Today I mailed in the contract for my new book, Google+ Marketing For Dummies. This will be my 5th book and 3rd in the “For Dummies” series by my publisher Wiley. It also marks my second book for Google+, among 3 other books for Facebook.
You may have seen articles recently, fueled by Wall Street Journal, suggesting Google+ traffic is dwindling. As a result you may be asking yourself, “Why is he writing another book for Google+ if it has no traffic?” The truth is, I wouldn’t be writing this book if I didn’t see such potential for Google+. After articles like Wall Street Journal’s, I realized there is clearly a lack of education out there on the value Google+ provides for both consumers and marketers. I’m writing this because of articles like that, and I hope I can convince you of the best secret on the internet right now.
In preliminary tests, engagement is already proving to be a higher-weighted factor now in Google search results. Articles outside, and posts on Google+ are showing to weigh very heavily above even recency of articles in search results on Google. We also see this with Google now integrating Google+ results into Google search results. This is just the tip of the Iceberg. For that reason alone, marketers need to be giving Google+ another look. Google+ is not just about traffic to plus.google.com, but even more about how you rank and appear in other Google products. As I have always said, the future of Google+ is just Google.
Google+ Marketing For Dummies will make a very nice companion to my first Google+ book, Google+ For Dummies, Portable Edition. The first targets consumers and shows them how to get used to the social network, see results and value, and how to make the most of the service as a user. Google+ Marketing For Dummies will then take you, as a Marketer, Brand Manager, or Business Owner, to learn what matters most: how to use Google+ to generate more awareness for your brand, generate new leads, and in turn convert those new users into customers. In fact, you may want to offer the first book to your customers, and use the second book to learn how to market to those customers.
I’ll begin writing in the next week, and should have the final manuscript submitted by middle of this year. If all goes well you should see this in print by late summer or Fall. This book will be a welcome addition to your arsenal of books to further your edge against the competition. I’m very excited to get this book out the door as quick as possible so you can learn what Wall Street Journal doesn’t.
As a Teaser, here are the currently planned Chapter names (these, of course, are subject to change) – see anything I’m missing?:
- Chapter 1: Getting Started With Google+
- Chapter 2: Understanding Google+: The “Plus”
- Chapter 3: Understanding Google+: The “Google”
- Chapter 4: Integrating Google+ Into Your Existing Social Media Strategy
- Chapter 5: Learning Your Audience on Google+
- Chapter 6: Building a Google+ Presence
- Chapter 7: Building a Search Strategy Using Google+
- Chapter 8: Focusing on Real People and Relationships
- Chapter 9: Utilizing Hangouts to Share Your Brand
- Chapter 10: Advertising on Google With Social Ads
- Chapter 11: Building Relationships Through Google CRM
- Chapter 12: Building Website Authority Through Google+
- Chapter 13: Measuring Google+ Activity
- Chapter 14: Building Apps on Google+
- Chapter 15: 10 Ways You Can Add Value to Your Website Using Google+
- Chapter 16: 10 Examples of Good Google+ Business Practice
- Chapter 17: 10 Tips For Small Businesses Using Google+
