aspect when interacting on someone else’s post. Here’s some of the key features to interaction:
- Interacting on updates
- Interacting on communities
- Interacting on shares
This is just a small list, but I wanted to show you some of the things that you have probably already thought of, and then show you something that you may not have thought of either. Found someone’s post that you feel is worthy of a share? Great! Now interact with both that person, and your followers.
You may be scratching your head on this one, but what I mean is- sell the article or video that you are sharing to your followers. When you share someone else’s post, simply pretend that it is your own post you are promoting. In other words, create a call to action update on G+ just as you would for your own post for the person you are sharing for. Remember to tag the people of interest in the post. Here’s an example of a share that I did the other day for some influential people.
See how that works? It’s not much different than you should be doing in your regular posting on Google Plus for yourself. Here’s another post that I did that promoted something of myself. Notice that I promoted almost in the same way.
Interaction marketing is a very important part of the process of social media. Understanding what makes you stand out to someone as a person that is not worried about sending traffic their way can really help you climb the ladder of social marketing. Plus, it’s good manners to share something to the best of your ability for someone on social media.
Being Helpful
Your first priority on Google Plus should always be trying to help someone else. Although the importance of traffic may sound like a good idea at the time, it’s really not top priority here. When you can help someone learn something, meet someone, or direct them to a better understanding of whatever it is they need help with, then you should complete that goal. You have to look at the bigger picture of social media. In the long run, the more people you help, the more you establish your authority on a certain topic, the more they’re going to come to you in the future.
Don’t know what to help people with? Do your research, and find all of the important articles in your niche that you know can be of help to some people and write it down where all they will have to do is come back to your list and read. If they are really interested in it, they will share it to their stream, proving that you have been of some help. I try to do one helpful list post a week on Google Plus, that keeps all of the important articles of the week on one update for everyone to keep up with. This allows them structure and they don’t have to go searching for it.
Always be of some help. This can be done through communities as well. Google Plus marketing takes a lot of time, and you need to always be searching out people that have questions that perhaps you can answer for them. If you can’t, let them know that, but you may be able to find someone that can help them. Being helpful gets people to rely on your expertise on a certain subject. Always try to lend a helping hand. This is having good etiquette on Google Plus.
Relationship Marketing
Recently, I wrote a post about Relationship Marketing on Google Plus and it basically lines out everything you need to do to build that perfect relationship with someone on the platform.
Relationships are a positive of etiquette
There’s always repercussions when you do something. Even when it’s good, good things come back to you. Having good manners on G+ will cultivate interaction, which in turn stirs engagement. Engagement will breed relationships, and relationships lead to opportunities. Relationship marketing is the end result of a well mannered individual on Google Plus. People like to see someone that is well versed in their niche, can understand all the points, and not only that, but they can also see you trying to share their posts, and actually wanting to drive traffic for them. They will see it in communities and in comments. Stay consistent at this and they will start to build relationships with you. One thing that I forgot to mention is this: people also love someone who is influential, yet down to earth and not afraid to talk to anyone!
There is nothing more important than a relationship on any social network. You will never go anywhere by yourself. It’s the people around you that lift you up and encourage you that make you influential and popular on this network. There are leaders and there are followers, and every leader can always name a bunch of friends that have helped them out along the way.
The Final Thought
This is your livelihood, your business. Don’t just throw caution to the wind because you will reap the whirlwind. Remember, every action that you take has a consequence, whether good or bad. So let’s all make the right decision and remember our manners just like mom taught us. Google Plus is not your personal playground and we don’t follow your rules. It’s a social setting governed by the influential people that make it what it is…because after all, Google Plus is nothing without them.
Wade Harman
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