Google, and anything Google-related, is high on the radar of The Practice team when it comes to news, SEO activities, and products. After all, it’s the first brand we encounter when we log on, and it’s the hub and portal of our online experience.

But when it comes to Google +, we’ve largely ignored its importance, and when we recommend social media communication to our clients, Facebook and Twitter are the first tools we suggest. So when we learnt earlier this week that Google + is in fact the second biggest social network, we decided to assess how brands should be using it as part of their social media strategies. After all, if 500 million people currently have a Google + account, and it’s attracted 343 million active users, it certainly makes sense to discover its benefits.

We discovered that for market research purposes, Google + is second to none thanks to G+ Communities. This feature enables users to converse and share content regarding shared interests, while brands can create starting topics, monitor, participate and moderate- therefore they’re essentially forums with the added bonus of being rich in video and picture content. We like the fact that Communities not only allows brands to discover how their fans think and interact, but also enables them to mold a wider identity away from related subjects. Coca-Cola, for example, is an active Google + user, and in the past has posed subjects such as “Happiness” and “Exploration”, alongside more obvious topics such as “Share your Coke Haiku” or “Me and my Coke.”

Google +’s other popular feature, Hangouts, also facilitates companies with showcasing a personal side. The tool allows brands to video chat with users globally, conduct meetings, and broadcast anything they like, from live events, to shows, conferences, product launches and interviews. The Practice team agrees that Hangouts is useful for brands to demonstrate expertise, and create a global and active presence. One brand using Hangouts effectively is Cadbury’s, who’ve hosted almost one dozen so far, featuring live baking sessions, tastings of their eponymous chocolate, and “behind-the-scenes” action at Cadbury World, amongst others.

So how else can brands benefit from Google+? For advertising and exposure, having a company Google + account on top of using Google Adwords is a double whammy for brands. Most brands will be using Adwords for self-promotion, but it makes sense for them to get on board Google + if they wish to boost their performance. Why? Next time you see a paid advertisement appear from a Google search, notice that underneath, it will list the number of people recommending or following the respective company- a higher amount results in better ad performance. Aside from just adverts, Google search results are also aided by having a Google + account. For example, if the searcher follows a brand’s Google + profile, any other related content will also appear higher in search results. Essentially, it all boils down to one thing: if a brand occupies more online space, it will see a greater return- and which company wouldn’t want that?!

Are you a Google + user? And do you think brands have demonstrated that they can communicate more successfully via this platform than on other social networking sites? We’d love to hear your opinions, so please tweet to us @PracticeDigital and share your comments on our Facebook page.