Book Review: Google+ for Business

I am giving Google+ another look because of what I read in Chris Brogan’s book Google+ for Business: How Google’s Social Network Changes Everything*. The title is a little deceptive because I believe this book would be enlightening for everyone interested in how to get the most out of Google+.

What the Book Covers

Brogan covers his topic over fourteen easy-to-read chapters. In each chapter, he provides several examples of how others are leveraging Google+. In the first three chapters, Brogan gives his reasons he believes Google+ will take off, the opportunities Google + provides, and how he uses Google+. Next, he gets into the details of what you need to do to get off on a successful footing, how circles work along with recommendations, and how to post various content to Google+. With the basics out of the way, Brogan provides examples of how different types of businesses might use Google+ through great examples. He also spends two chapters focusing on sharing content and growing your audience; these are perhaps two of the best chapters of the book.

Lessons I Applied to My Account

I took his advice to heart and reworked my entire Google+ account and approach. Here are some things that resonated strongly with me.

• Google integrated Google+ closely with its search capability. If you post to Google’s new darling, you have a greater chance of rising in the Google search rankings because Google and YouTube (a Google product) are the top search engines. This also means that Google+ integrates closely with other Google applications.
• Take time to fully develop your profile. The more people know about you, the more they will trust you. Just like LinkedIn, the more information in your profile, the more findable you are on the platform.
• Organize your Circles for both incoming and outgoing traffic. However, Brogan also stresses that most of your outgoing traffic should go to the public stream. This is something I am now doing with my posts. I also learned that you can share circles, something that I did not know before . Brogan outlines several methods for locating people to follow. These include third-party sites, Google’s search, and friend surfing. Friend surfing is another new term.
• Share. “The most powerful opportunity in Google+ is sharing” (p. 18). Brogan recommends doing more sharing and talking about others than talking about yourself. You will benefit in the end by helping others and promoting their materials. This is also advice from Keith Ferrazzi’s book, Never Eat Alone, Expanded and Updated: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time*.
• Schedule your time to engage regularly on Google+. He recommends engaging on Google+ at least twice a day to provide unique content you find. He also stresses the importance of commenting on other posts as well as responding to comments on your posts.

Throughout the book, Brogan also includes links to key resources for finding people to follow as well as links to businesses who he believes provide great business pages.

Advice Beyond Google+

The advice Brogan provides throughout Google+ for Business would apply to other social media applications such as Twitter and Facebook, as well as to individuals, government organizations, and nonprofits. I have followed Brogan’s posts for years. He practices what he preaches. I believe his success mainly stems from his philosophy of prioritizing others over himself.

If you want to learn more about Google+ and how to use it effectively, I would recommend Google+ for Business: How Google’s Social Network Changes Everything.

At the time of this update, Google is phasing out Google+

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