Google+ isn't yet open to businesses, but that doesn't mean you can't test it out to see how it works.
We've found it's a fantastic driver of traffic to Spin Sucks, bringing a new audience and widening our reach.
Following are six ways you can get started using it today.
1. Creating your personal profile
The first thing you want to do is create a Google profile, if you don't already have one. Go to Google Profiles, sign into your Gmail account, and click on the edit profile button. It prompts you with specific things to fill out. Once you're finished, just click save and you're ready to go.
2. Organizing Circles
Google+ is set up with what they call Circles. They're a little bit like LinkedIn groups, allowing you to post information that is pertinent to each group.
You now can send targeted and segmented information to groups of people who care about the same things.
3. Using Hangouts
Hangouts is like video Skype on crack because you can have up to 20 people, well, hanging out via video. Think about how you can hold meetings with customers and prospects via Hangouts instead of getting on a plane every time you need to look one another in the eyeballs.
4. Using the stream to share content
The stream is a lot like the Facebook stream. You post a status update, a link, a photo, or video. The difference here, though, is that you can decide who you want it to post to - one of your Circles (or more than one) or the public.
You can share blog posts, company news, white papers, videos, podcasts, photos, eNewsletters, or any other content you're producing. Add a personal message, choose your audience, and you're good to go!
5. Tracking traffic to your website or blog
The first thing you want to do is shorten your link with the Google shortener (not bit.ly or su.pr or owl.ly or any of the others). All you have to do is copy your link (from your web site or blog) and paste it into the shortener..
Then, when you open Google analytics and look at your traffic referral sources, you'll see plus.google.com as one of them. You can track how much traffic is coming from the site to something you own.
6. Managing privacy settings
No matter what Google says about Plus being more private than Facebook, please remember this is GOOGLE we're talking about. The company that knows everything about what you do online.
The first thing you want to do is go into Google+ and click on your name. A menu will drop down and you can choose "privacy." Then scroll down to the "sharing" section. You can change your settings in a number of sections.
If you need a Google+ invite, email Gini and she'll get you hooked up.
