A few months back we posted an article called Google+, Healthcare and Beyond. In that post, we talked about the basics of this new social network, including circles and the +1 button. Google+ is still in its infancy, but since then, 40 million users have joined this new network.
In early November, Google launched Google+ for business. Finally, you can easily create a business entity on this new social network. Just when you started mastering and maintaining a presence on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, here is something else marketers need to pay attention to. What new benefits does Google+ bring to healthcare marketers?
- First, and most important, Google+ is powered by the search engine giant Google, the most-viewed website in the world. If you go to Google to search, there is a good chance a Google+ business profile may come up in the search results, which means more website traffic for you.
- Fans of your page can become free marketers of your page by adding a brand to a specific Google+ Circle within their network and then sharing that page with their network. They can also interact with the content posted by that company. For instance, users can “+1” (endorse) company updates, leave comments, upload photos, and tag the brand. If you see that someone you know had a great experience at your hospital and you endorse it, there is a good chance they too may use that same hospital for their healthcare needs.
- An interesting aspect of this platform that’s not available currently on the other big social networks is its Hangouts feature which enables companies to engage with fans, prospects and customers through video conference calls. For a hospital, that could be a great way to create focus groups and discuss basic treatment options for patients without getting into specifics that could violate HIPAA regulations.
Google+ for businesses is merely a month old. For now, I recommend to start using the service by creating a business page and start using the same best practices you would use in your other social networks, including regularly sharing fresh content, reacting and responding to your fans and optimizing for lead generation.
Next week, we’ll go into detail about how Google+ will change search marketing. In the meantime, feel free to “+1” and add to your circles Wax Custom Communications’ brand-new Google+ page by clicking right here.
