I'm so glad so many Active Rainers are starting to use Google Plus and they are getting more active. That is great news for you biz, your website as well as for AR.
Last week, Active Rain made a change to help prompt us to share our posts across google +, face book and linkedIn. In concept, this is great.
HOWEVER, in practice, the implementation of this is SUBOPTIMAL and I'm sure most people don't even realize it...and the good news is that it is SIMPLE to fix!
Here's is what shows on Google Plus when you just hit the button:
What does this have to do with your post? Nothing! And, I see it over and over again on Google Plus...in fact, I start to tune all those posts out...they look boring and almost look like spam. And, it doesn't look like anyone is engaging here. I've seen tons of people doing this...including Nikesh Parehk and Bob Stewart. I'm sure no one realizes they are even doing this.
Can we do better? Yes! What if you posted the picture that you used in the post instead> Wouldn't that look better? Wouldn't it communicate your idea better?
NEWSFLASH: It's fast and easy to insert your own picture! I'm first going to show you the easier way, and then the better way...either is head and shoulders above what most are doing now!
The easy way: If you hit the G+ button, but BEFORE you hit submit, hover over the picture...you'll notice some arrows at the top...click the arrows to select the picture of your choice. Then, hit submit.
The better way: Go to Google plus and do your status update from there. Write an intro line. Then add a picture to the picture box...this way, your picture will be much larger and more impactful. (I wish I could get a screen shot for you). Then, in the text section, post a link to your post. This takes a bit more time, but it looks much better. Because it looks much better, you are more likely to get additional + 1's, comments, shares and clicks to your website. I think it's worth the extra time.
Edit: Check out comment #15 from Kathy Nielsen...she has visually shown the difference between the 2 options. It's huge! And, you can see it below. Thank you Kathy. Tell me which looks more impactful.
The easier way....
The better way...
That is my tip for the day. Please at least do the easy way. It will make a big difference. I hope that you will join us on Google +. We have a very active and supportive group from Active Rain interacting, learning and sharing together. Here is a link to my Google Plus account Debbie Gartner.
Note to fellow Active Rainers on G+...if any of you can get some screen shots to demonstrate, feel free to add to the comments. My program isn't working and I need to reinstall it! uggh.
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