Google+ and Pinterest Basics for Small Business Owners

Social Media for Business: Pinterest and Google+

Social media is still such a new animal in the marketing world figuring it out can sometimes make you feel like you are chasing a moving target.  There are so many different social platforms available it is a challenge to figure out where to focus your efforts. Confused...Frustrated... Bothered... Intimidated are words I often here to describe how small business owners feel about social media.

Not every business needs to be present on every media.  This article will show you the benefits of Pinterest and Google+ to business.

Pinterest Pinterest defines itself as an online ‘pinboard’ where people organize and share things they love.   It is a very visual media and given that human beings are visually oriented it makes sense that Pinterest is now the number three social platform behind Facebook and Twitter.  It is important to note that according to Tech Crunch 68% of Pinterest users are female and most of them are moms.  It is also important to remember that the women hold the purse strings in most households so getting your brand/service/product in front of them can be very productive.

Why use Pinterest for Business?

• Pinterest users have disposable income.  The average household median for Pinterest users is $100,000/year. (Mashable)
• Pinterest has 1.36 million visitors a day and that number has grown 125% since January of this year! (Shopify)
• Buyers referred by Pinterest are 10% more likely to buy than buyers referred from other social media. (Shopify)
• Buyers referred by Pinterest are 70% more likely to buy than buyers referred by a website. (Shopify)
• People spend money with companies they trust and Pinterest is trusted by the women who use it.  (AdWeek)
  • 81 percent of women trust Pinterest,
  • 67 percent said they trusted Facebook
  • 73 percent said they trusted Twitter
  • Pinterest drives more traffic to websites than YouTube, Reddit, Google Plus and LinkedIn combined. (Social Media Examiner) – this is HUGE!

The fact that Pinterest is so visual bodes very well for brands.  Human beings get passionate about brands they love and will ‘pin’ images of those brands to creative pin boards that express their style and personality. The more passion people feel around a brand the more loyal they are and the more they spend.  Brands that recognize this and develop a strategy that includes intriguing images for consumers to pin will benefit greatly from Pinterest.  

Google +

Google+ is Google’s social media platform.  Saying that, however, doesn’t capture the whole story.  Google+ is a platform where social media integrates with the many other Google services that people have come to use regularly - now including the old "Google Places" which now "Google+ Local."  

This helps streamline social workflow and communication in a more seamless way than other platforms.  When deciding how to use Google+ it is important to note that according to Plus Demographics 2012 report 62% of Google+ users are tech savvy males with at least a bachelor’s degree.

Google+ has recently become much more relevant to businesses with its announcement of Google+ Local.  Google has melded Google Places into its social platform integrating location, information and consumer reviews from Zagat, which is also Google owned.   As a result, it is important that you not only claim your business on Google but you need to also monitor the reviews and comments already being posted about you; which is really a whole different topic unto itself that small business owners need to really pay attention to. Something I call "Reputation Management." Here's a link to blog post about Reputation Management.

These changes have made Google+ a crucial element in local search and as a result businesses cannot afford to ignore the platform.

Why use Google+ Local  and Google+ Pages for Business?

• Your business is being reviewed whether you know it or not! Zagat reviews now come up in search results regardless of whether the business has been claimed.  Businesses need to get proactive by managing and reacting to positive and negative information being posted.  According to Nielsen, 70% of consumers trust peer reviews which makes the addition of reviews to search results very powerful.
• Google+ pages and posts get better social search engine rankings.   It is Google, after all and they give you preferential treatment for being there. - Forbes
• Mobile works better on Google+ than Facebook.  As a result mobile developers focus their attentions more strongly on Google than other social platforms. - Web Pro News
• Google Hangouts allow you to video conference for free.  They are easy to use and can help businesses work collaboratively and connect remotely.
•  Google Circles allows for much more targeted marketing than other social platforms.  A brand can set up different circles for different types of consumers allowing for a more specific conversation. 
• The Plus 1 button, similar to the ‘like’ has an indirect effect on your SEO rankings.  -Mashable

Google Plus pages for business are less than a year old but are getting more popular each day.  Google is working diligently to move the consumer base to their platform by introducing such things as social reviews, hangouts, and circles. 

Google plus also has a more seamless mobile platform, which is something Facebook is struggling with greatly.  With the tremendous growth in online purchases that take place on phones and tablets, having a fast and feature robust mobile platform will be an absolute draw.

Also, Google+ pages have a big leg up for Search Engine Optimization strategies. I am seeing many +pages ranking high and quickly so Tampa and Brandon area businesses looking for quality, white-hat SEO strategies should seriously consider creating an optimized Google+ page for their business.

Bringing it all together … It is easy to see that both Pinterest and Google+ have a place in marketing and relationship building for businesses.  They each have very different presentation to the consumer and as a result have very different demographics and uses.

Brands with products that are visually pleasing and marketable to women are a no brainer for the Pinterest platform.  Other brands are finding their way as well, remember Mom buys for the whole family, not just for herself. While Google+ is currently a male dominated platform and most of those men are college educated, Google is working fast and furiously to bring more consumers AND businesses to the platform.  Google’s new local search features that include reviews will help with that goal by driving a broader demographic of consumers to the platform.  Businesses and brands that want some control over what is being said about their organization will need to be present to listen and be proactive to ensure that what is seen and heard about their business is primarily driven by them and not left to chance. And if you were wondering about how Facebook stacks up against Google+, here's a link to a great Infographic that should help you understand more on that subject....