Leveraging Google+ for Your Law Firm

Google+ has more than 300 million active monthly users.^[1] Are you one of them? The platform is full of industry leaders and it’s simple to identify who is having an influence in shaping the conversation on the subjects you are interested in. Statistics reveal who earned the most public shares for your posts, while Google+ Ripples reveal the people in your field with the biggest circles. Connecting with influencers and getting them to share your content will boost your ranking, and these Social Media leaders can share your content with wide audiences.

While Google+ is a smaller social network than Facebook, it is the second largest of the social networks and is growing every day. The Google+ format also makes this network perfect for business-to-business marketing. Circles and communities make it easy to find like-minded individuals, to start meaningful conversations and to rack up shares. And, of course, Google+ can positively impact search results through a Search, Plus Your World Feature (which lets users conduct a social search of content or businesses in their network) as well as through making it possible to get up Google Authorship to link your content with your Google+ profile.

Where to Begin

If you are ready to begin benefiting from Google+, there’s a few steps to take to get your account up-and-running and to start making the connections you need. To get started:

• Create your account. The name that you choose is important as this is how you will be identified and how people will find you. As of this past summer, Google+ no longer requires users to utilize their real names for their accounts. This means you can choose to use the name of your business or another name that reflects what you do.
• Get a vanity URL. A vanity or a “custom” URL allows you to give people a short and easy-to-remember website address so it is easier for people to find you. Changing your URL is as simple as signing into Google+, going to your Profile, then selecting the “About” tab. Under links, there’s the option to create your own vanity URL that describes your brand or your business. Choose something simple and easy to remember or to include on business cards and correspondence.
• Complete your profile & hovercard. Your profile is the place where all your posts, comments and activity are stored. The profile also shows people you may know, hangouts you can participate in, and @mentions. The more complete your profile, the more people will find you and the better your chances are of becoming a Google+ influencer yourself.

Getting Active

Once your account is up and running, its time to get active. Networking is the name of the game and you want to connect to influencers, potential customers and people in your community and professional field. To make the connections you need for your Google+ community to grow:

• Set the goal of following new people each week to expand your network of followers and followed.
• Create your circles. Circles give you control over who content is shared with and how content is consumed. Unlike Facebook, you don’t have to share everything with everyone in your network. You can create different circles to target niche markets and to send out hyper-focused content of the most interest to different sets of followers.
• Join communities. Becoming a member of large and active communities lets you find new followers and build your online presence.
• Share content. You should always have the goal of providing content that is educational, entertaining and inspiring so people will share it. Don’t forget to promote your brand or business within the content.

These are the basics you need to know to get started on using Google+. Don’t forget to focus on including hashtags, linking content, adding images and videos for interest, and formatting your posts to make them readable (this is a unique feature of Google+ not available on other social networks). Watch your @mentions grow and see how well Google+ can work for you.

Rita Chaires
SEO and Social Media Manager
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (800) 846-1555
www.aaepa.com
^[1] http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/10/29/google-plus/3296017/