Find out more about Google+ Business Pages and how you can integrate them into your social media marketing strategy.
Google has introduced Google+ Business Pages, their latest foray into social media. The HeBS Digital 5th Annual Benchmark Survey on Hotel Digital Marketing Budget Planning and Best Practices discovered 43% of hoteliers believe social media is one of the internet marketing strategies producing the best results and highest return on investment. Find out why you can use the social media network to promote your hotel.
What are Google+ Business Pages?
“For businesses and brands, Google+ pages help you connect with the customers and fans who love you. Not only can they recommend you with a +1, or add you to a circle to listen long-term. They can actually spend time with your team, face-to-face-to-face. All you need to do is start sharing, and you’ll soon find the super fans and loyal customers that want to say hello.”
Vic Gundotra, Senior Vice President of Engineering
Find out more about Google+ Business Pages in this official Google video:
Google+ Business Pages are designed to help companies connect with customers and fans one-to-one in real-time. Hotels can add leisure and business travellers, clients, suppliers or anyone else important to their establishment to their online community. You can divide people into different groups which are called Circles and use your (news) Stream to customise your brand message for different hotel segments.
People who follow hotels on social media may have different interests and this is where Circles come into play. For instance travellers are more likely to be interested in special deals and promotions whereas your suppliers may be more concerned about news and industry updates. Content can include comments, discussions about hotel facilities, customer service and so forth or uploading videos and images of your hotel.
Hangouts are another feature of Google+ Pages. They are virtual rooms where you can video chat to all your different Circles about issues that are most important to them. There is also a group messaging app (previously called Huddles) for people within your Circle of friends. Since it’s a messaging application, you can only access it by downloading the Google+ Android app on your Android phone or on your Apple iPhone.
Should your hotel have a Google+ business page?
A Google+ Business Page ideally should be part of your overall social media strategy as well as having a Twitter and Facebook presence. Google+ pages can also be integrated directly into Google Search through a feature called Direct Connect so whenever a user starts a search query with the “+” operator, it will start bringing up the page as they type. Typing “+Macy’s” and the result will take you directly to the Macy branded page.
Find out more about Direct Connect with this video released by Google:
How can I promote my Google+ Business Page?
Having integrated hotel online marketing strategies is always important to extend the reach of your internet marketing campaigns and get the most bang for your buck. Once you have created your Google+ business page, increase your marketing exposure and your social Circles by displaying the Google+ badge on all of your online properties including your social media pages, associated hotel websites and advertising banners.
Google says that using the Google+ badge to connect your site to your Google+ page, you:
- make it easy for your audience to subscribe to your posts and endorse and share your site.
- get more personal recommendations around the web, by connecting +1’s for your website with +1’s on your Google+ page.
- qualify for Google+ Direct Connect, which lets people type +your_site_name on Google search and automatically start following your page.
Using Google+ already? You can add SEO Works to your Circles.. As the Google + project evolves, there will be plenty of improvements and enhancements announced by Google that we will discuss in the blog. To find out more about Google+ (Plus) pages for Business and other social media strategies contact Hotel Internet Marketing and ask to speak to one of our online marketing consultants.
