Google+ Can Grow Your Business

Issue #809 April 15, 2014
Publisher: Joan Stewart

“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”

In This Issue

Google+ Can Grow Your Business
Canva, a Free Graphics Tool
Your Feedback is Invaluable
Hound Video of the Week

This Week in the Hound House:

I’m still marveling over the random act of kindness at O’Hare airport on Friday. The woman who sold me a $1.30 Granny Smith apple from a food kiosk in the Delta terminal asked permission to wash it for me. I said yes. She disappeared in the back, washed it and returned to the cash register while polishing the apple with a paper towel. When I wanted to tip her, she looked embarrassed and declined the money. I told her I reward good customer service. She sheepishly accepted. It made my day.

1. Google+ Can Grow Your Business

Of all the social media sites you are on to grow your business, Google+ can give you the fastest traction possible.

No longer the ghost town it was proclaimed to be two years ago when it started, Google+ now has more than 300 million active users, many of whom are your customers or people in your target market.

Do you really want your competitors, who are also on Google+, to catch their attention before you do?

Google-certified business coach BL Ochman, who teaches Google+ strategy to big PR firms and solopreneurs, will share tips on How to Use Google+ Communities to Connect with Influential People during a webinar from 4 to 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, April 17.

Google+ Communities, similar to LinkedIn’s groups, are teeming with important business leaders, experts and influential industry leaders. In many ways, Communities are far more powerful than LinkedIn groups. Here are only three of 19 ways Google+ communities can help you grow your business.

–Google indexes your content shared in Communities and elsewhere on Google+ almost immediately, which means it shows up in search results within minutes.

–Content on Google+, including within Communities, dominates Google search more than other social network including Twitter, Quora, Facebook and LinkedIn.

–In communities, you can connect with influential industry leaders who you want to know about you. You can also connect with an industry-specific target audience and really stand out within the community by consistently sharing great content.

At my blog, I listed 16 more ways Google+ can grow your business.

You can register for Thursday’s webinar with BL Ochman here. If you answered my slogan survey of a few weeks ago, you can use your $10 coupon, which expires today, toward the registration.

2. Canva, a Free Graphics Tool

If you’re tired of buying or using the same old cliche stock photos at your blog or in your marketing materials, check out Canva, an amazingly simple drag and drop graphic design tool that’ similar to PicMonkey.

You’ll fall in love with the free poster templates, text graphics, social media images, and other cool features that let you create images that really pop. Don’t like the font on the templates? With just a few clicks, you can change it.

I’ve created a 4-minute video for you that shows how easy it is. When I showed it Saturday during my presentation to the Bay Area Independent Publishers & Authors, the crowd went nuts. They loved it!

Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel so you don’t miss any of my videos. And while you’re there, comment on the video and explain how you could use Canva in your business.

3. Your Feedback Is Invaluable

I’ve done several phone interviews with Publicity Hounds, and I love the feedback you’re giving me, particularly in the area of what I can offer that will help you.

Will you agree to be one of the 45 more people I interview between now and April 1? Please say yes. I promise you’ll love the dog treat, and it isn’t a rawhide, so don’t worry if you’re allergic.

Before we chat, I promise to park my ego at the dog house door. You’re free to comment on this newsletter, my blog, my products or services or anything you want that I’m not providing. I want to know what you’re struggling with in the areas of marketing, PR, publicity, social media or creating content.

If you can help, go to my online calendar and sign up for a 15-minute time slot.

4. Hound Video of the Week

Thanks to Publicity Hound Colleen Robinson of Everett, WA, for this video of Dozer the dog that unintentionally ran a half-marathon.

“I love the story, but I also love how his ‘mom’ took that event and turned it into a bigger money-maker for the cancer fund-raiser,” Colleen said.