Have you set up your new Google Plus Page account yet? If not, sign in to Google and go here plus.google.com/pages/create.
I really don’t know why Google waited four months to give businesses exactly the same thing you and I have in our current Google accounts.
Nonetheless, this latest development allows you to manage multiple Google Plus Pages under a single Google account. You can also make comments using the name of your Page, business, or organization.
My Google Plus account is Rosh Sillars. My photography company, The Rosh Group Inc. account, is listed under Rosh. The graphic above shows the drop-down menu to view the other pages connected to the account.
Circles work the same way as your traditional Google Plus account. Google gives you a head start with four starter circles: Following, Customers, VIPs and Team Members. You will want to divide your customers into additional segments. Not every customer will want to receive the same message. This is the genius of circles. They make it easier to share the best message with the right people.
Google makes it easy to share your imagery. The icons on the left are for photography, video, links, and location. If you click on the video icon you will have the option to share a YouTube video. I recommend you create YouTube videos for your followers. Be sure to make them interesting, funny, and informative. Keeping them short isn’t a bad idea, either.
A hang out — a video chat room in Google Plus — is another way to connect with your followers. Share seminars, portfolio showings, or the story behind some of your best photographs or works of art. You can also share your YouTube videos inside a hang out. I use the hang out as a low-cost conference call system with my team members.
Google Plus continues to be a simple and powerful platform.
While there are no new features to report, Google is continuously working to improve Google Plus. Someday soon perhaps businesses, organizations and personalities will be able to customize their Google Plus Pages like the ones on Facebook.
Facebook Pages are better for retail customization, events, and business development. That doesn’t mean photography businesses should not start to developing a following on Google Plus to take advantage of opportunities and future advances.
Google is working to make it easier for people to find your business page using the Google search engine via a new feature called Direct Connect. Unfortunately, this option is only available for a few large brands, such as Pepsi. Type +Pepsi in the Google search engine and Google will take you directly to the Google Plus Pepsi page.
Should all photographers switch to a business page? I would recommend staying put to any individual photographer who has a good following on her home Google Plus account. Photography studios, galleries, blogs, agencies, and groups now have the opportunity to build a Google Plus following without worrying about Google shutting them down.
Pages are finally here, but I’m a little disappointed.
Rosh
