Facts about Google Plus:
Google+ is a product of Google. The platform offers “do follow” links that help with your link building and therefore your SEO and online reputation management. The more people who follow your organization on Google+ and engage with your brand on the platform, the more emphasis it will have on your search engine rankings. The stronger and more reputable your organization’s Google+ presence is, the better and more advantageous it will be for your brand, both in and out of a crisis.
Crisis communications insight tip
Posting your crisis communications to Google+ is an intelligent crisis management strategy, for all of the reasons mentioned above. I recently wrote about the 2 social media platforms you absolutely need to be on, pre-crisis and, sooner rather than later, Google Plus will be added to this list.
If you want to be ahead of the game and even more crisis-ready, start focusing on building your organization’s Google+ presence now.
Author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World, Melissa Agnes is a leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management, and brand protection. Agnes is a coveted keynote speaker, commentator, and advisor to some of today’s leading organizations faced with the greatest risks. Learn more about Melissa and her work here.
Thanks a lot for sharing this, Melissa. I know Matt Cutts said it himself that +1s aren't used as a measurement in SEO but I still think it has, in a way, an effect. Google+ is increasingly becoming popular. More professionals actually prefer it over Facebook.
I don't put it past Google to have it all work together. I believe that everything has an impact. Not to mention that +1's can endorse Google ads that people we're connected to can see in their search results pages… so it definitely plays a role in our online reputation – and thus, our crisis communications.