Super Sized: Google+ & Facebook Roll Out New Updates
This has been a busy week for social media with updates from Google+ and the announcement by Facebook regarding changes to the News Feed features.
Today, let’s review the updates and reflect on what that will mean for your business.
Google+
On Wednesday, March 6th, Sara McKinley, the Google+ Product Manager, posted to her Google+ the updates that had just been rolled out. If you want to stay in the know, add Sara to your Google+ Circles.
New Features Include:
- Bigger cover photo with a better aspect ratio
- Enhanced look for the “About” tab
- New tab for Local Reviews
On Thursday, March 7th, Mark Zuckerberg announced the changes coming to Facebook’s News Feed. He began his presentation by saying the updates would give Facebook users the ability to have a personalized newspaper with high-quality public content and updates from friends and family.
New Features Include:
- Richer stories with larger photos and maps
- Choices to view feeds by topic
- Consistent design for mobile and desktops
Unlike Google, these changes have not yet been rolled out. If you want to see them explained first-hand and request early release, you can visit: Facebook.com/newsfeed.
The Biggest Take-Aways
Google+ and Facebook are both focused on two key items in their updates: giving visual elements like photos more emphasis and better exposure for places. The focused attention that these social networks have given to these aspects can help your business gain traction with local marketing and overall better exposure. Here are some tips to get you motivated:
Google+ Tips:
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Get a Google+ page for you and your business
Your business needs to be on Google+. If you have not done so, now’s the time to sign-up.
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Update your cover and profile
If you’re on Google+ personally or for your business be sure to make time over the next week to update your cover photo. Note that Google+ moved the location of your profile photo on the cover, so you may want to rethink your cover image. You should also spend some time updating your about tab. The enhanced layout makes it much easier to read and people will be checking this out more and more as the updates are being discussed.
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Get Local
Spend some time getting to know the new local area on Google+. You will want to note that Google+ local offers check-ins and reviews. Learn how your business will be impacted by this local feature.
Facebook Tips:
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Encourage Check-ins
Be sure to continue to encourage your clients and customers to check-in on Facebook. The notification will be bigger in their News Feeds and will give your business greater exposure to their friends.
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Share Photos Every Day
If you have a business page, be sure that you work daily photo sharing into your Facebook strategy to share a photo each and every day on top of sharing additional updates.
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Encourage Photo Sharing from Your Customers
If you have been holding back on this, you really need to let go and encourage clients and customers to take photos with your products and at your business. Take it a step further and ask them to share photos you post on your Facebook page. Photos grab people’s interest and encourage greater engagement.
If you have further questions on Google+ or Facebook for your business, request a consultation and we’ll discuss what we can do for you.
One Response to Super Sized: Google+ & Facebook Roll Out New Updates
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I am glad to have you and your team Helping me….