Google+ is an opportunity for social selling that not many are taking advantage of.

Google+ is an enigma. It has been called everything from a Facebook killer to a digital wasteland. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. For businesses, Google+ is an opportunity for social selling that not many are taking advantage of. If you are looking to sell more products or services look towards Google+. If you do not already have a Google+ business page now is the time to set it up. If you have a Gmail account you already have a Google+ account so setting up a business page will be easy. You can get it done in a few minutes. Here are five tips that will help you sell more using Google+. 1. Use Your About Page Effectively Your About page is not only a place to tell the world about your company, it is also a place to do some pretty savvy marketing. In this section you can link back to relevant pages from your company website. This will make is super easy for prospects to visit your site. Also, you can use this area for some search engine optimization ( SEO). While Google has been moving away from SEO in favor of relevant content in its page rankings they seem to weigh posts on Google+ heavier than those elsewhere on the Internet. Put keywords that are relevant to your industry in your about page so that when prospects are searching for those terms your page will come up. 2. Post Often Like everything else you need fresh, relevant content to attract new customers. According to Google there over 300 million active monthly users on Google+. If you want to attract your fair share of these users you have to give them something they want. Don’t just post links to articles on your blog, but post some photos or infographics that relate to your company or your industry. Like all other social media you should be posting to Google+ at least once a day. 3. Google+ Events The Events feature allows you to send out custom invitation to anyone, even if they do not have a Google+ account. Use this Events feature to let people know about a sale you are having, or an industry function. You can invite people to a free webinar that your company is hosting. The options are limitless. 4. Google+ Hangouts Hangouts is a video feature that lets you video chat with others and share documents and other files instantly. You could use this for a Q&A session with customers or prospects and address any concerns they may have about your product or service. This is also an easy way to conduct a free webinar and position your company as a thought leader in your industry. 5. Search And Engage Like any other social platform your success will depend you how well you engage with people who are interested in what you have to say (and sell). You can search for keywords and then join in the conversations that are relevant to your industry. Don’t just barge in and start pitching the benefits of your product or service. Offer information and advice. Answer questions. Become part of the community. The more you give the more you will get in return. You can use Google+ to sell more and increase your business. By using the tips above the process will be much easier than you expected. Matthew Cook Matthew has over 20 years of sales and sales management experience. In addition to being the founder of SalesHub, he is the founder of SalesForce Search, which was #4 on Profit Magazine's Hot 50 list as one of the fastest growing companies in Canada. When he’s not helping companies improve their revenue he trains and competes in half ironman distance triathlons to “relax” http://www.saleshub.ca/blog/bid/351182/How-to-Sell-More-Using-Google