Should you use Facebook or Google+?

Google+ came out and confusion hit

Ever since Google+ entered the social media sphere several months ago, there has been a running debate and argument amongst industry experts all over the country. Facebook or Google? Which one is better? While similar in purpose, the reality is that both have something different to offer today’s small business.

Instead of arguing over which one is better and superior to the other, it would really be wiser to think about how you can use the two sites together to grow your brand’s exposure. All it takes is a little strategizing.

The benefits of both sides

For all-intensive purposes, I should first explain the benefits of both sites. Facebook, being the powerhouse that it is, serves the “social” function much better than any other site of its kind right now. The most people are on it, and the fact is that it gets used more often and frequently than any other social networking site. For that reason, you need to be active on Facebook and use it as an interactive tool. This is the site you will want to go to for the actual engagement involved in your marketing. This is the site that will allow you to build relationships with those who are interacting with your brand and hopefully convert them into clients.

Google+, on the other hand, is beneficial for building your SEO and showing up higher on the search engine rankings. The profiles and business pages on Google+ allow you to hyperlink to other elements of your online presence within your description and about me sections as well as provide a great sidebar outlining links to all other aspects of your brand online.

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The more time you spend making your Google+ profile as optimized as possible, the more that information will be indexed into Google’s engine and the more likely it is that you will move up the search engine rankings. This is the benefit of using a Google-based platform. One more thing: if other Google+ users connect with your page on the site, then the next time one of their contacts searches for people in your industry on Google, your business will come up with their friend’s pictures underneath it. It’s the smart way to build your brand’s exposure.

Now, here is how to use them together

So there you have it. Facebook is best for interacting and engaging. Google+ is best for SEO and exposure. Both provide different benefits. Now it’s time to figure out how to use them together:

Post more frequently on Facebook, but keep Google+ populated too. You’re going to want more interaction on your Facebook page, so it makes sense that you’d post there every day and keep the content eye-catching and engaging. With that being said, you don’t want to create an optimized Google+ profile and business page and leave it sitting there. You want to focus your Google+ pages on promoting your brand, driving traffic to other elements of your online presence and posting engaging content a few times per week.

Make sure your Facebook fans are also giving your Google+ profiles the “+1”. The more people who connect with you on Google+, the more likely it is that your business will show up on page 1 of the search engine result pages. Remember, Google is starting to incorporate the “social factor” into their search results, so people will see the websites of those who their friends “recommend” via the Google+ platform.

Once you start utilizing both of these platforms for their strong attributes, you will find that social media can boost both your SEO and your engagement, which leads to more online traffic and business. Instead of partaking over which social media site is superior, use both for what they can do to take your online marketing efforts for the next level.

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