Google Plus is one of the fastest growing social networks with over 100 millions users. Businesses all over the world are using it to promote their brand and connect with consumers. It has established itself as a key player in the social media market and has become an integral part of an effective internet marketing strategy.

Why Use Use Google Plus?

If you want your business to be successful on social media, you need to look beyond Facebook and Twitter. Creating a Google Plus pages for your business is a great way to get your brand noticed online. It lets you target new audiences and can prove very effective for driving traffic to your website.

Every business needs a Google Plus page irrespective of whether you have a regular personal profile on Google Plus. If you have not created a Google Plus page for your business yet, you should build one today. The tutorial below provides a step by step description of how to create a Google Plus page for your business.

How to Use Google Plus for Your Business?

Google Plus Page is specially designed for businesses and brands, similar to a fan page on Facebook. Google Plus page is different to your personal Google Plus profile. Individuals and personal users create regular Google+ profiles whereas businesses, brands or organisations create Google Plus pages.

Once you have a business page set-up on Google Plus, you can use it to share content and build relationships with customers on multiple levels. Users can endorse your content with the +1 feature, leave comments, and tag your brand or follow your brand by join your circle. Another interesting feature of Google Plus platform is its Hangouts feature that enables companies to engage with fans, prospects, and customers through video conference calls.

How to Create A Google Plus Page?

1. Login to Your Google Account

You need to be logged in to your personal Google account before you can create a Google Plus page for your business. You can create a separate Google account for your business use or use your personal Google account. All Google services share a common login so you can use your Gmail or Google Analytics login if you have one.

You can create multiple Google+ pages if needed e.g. you may wish to create separate page for your company and your blog.

Tip:

Don’t worry if your Google+ page is linked to your personal Google account. Like Facebook pages, Google plus includes support for multiple administrators. You can add additional administrators for your Google plus pages at any time.

2.  Start the ‘Create Page’ Wizard

Now that you are signed in to your Google account, you can get started by accessing the ‘create page’ wizard in one of two ways. You can visit the Google Plus business page and click on “Create a Google+ Page” link.

Alternatively, if you have personal  profile on Google Plus, you can click on the ‘Page’ icon on your Google+ dashboard that is displayed on the left of your Google+ profile and then choose the ‘create page’ link from the next screen. See image below.

An easy to use interactive wizard will now guide you through the steps of creating your page similar to the wizard for creating a Facebook business page. These steps are explained in detail below.

3. Choose Appropriate Category for Your Page

In the first step after you click on ‘Create a Page’, you will be asked to choose the most appropriate classification for your page.  The following options are available:

• Local Business or Place
• Product or Brand
• Company, Institution or Organization
• Arts, Entertainment or Sports
• Other

Choose the right classification for your page. See image in next point below.

4. Enter Basic Info For Your Page

After selecting your classification, a form to provide basic information about your page will be displayed on the right. Add your information including your page name (i.e. your company name), your website URL, your category (i.e. your industry), then accept the terms and click on create page link at the bottom of the page.

See image below.

5. Customise Your Profile

The third step of the wizard lets you customise your public profile by providing a tagline and profile image (typically your company’s logo).  See image below. Try to choose a descriptive tagline that best describes your business or highlights your unique selling proposition (USP).

6. Promote Your Page

In the final step of the ‘create page’ wizard, Google+ will prompt you to promote the Google page you have just created and suggest a few ways you can do this. However before you start promoting your page, I would recommend on customising your page further to reflect your branding and sharing content on your page so it does not look empty.

Further Customisation:

The best way to custom brand your page is by uploading an appropriate cover photo and profile photo that reflect your brand. Cover photo is a header image displayed at the top of your page. You can upload or edit your cover and profile photos by visiting the profile tab. Alternatively, you can follow the step by step instructions on how to custom brand your Google+Page.

See image below:

What Next:

As this point your Google Plus page is technically ready and available to the public. However, without any content it is unlikely to attract any attention or offer value for users.

Like with other social media, the benefits to your business may not become evident at the start. You will need to share quality information on your Google Plus page if you want to attract users and build your network.

Start by adding some content. If you have a blog, you can share your recent blog posts. All updates will be displayed on your page’s timeline. Add some photos to make your timeline more appealing.

How Do You Use Google Plus?

How do you use Google plus for your business? Please share your responses by leaving a comment below.