Google Inc. yesterday released a dashboard for its Google+ social network. The tool serves as a hub where marketers can oversee their Google+ page, as well as manage their activities using other Google tools such as Google Maps, Offers daily deals and search.
The tool enables a retailer to post pictures and content to his Google+ page, monitor an Offers campaign, and see search-related information. For instance, the display would show the top searches for his business and where shoppers are located when they request driving directions to one of his bricks-and-mortar stores—along with data for his Google+ posts, such as how many people viewed a particular post.
“Today millions of businesses use Google+ to connect with their customers in meaningful ways,” wrote Pavni Diwanji, a Google senior director in a Google+ post. “Many of these businesses also use AdWords to promote their products; Maps to update store info; and YouTube to publish high-quality video content (to name a few). We want to make it easier to manage your online presence—all across Google—so today we’re getting started with Google+ Dashboard.”
Marketers can access the dashboard after signing into their Google+ accounts by clicking the Dashboard icon in the site’s navigation menu.
The move is the latest attempt to by Google to entice marketers to use Google+. Google already adds brands’ Google+ posts to search results and factors consumers’ clicks of the social network’s +1 button into search results.
266 retailers in the Internet Retailer 2013 Top 500 Guide have the +1 button on their sites.
Marketers can’t ignore Google+, says Kevin Lee, CEO of digital marketing technology and services provider Didit, because the social network is important to Google.
“Google is granting unprecedented access to the search engine results page to Google+ profiles, as well as to content authored by individuals and publishers, which can include brands as publishers,” he says. “Both larger and smaller marketers can take advantage of the additional business integration that comes with a well fleshed out Google+ presence including plenty of opportunities to build their brand.”
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