So you’ve heard all about the benefits of Google+ and are ready to get your business connected on the platform. You open an account, start a business page, fill out your information, then bam, you’re struck with the decision to post as your business page or yourself. Still staring at that “Share what’s new” field and not sure which account type you should be posting on?
Here’s the simple, basic low-down on what you should do:
Use both. It’s the perfect tag team duo!
Why Business Owners Should Use a Personal Profile
Most business-owners already have a Google+ account but might not know where to start on the platform. For this reason, not many actually make optimal use of their accounts or might be focusing efforts on business pages but not personal profiles. Businesses that choose to employ solely their company accounts often fail to tap into the incredible networking experiences on G+. This stems from the idea that business pages often lack sincerity and trustworthiness.
Although your company may have good intentions, posting and interacting through business pages can appear schemy if not managed properly. Consider how you feel about solicitors. Most of us feel annoyed and irritated when a salesperson bombards us with pitchy, useless information, mainly because the fact that they are just trying to make a quick buck is in bad taste. The same thing happens on Google+. If a business constantly self-promotes without contributing in any significant way to the platform, Plussers will likely turn and run the other direction. Bye-bye site traffic.
This is where your personal profile steps into the ring. There’s no debate that business owners should still have both styles of accounts, one under your own name (Yes really, your full name) as well as one under your business or company’s name. And to truly maximize your opportunities on the platform, and not come off as a greedy business-person, companies must utilize each account strategically!
How to Optimize Your G+ Business Page and Personal Profile
The internet is a dog-eat-dog world. You wouldn’t sign yourself up for a two-on-one wrestling match and you’re the singled-out fighter, so don’t enter the G+ ring without one of your profiles! To put up a fight against your competitors you will need a balance between these two fierce marketing powers. Just follow these few steps:
1. Create your personal profile and your business page. Be sure to complete both profiles with the required information, using your real name and company name, and adding your own personal flare and unique information. Don’t be afraid to brag a little about what makes your company or it’s employees so uniquely wonderful; the “Introduction” section is like your elevator pitch, you want to catch the reader and make them want to learn more about your business while maintaining some personal spunk.
2. Link to and from your personal profile to your business profile. On your profile there is a lovely section for your “Story” as well as a designated area labeled “Contributor to” and “Links” section. Show off your websites and business. Link to any websites you have written on, developed, or managed in any way.
3. Go business casual when networking. To get people to visit your personal profile or business profile you will need to start sharing posts and interacting with others through comments. Many struggle to determine just how professional or how casual they should present themselves and their company on the platform. Simply go business-casual, keeping things professional yet adding a bit of your own personal touch while networking. Most of all, be polite, mature, and engaging.
When to Use A Business Page Versus A Personal Profile
Certain tactics should be considered for different types of profiles.
For personal profiles: alternate posts and sharing between personal interests and hobbies, and information relevant to your business. Offer feedback, insight, advice, and new ideas to contribute to the network. Join communities related to your hobbies, employment, or interests and be active! Plussers are curious; by engaging frequently, other Plussers will want to investigate who you are and what you do. They will generally click on your profile which will drive them to your business page or website. Ta-da!
Most importantly, be yourself and let users get to know you! Keep it fun, original, and worth everyone’s time. By building relationships and becoming authoritative, other Plussers will often refer to your work or your business. This can mean high site traffic, and lots of leads!
The goal of your profile as a business-person is to:
- let Plussers get to know you
- build your reputation
- become educated in different sectors
- expose your work
- credit your work through Google authorship
For business pages: primarily focus on sharing information related to your industry, whether it is content that your company has created, news, or research that you have found from other sources. Post articles that have been shared on your website to encourage traffic to these pages and build a reputation for yourself as an authority. Be aware of the tone you use when posting. Avoid sounding condescending or egotistical.
Also, this is a great time for you to show off what your company is all about, or to offer a glimpse of your work culture. Share photos of your office or employees, stories and information about projects to spark curiosity and interest in viewers. Again, be sure to keep it business casual- personality along with maturity is essential. You don’t want to bore visitors, but you don’t want to lose the sense of dignity and professionalism makes your company so reputable.
Benefits of Utilizing the Google+ Personal and Business Profile Combo
Easy, right? Utilize these techniques and your dedication will lead you to a glorious victory with:
- increased communication between yourself, clients, potential clients, and other figures in your industry
- limitless possibilities for reaching target audiences and amplifying awareness of products and services
- the development of your own personal brand and unique style, or becoming known as an authority figure
- specific SEO benefits such as Google authorship, increased traffic to sites, and page authority via link-building
Stop waiting around and start handling business on Google+. Don’t forget to utilize the interwoven unit of your business page and your personal profile to maximize your success. Let us know how you’re doing!
Excellent article. As a local small business owner with a personal and business Google+ page it can be overwhelming to manage all our online media. This article is loaded with practical “how to” advice on how to engage on the #1 traffic driving platform on the web, Google+. Thanks Lauren.
Thanks for the aricle. i’ve been scratching my head about the personal vs business G+ page for a while. I would like to use G+ how I use facebook but worry about some of the more unprofessional posts I may put up. I know I can add the post to a pvt circle but when you are trying to build up a following, you kind of want those posts out there. You’ve given me great ideas though so thank you.
What? I’m an employee tasked with setting up the social media for the company. Why would I own the page? I’m not going to be around. No way would I want my personal profile eternally bound to a Google plus business page.
You didn’t actually address that issue. You assume every business is a sole-proprietor. There are thousands of us out here trying to figure out how to separate our personal lives from our employer’s assignments to promote them.
I hate being private property of my employer. Help us figure out a way around this.
Hi Thomas, I would like to clear things up. It may seem as though you are to use your own personal accounts on behalf of the company you are working for, that is not what this article is portraying. It would be best to use the company’s profiles to be active on social media, as a manager and provider to that account all while keeping your profile as unattached to the company as you chose to be.
That being said, if you are the writer/creator of the content, it might be best to share a copy with yourself even. You should be proud of your work, but no one is saying that you MUST use your personal profiles to promote a business, that is clearly a choice you must make. The article states to use the business profiles and/or the owners profile to promote and cultivate a community.
If you want to promote the business personally while still keeping your personal connections and profiles completely your own, there is nothing that says you cannot create a secondary account for the aid of social promotion and the like.
Hope this helps some.
Thomas,
I can totally relate to your distress in this situation! At drumBEAT I manage numerous G+ Local accounts for a variety of clients. Once upon a time Google didn’t have the option to transfer ownership of these accounts. So, I either created a new gmail for the client or they provided access to their gmail account. This helps you avoid using your personal profile to create a variety of business pages for businesses that you don’t even own.
P.S. Google now allows to “transfer ownership” of these pages 😀 Hope this helps!
Well written and informative. Thank you 🙂
Thanks for this – it has perplexed me for a while as to how I should be using the two differently.
Lauren, thanks for the great article! Very useful information. I’m a graduated from the University of Arizona way back in 2000 with a BA in Communication and a minor in Spanish. Today I’m working as a Web Designer and reside just north of Seattle. Keep up the great work! I look forward to reading more articles that you’ve written. Where else are you published?
Great article, thanks! Our company is just in the initial phases of ramping up on G+. Some of the other employees have made similar concerns as some of the above commenters around privacy, keeping work and personal life separate, etc.
Two questions come to mind:
1. Is there a way (and is there any benefit) to post on / comment on / +1 company posts from your personal account?
2. If I have a piece of content I’d like to share, I’m still a little unclear about whether to share it on the company page or on my personal page.
Thanks!
This post shows how business and personal profiles are absolutely redundant for small businesses, which are most of businesses by the way.
Thank you for this article. I am wondering if you know whether my business page is as easily found (SEO) when searching online as if my business were created as a personal profile page? Is there any difference between how easily this different type of accounts are found? I currently have a business page associated with my personal account and I’m worried that I’m not getting as much exposure as possible with this format. Any suggestions would be great. Thank you.
much thanks very helpful!!