What the Launch of Google+ Pages Means for Your College
Google officially launched Google+ Pages yesterday – finally! The Pages allow for organizations, including colleges, to create brand personas and engage with more than 40 million people already using Google+. Even though the launch of Pages is so new, it is definitely a platform for your college to consider expanding its online presence to.
Below are some of the cool features that Google+ Pages offer that colleges should pay attention to:
• Hangouts: A one-click video chat, allowing for face-to-face conversations. Hangouts are ideal for a teacher’s ‘office hours’ for those students that need extra help or even study groups. They can also be used for the admissions team to chat with prospective students and/or current students to chat with other departments such as Career Services.
• Circles: Google+ has standard Circles for Pages, which include Team Members, VIPs, Customers, and Following. Pages have the ability to segment posts, just as individual Google+ users do. Unfortunately Pages cannot add individual users to Circles until the page is added first or mentioned. Something to think about for your school are Circles that would work for the overall goals of its online presence. Since Circles allow for users/Pages to segment posts, Circles that would make sense to have are current students, graduates, prospective students, staff/faculty, and even a circle for different departments (i.e. Career Services and Student Success).
• Direct Connect: This feature simplifies searching for following colleges on Google+. First you will need to connect your school’s website to your Google+ page. After doing this your school’s Google+ page becomes eligible for Direct Connect through Google searches. A user can then do a Google search for your school by typing + then your school’s Page name (i.e. + SchoolXYZ). The user will be sent directly to your Google+ Page.
Be sure to check out Google+: A Helpful Guide for College Students and Teachers here.
Is your school considering adding Google+ into the mix of its online presence? Why/why not? We would love to know your thoughts on the platform and how it will fit into your school’s future online marketing strategy.
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