You may already know I’m a self-confessed Google FanGirl. I’ve been shouting from the virtual roof tops about how great Google+ is for more than two years…on webinars, in Hangouts and at speaking gigs. I’ve taught classes and work with private clients to get them up and running on Google+ with a strategic plan. 

Yet, I’m still asked daily why in the heck someone should add yet another social platform to their already overwhelming marketing plan.

“Why Google+? I love Facebook.”

OK, I use Facebook and have been since January 1, 2008. I have a Facebook page and belong to a number of groups. I find though, as Facebook tweaks the newsfeed and controls more and more of what your fans see (or don’t see as is more often the case), that I get less and less interaction, regardless of what I do. And I experiment a lot!

Facebook is great for sharing personal adventures and quotes and staying connected with my friends and family. But it sucks for connecting with people who have said they’re interested in how I can help them build their online presence and visibility. Barely anyone sees the content I post and curate on my Facebook page. I have to “pay to play” now. And so do you if you want to get in front of your ideal audience.

Google+ is different.

11 Reasons Why I Love Google Plus

1. Creating a profile on Google+  boosts your search engine rankings in Google.
2. Every time a reader clicks the +1 button on one of your blog posts or Google+ posts, it increases your standing with Google
3. Easy to create Circles (lists) of people that are tightly segmented so you share the right content with the right people
4. You can create “opt in” Circles; people tell you they WANT to be notified when you post niche specific content (like an email list)
5. Hangouts enable you to create live streaming video shows (free!) that are simultaneously recorded on YouTube. This the best thing that’s happened for online entrepreneurs since blogging (IMHO)
6. You can use private recorded Hangouts to meet with clients, teach, train, facilitate masterminds – at no cost to you or your clients
7. All content you post publicly is indexed by Google – fast!
8. Google+ communities are better organized than Facebook groups. All posts are categorized so it’s easier to search and participate in discussions
9.  Google+ is integrated with Gmail, Google Drive, YouTube and Picassa, making it an all in one tool easy to manage your Google activity
10. There are plugins you can install to add Google+ comments to your blog posts. This one feature alone has increased the visibility, comments and shares of my blog; when someone comments, it’s posted on their profile with a link back to the blog post
11. The people! I’ve met people I never would have connected with on Facebook or LinkedIn. Many have become true friends, clients, collaborators, JV partners, guests on Adventures in Visibility, invited me to be a guest on their podcast, etc. My network has grown faster than on any other platform, ever.

 These 11 reasons flowed right out and are in no particular order of importance. And, there are so many more reasons I love Google+ and why it’s become my social platform of choice. As I was writing the list, I decided to throw the question out on Google+. Below is the post and the responses…(I’m having trouble getting the embedded post to show up so this is a screenshot. Click image to see all the responses.)

Convinced yet? Want to get started reaping the benefits of Google+? There is one caveat…

Like any social network, to get the benefits and rewards of Google+ you must be consistent, generous and committed to engaging with the people you meet. Otherwise, it won’t work well for you. It’s not good enough to drop a link and run. 

Now are you ready but you don’t know where to start? Click here to join me for a 90 minute webinar on how to Rock It on Google+!

If you’re not on Google+ yet and you’re feeling reluctant or stuck, I’d love to know why. Post in the comments so we can have a conversation about it. If you prefer a private conversation, we can do that, too. It will help me better articulate the benefits for others (and you, if you want to be convinced). 

The post 11 Reasons Why I Love Google Plus (and why you will too!) appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

In this episode of Adventures In Visibility I welcome the dynamic and 

• The notion that blogging is dead or dying 
• Business models and how Google and Facebook have failed us
• The future of digital marketing 

Check out the Event page for comments, questions and photos. 

Connect with Dino:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/dinodogan
Website: http://dinodogan.com
Triberr: http://triberr.com

For your convenience, the mp3 and transcript are posted below, from the live Hangout with Dino. 

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• Watch past Adventures
• Subscribe on YouTube 

Be sure to visit Dino Dogan for more information, and Circle him on Google+!

Do you know someone who has an outstanding online presence? Someone who has created massive visibility? Let me know in the comments and I’ll reach out and invite them to be a guest on Adventures in Visibility!

To get reminders about when Adventures are scheduled and when replays are posted, you can get on the list and follow me on Google+. Be sure to let me know you want to be added to my Adventures in Visibility Notification Circle so you get the invitation directly through Google+.

The post Have Google and Facebook Failed Us? Adventures in Visibility with Dino Dogan appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

Note from Denise: I LOVE Google+ and I’ve met many smart, generous people on the social network. Stephan Hovnanian is one of them. I’ve hosted three Hangouts with Stephan to introduce you to his brilliance and to the power of the G+ community.  After you study Stephan’s infographic, scroll to the end to learn about two training webinars I’m presenting to help you get started on Google Plus.

UPDATE: Stephan has published several Kindle ebooks on Google+ Pro Tips, including one on How to Get More Visibility on Google+.

Ten Visibility Tips for Google Plus

You joined Google+ because everyone is telling you what an amazing platform it is to make an impact, to stand out and be recognized for the authority you have (or are building) in your field of expertise.

 

10 Tips for More Visibility on Google+

1. Understand Your Audience Reach
2. “Hand out” your hovercard (it shows up more than you think)
3. Engage in Comments first
4. Reimagine your content (here are 12 creative ways)
5. Use Social Listening techniques (here’s a real life example)
6. Use citations and attribution (it’s like a blog trackback)
7. Hop into “What’s Hot”
8. Ask Questions
9. Be Yourself! Be Genuine! (Jaana Nyström says it best here)
10. Take time to understand the platform

Using these techniques will help you grow the reach of your profile. Be sure to put a focus on post quality so people always expect your name (and comments) to be synonymous with excellence. It’s a tall order, and of course you can let your hair down once in a while, but you came to Google+ to use it as a platform to make an impact, and these tips will help you on your way.  

 

To get started using Google+ to boost your online visibility, join me for two on-demand training webinars: 

 

Boost Your Presence and Build Your Online Platform with Google+

• Google+ 101: 7 Steps to Rock It on Google+
• How to Set Up and Present Your First Live Hangout

Click here to get started now!

The post Ten Visibility Tips for Google Plus [#infographic] appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

Now, I need your help. I could easily come up with visibility topics to share with you. However, I’d like to know what you want to know and learn about regarding increasing your visibility on the Web.  Some suggestions that have come are:

• Using Foobar and Hellobar
• Using Listly for visibility
• Speakpipe

What online visibility or marketing topics would you like to see on the list? Please let me know in the comments and be as specific as possible.  For example, you want to know how to create a community on Google+ vs. how to use Google+ in general. Make sense?

If I see a theme developing or a specific topic being posted by several people, those ideas will go to the top of the list.

To get reminders about when Adventures are scheduled and when replays are posted, you can get on the list and/or follow me on Google+. Be sure to let me know you want to be added to my Adventures in Visibility Circle so you get the invitation directly through Google+.

The post Adventures in Visibility Hangout – What do You Want to Learn? appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.

As with most online sites, I jumped on Google+ as soon as invitations were available. I soon realized I really didn’t have the bandwidth to really go deep with it. However, I set up my profile, optimized it, uploaded a cover image and started posting my blog articles. I set up Circles, found people to follow, and occasionally shared and  +1’d posts I liked.

Now, nearly two years later, I’m turning more of my attention to Google+. After all, Google = Search and Google favors its own sites.  So if you’re an active user and create and share great content, Google views you as having more authority and relevance. This can translate to better results on search engine result pages (SERPs).

There are a lot of complexities to Google+ and I want you to understand why it’s important to get on board. Recent changes and enhancements may convince you.

Your Google+ Profile

You have an opportunity to really shine and leverage your profile. You can include links to your sites, products and services.  Include information about where you work and live and links to your other social profiles. While you can make any info private, the more you share publicly, the better you’ll be able to connect with others with similar interests.

As MaAnna Stephenson of BlogAid.net also advises in her thorough Google+ Profile tutorial:

Use your real name. AuthorRank is all about you as the author of your online content. Google must be able to connect your name to all of your online presences.

Upload an easily recognizable headshot of yourself. Do not get too artistic with it. No cartoonish type drawings or such. You want to ensure that Google knows exactly who you are. (For maximum benefit, you should use the same headshot on all of your profiles including Gravatar and your social media sites.)

If you haven’t set up a Google+ Profile yet, take a few minutes to go through MaAnna’s tutorial and get set up now.

Optimize Your Cover Image for Marketing and Conversion

Not long ago Google surprised everyone and totally changed up the cover image. They made it HUGE! What they didn’t do though is provide a design template or warn you that it appears differently depending on the platform you’re viewing a profile on, i.e., when looking at a profile on your smartphone, you see one area of the image, while on a monitor you see another part, and when you hover over a profile photo, it looks different yet again. How the heck do you design for that?

Luckily, I had the good fortune to be introduced to Stephan Hovnanian of Shovi Websites by way of a Hangout hosted by Chris Lang.

As soon as I heard Stephan explain how to design for the new image dimensions and demonstrate how to use the image for conversion (moving people to take action on something like adding you to one of their Circles or a landing page to opt in to your email list), I contacted him right away. After exchanging a few emails, I contracted him to design a new G+ cover image for me and then repurpose it for all my social profiles: Facebook page, LinkedIn Business page, Twitter, and YouTube‘s new channel design.

Here’s a quick, two minute video of Stephan reviewing the image and the design decisions:

Hangouts On Air

Hangouts On Air are a feature you can’t ignore for boosting your visibility big time: live streaming video on your Google+ Profile AND on your YouTube channel, automatically recorded and posted to YouTube. Free. The possibilities are vast.

I recently heard a big name online marketer say he canceled his multiple GoToWebinar accounts and is now using Google Hangouts exclusively for all his online webinar-style presentations, group coaching, and private coaching. If you have a GTW account, you know how much you can save by going to a free model!

In the last month I’ve done several On Air Hangouts, a couple for The Future of Ink, a live video version of Brag About Your Blog Day, and on one I was a guest for a Q&A about business blogging. I’m now planning a series of free monthly Hangouts called “Adventures in Visibility” (stay tuned for more on that!).

You can do a Hangout with one person or thousands.  They can be private (not recorded) or On Air (public and automatically recorded and posted on YouTube).

Your Google+ profile and activity helps you get found in search results…

Your Google+ cover image can help you convert followers to leads and prospects…

Hangouts On Air help you automatically create content that amplifies your visibility on YouTube. And those videos can be shared and embedded on your blog and around the Web.

What’s not to like about that?!

Not convinced yet?

OK. I’m hosting a free webinar on March 28 on 3 Ways to Boost Your Visibility and Business with Google+: Why Every Online Entrepreneur Needs to Get Onboard with Google+ Now. [Update: you can get the webinar replay on demand now.]

I’ve invited MaAnna Stephenson and Stephan Hovnanian to join me and share their expertise with you as well.  We’ll go into more detail about your Google+ Profile and setting up AuthorRank on your blog, as well as how to optimize your cover image, and how you can use Hangouts for your business.

Join us!

The post Google Plus – If You Want More Online Visibility, It’s Time to Get On Board appeared first on Adventures in Visibility.