First, a show of hands - who really thought we needed another social network?

No surprise.

Well, whether we thought we needed it, or not, Google+ for business is here, and with it has come a flood of blog posts, tweets, and e-news articles praising it’s virtues, or, in some cases, condemning it’s short-comings.

From our perspective, Google+ for business has the potential to be an important Internet marketing tool for independent agents. Here’s why.

SEO

First, Google+ is tied to Google search. In other words, Google+ is a search engine optimization (SEO) tool. Google+ is going to make Google search a smarter search engine. Google+ is going to help Google search see trends and understand web-user interests faster than ever before. And Google search is going to use what it learns when placing recommendations on the results page.

As you set up your Google+ Circles, Google search is going to see which of your contacts are most important to you, and what types of information your agency shares with prospects and clients.

Google+ has also introduced it’s own social-sharing button - +1. Social-sharing buttons are becoming in increasingly important Internet marketing tool because they affect quality scores, and serve as a call-to-action reminder for visitors that your content might be interesting to others.

The information gained from your agency Circles and +1 votes gives Google search a better understanding of your agency, and that understanding is likely going to mean better recommendations on the search results pages.

Google+ Direct

Next, when Google introduced Google+ for business, it also introduced Google+ Direct for web visitors who want to skip the traditional search results page and go directly to your agency Google+ page. Here’s how it works.

Web-users can simply add a + in front of your agency name when they do a Google search. If your agency site is Google+ Direct enabled, the user will be taken directly to your agency
Google+ page.

To make your agency site eligible for Google+ Direct, go to the “connect your website” link under the “Getting Started” section of Google+. You will be given the code for six different Google+ icons. This code must be added to your agency web site. Once added, your agency site becomes eligible for Google+ Direct.

However, becoming Google+ Direct eligible is only the first step. Google is using an algorithm to determine which sites are included in Google+ Direct. Your ability to promote your agency site with tools like blogs, e-newsletters, RSS feeds, and links are going to influence the Google+ Direct algorithm.

Maximizing Google+

Social media marketing is designed to attract visitors (suspects) to your agency web site. Each network has its strengths, as does Google+. Here are a few thoughts on getting the most marketing value from Google+.

Grow your Circles. Use them. Google+ is built on the idea that different groups of people are interested in different content. In other words, market segmentation. Google understands market segments and, through Circles, gives you the ability to use different marketing tactics with different market segments.

Graphics are important to Google+. Think about marketing your agency visually. Which photos, charts, or presentation slides can you post to Google+ to start conversations and encourage the spread of your content?

Add links. Google likes links, and so do viewers - if they are valuable. Add links to e-news articles, blog posts, or any special agency programs or offers.

Encourage web users to add your agency Google+ page to their Circles. Promote your Google+ page on your home page, blog, e-newsletter, and other social media networks.

Ask viewers to share your posts, photos, and links.

Use the +1 button and other social-sharing buttons throughout your web site.

Going Forward

At this writing, Google+ for business is barely a couple months old. Yet, it is already clear that Google+ has more power than other social networks to influence search results and generate web traffic. It is also clear that Google has no qualms about using that power to influence the social media environment.

Leveraging the power of Google+ for insurance agents presents a learning curve - for all of us. We are all going to go through some Google+ trial and error. But in time, we believe independent insurance agents are going to benefit from this powerful Internet marketing tool.