Google + Avalanche or is it ME?

[Chris Alphen]

Is it my imagination or is there all of a sudden even moreof an avalanche, not just from Google, but from a ton of marketing types about Google +? I’m talking about the social side even though many marketers like to infer that it’s an all in one deal.

Linda’s tips, tricks, and treats on Google+ got my attention so following her links as well as some others gave me the impression the Presidential candidates and warring factions all over the world are going to drop their fights and join circles or hangout.<o></o>

Like almost all of my clients and the majority of small business owners I could care less about social except for about 2 reasons; I like keeping tabs on my kids, see picturesof my grandchildren and I have to be up to speed in case some social platform somewhere, someday gets to the point that it influences at least 1 business transaction. I know, I know but I like to exaggerate a little.<o></o>

Anybody else on the same train as me? I’d love to get somefeedback from my fellow members here about integrating Google + social and business pages. Google has the keys to the kingdom and they want fullintegration (not really they just want your data) so it’s harder to keep thetwo sides at arm’s length as I typically do with Facebook.

One thing is fairly certain, and I’ll try not to over-exaggerate. Unless it adds some cred forvisibility and rank, social is a waste of time, small business owners won’t gothere.<o></o>

No secret how I feel about social; how about you guys? <o></o>

 

[Colan Nielsen]

A sort of outside of the box use for Social Media from a business viewpoint is the ability to keep an eye on what your competition is doing.

 

[Randy Kirk]

I've switched my social media emphasis to Pinterest, LinkedIn, and depending on the type of account, Instagram to feed FB, Twitter, and Flickr. Then from Flickr to Blog and Pinterest.

Still see blogging and YouTube as primary for actual conversions. All others are currently only useful to feed websites and blogs.

Google+ is a fantastic environment, but might take a long time to generate same potential as others. If I actually wanted to be active in a social media environment, it would be Google+

 

[MiriamEllis]

Hi Chris,
You know, I hear you on this. Social has never been my 'thing' either, and with some of my clients (take a nursing home, for example), it seems inappropriate to suggest that they get wild about Social. For other industries (bakeries, restaurants, taco wagons), Social is a more natural fit because they've got something to show off and buzz about, but for more solemn business models, an exciting social engagement is a stretch of the imagination. Not saying it can't be done. An accountant can socialize about a special deal, an attorney can socialize about a new law, a dentist can socialize about a new tooth whitening product...but whether these things are going to set anyone's house on fire is another story.

 

[Don Berthiaume]

I fought donning the social media hat for a long time because it was simply another hat for me to wear. And in a one-person shop there comes a time when you need to either not be a one-person shop, be willing change your hat selection - or somehow get a bigger head to wear more hats. Luckily, while I may not have been on the train as it was leaving the station I realized that it was an important train to be on. I also realized that with the dawning of mobile...the old days of large websites full of information were also on their way out. So I found that perhaps I could - and needed to - change hats.

Fact is, the likes of Facebook, Twitter and now Google+ Local are all part of the social landscape. In and of themselves, they likely aren't going to turn the tide for any local business owner. Collectively, however, they help provide a social signal - and one that Google pays attention to. It's this social signal that, like it or not, is becoming more and more important when playing in the Google playground.

I also agree with Miriam that in many instances all or some of the social outlets might not be suitable for particular clients.

 

[Chris Alphen]

Thanks for the feedback folks! Don the hat thing is perfect. Even though most of my clients will probably never use social, nor will their customers be looking for them there, I'd like to include social pieces as part of my program. Sort of like social without the participation but with the benefits of more Google cred.
We do respond to reviews for them and of course set up Facebook, sometimes Linked in and Twitter. Most of these are service area businesses; I'd love to take advantage of the extra features on Google local + local Google (whatever it's called). Is that feature coming to a service area near anybody anytime soon?

Since I'd like to create some simple videos with actual useful content the Google + thing and Youtube are a no-brainer but what is the secret to getting videos to rank in SERPS and what is best practice for citations in videos?

Maybe everyone here knows the answer to this and I'm the last to know but if not and this is a legit proposition we can all win; it's about the actual content in reviews and then review responses and then by extension the social media content and/or dialogue.
My aim is to get my clients found Early and Often on page 1 which after their website and place page means Yelp, BBB, Angies list, and others that can be non-aggregated. Even the aggregates where they show in the SERP can't hurt because it keeps another competitor off the page. Anyway some clients with keyword rich reviews on these show on page 1 and others with more reviews but fewer relevant keywords don't. So is Google treating the review content as content - if it's keyword rich and relevant to the query it ranks?
I've got a number of clients taking 50% or 60% of page 1 - they got the reviews

What do you guys think; is the review content a factor in review site page rank?

 

[Colan Nielsen]

Since I'd like to create some simple videos with actual useful content the Google + thing and Youtube are a no-brainer but what is the secret to getting videos to rank in SERPS and what is best practice for citations in videos?

Hi Chris, just dug up some notes on video optimization from SMX East:


Save your video file with relevant keywords
•Optimize your viewers’ sharing options
•Choose your video hosting wisely
•Add file metadata like time, date, location, keywords, and description
•Create an exact transcript of the video, your main search terms and keywords will naturally be included without having to “stuff em”
•Submit Your Video Across a wide range of sites
–Vary video titles across sites
–Include your URL at the start of the description
–Add unique, keyword-rich descriptions for each site
–Use keyword tags liberally
–Create great looking thumbnail images
–Encourage viewers to leave ratings and comments

 

[Linda Buquet]

I fought donning the social media hat for a long time because it was simply another hat for me to wear. And in a one-person shop there comes a time when you need to either not be a one-person shop, be willing change your hat selection - or somehow get a bigger head to wear more hats. Luckily, while I may not have been on the train as it was leaving the station I realized that it was an important train to be on. I also realized that with the dawning of mobile...the old days of large websites full of information were also on their way out. So I found that perhaps I could - and needed to - change hats.

So well said Don! Love the way you get your points across!

Re video optimization. 2 Basic tips.

City + Keyword in title (If/when appropriate).

Full citation and link to site in description. Then it counts as a citation and a backlink. (Plus of course other relevant content in description.)