Google Unveils Google+ Pages: How Will It Affect the World of Law Firm Social Media?
A few months ago, Google released Google+, the search giant’s latest venture into the social media world. Google+ was well received, as users explored Circles, Hangouts and other features. However, the question on many people’s minds, including ours, was what would Google+ mean for businesses such as law firms?
The answer is Google+ Pages. Similar to Facebook Pages, Google+ allows users to create a page for a cause, public figure, band or business, including a law firm. The site allows people to interact with businesses, and businesses to interact with current and potential customers. Users can +1 their favorite businesses or add them to Circles to stay tuned in to the latest news and updates.
In the coming weeks, Google will also allow users to have multiple administrators for their Pages, which means a law firm can hire a professional social media marketing company to maintain its page and manage content while still having complete access.
You’re probably thinking, this sounds a lot like Facebook pages. And you’re right. It does. So, what makes Google+ Pages different?
People use Google to search the Web billions of times each day. Thus, there are benefits to having a social tool integrated into one of the world’s most popular search engines. First, Google+ Pages will be included in search results (with many speculating that Google will weight Google+ Pages heavier than other social networks). Secondly, people can search directly for your page using Google+’s Direct Connect feature. By typing [+] in front of the brand’s name (such as +Google or +Pepsi), one will be taken directly to the brand’s Google+ Page and will instantly be given the opportunity to follow or +1 the brand.
One goal of Google+ Profiles and Pages is to link users to authoritative brands and pages. This aggregates your perceived importance across all of your Web properties by tying a +1 back to your main Google+ Profile / Page, and acts as a mechanism for Google to make sure the content it crawls is truly yours and not scraped content.
Google has also included the +1 button in AdWord ads. Therefore, not only will the money you spend for Adwords get your message in front of site visitors, it will also drive your perceived importance by allowing users to +1 your brand as they search the Web.
Pages gives your firm another source of Web visibility and puts your social outlet in front of current, past and potential clients so that they may connect for long-term relationships. Also, Google+ is an inexpensive way to create pages for each of your primary practice areas / keywods.
Several brands have already created Pages, such as Pepsi, Macy’s, Angry Birds and The Muppets. Once the doors of commerce are opened, we will have another dynamic social media marketing tool to explore.
Interesting questions to be answered in the near future:
- How will law firms make use of features like Hangouts?
- Will Google add new features that are tailored to suit businesses?
- Will Google+ overtake Facebook as the leading social media network? Which will best suit law firms?
- Will Google+ Pages integrate with Google Places? If so, having a Page for each of your satellite locations will be a sound investment.
Pages will likely cause continued growth for Google+. The latest numbers put the service at over 40 million users. Some speculate that the introduction of Pages could cause that number to increase by 50 percent or more. Creative marketers will likely find a number of ways to utilize the service for law firms and other businesses.
It is extremely important that companies create a Google+ Page with their main business name. Because of the Direct Connect feature, if you wait too long, another individual in another part of the country may register the name you want (or something similar). This could lead to brand mis-identification.
Contact ConsultWebs.com, Inc. to Learn More about Law Firm Social Media Marketing!
Consultwebs.com, Inc. has been helping law firms create and manage resourceful social media campaigns for over a year. We have helped firms with networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Hubpages and more. Currently, we are creating optimal Google+ Pages strategies and will soon offer Google+ Pages as part of our Social Media option for law firm marketing. Stay in touch with our blog for future updates. This is an exciting time for Social Media marketing and we look forward to sharing it with your law firm.
For more information, call us at (800) 872-6590, contact us at marketing@consultwebs.com or fill out our convenient online contact form.
