A lot of features have changed since it’s creation in 2011, and if you were never an adopter or just haven’t been on in a bit, I suggest you go in and take a look around. You might be pleasantly surprised! Last November, Google+ redesigned its look, keeping communities and collections front and center.

What Went Missing?

• Google+ Photos: Removed in May 2015 and turned into it’s own application. You can find it here.
• Google+ Hangouts: Removed from the platform Summer 2015. You can find it here. On a related note, Hangouts on air has been replaced with YouTube Live as of September 12th, but they’re only rolling it out to select channels right now.
• Google+ Local: Business pages are still here, though, and you can toggle between them and your personal account in the upper righthand corner when you log in. However, gone are the days of star ratings, opening hours, and business categories. The new look only highlights a very brief amount of business info under the “about” icon.

It’s always recommend that a business be active on each platform they have a presence. If you have a Google account, you have a Google+ profile and most likely a business page floating around out there, too. With a lot of unnecessary and cluttered features moving off the platform, and the shift to communities and collections, the social network has become much more user-friendly, streamlined, and focused. With that focus in mind, I want to touch on several ways to get the most out of your Google+ account using these two prominent features.

Google+ Communities

Social media is a place for building relationships through engagement, and Google+ communities gives you another area to do just that. I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not “just another social network.” Although it’s monthly active user numbers are much lower than Facebook, it still offers valuable tools.

What are these communities? Simply put, they’re groups, and range from inbound marketing to urban gardening and everything inbetween. Think of them like your LinkedIn groups, only more relaxed. Use them with your personal Google+ account and business page.

Features Include:

• Option for a photo (think eye-catching header image)
• Ample room for a custom description
• Area for links to websites and other socials
• Custom categories inside the group to help break up information
• Ability to add multiple moderators
• Public, private, open or invite only (think Facebook and LinkedIn groups)

For Individuals: Grow Your Influence

Spend a few minutes a day joining relevant groups in your field of expertise. Don’t be afraid to jump in on a conversation, or start one yourself! Share your company’s blogs, infographics, videos, and other helpful content. If you can find a local community, share about upcoming events either hosted by your company or that would be of interest to other members.

For Business: Build Brand Authority

Go about joining communities as a business just like you would with your personal account. Share relevant content, participate in discussions, and work on establishing the company. If you can’t find any outstanding groups to join, create your own! What better way to build up your own brand than creating a custom group that interests others?  

If you need help getting the hang of communities, this is a great article by Mashable that lays it all out for beginners. Still need convincing? HootSuite highlights 10 benefits of this feature!

Google+ Collections

Communities and collections have a lot of similarities, but collections is a lot more focused. If you love Pinterest, try this feature! These are the Pinterest boards of the social platform, but with more options to connect, have great discussions around topics you’re passionate about, and build relationships and brand awareness.

Features:

• One owner: Whether it’s a collection on a business page or your own account, you own that board.
• One contributor: Whoever owns the collection contributes to that collection.
• Business branding: When people pull up your business account, they’ll be able to see any collections you have. This is a great way to distribute your own content, as well as connect with influencers.

As an individual or a business, some ideas for your collections could be:

• Your blog posts
• Your infographics
• Your Podcasts or videos
• Creativity collections
• Inspiration collections with content from other industry leaders

As with any other platform, you’ll want to come up with a posting schedule for both collections and communities (especially if you have your own) to make sure content stays relevant, spam is removed, and engagement increases. You may still be wondering if this is really worth your time, and considering Google+’s history, that’s completely understandable. From research and personal experience with the platform, I see there being a lot of room for brand influence. Whether it’s a +1, informative comment, or a share in a relevant community, everything drives people back to your profile and website.

Google+ isn’t the same network that was developed in 2011. It’s changed, and hopefully for the better. It’s up to the business though, to evaluate whether or not they’re having an impact by using a particular platform. Test it out, see if you’re making an impact, and always measure the results.