Uh oh, it’s begun: guides on getting more followers on Google+!
Just hold your horses for one second: first of all, it’s called “getting circled“, learn your Google+ lingo, sheesh.
Second, this post is going to teach you about real ways of getting more engagement and being added to more circles on Google+. There are no cheap fixes or “follow everybody that has an account” kind of advice here.
In fact, all of the tips you’ll read here have to do with a single theme…
Leverage
Leverage is how you build your presence online, no matter what medium you are talking about.
Want a popular blog? Leverage the popularity of other blogs with guest posts, interviews, and case studies.
Want to get circled more often on Google+? Well then…
1.) Leverage Your Blogs & Mailing Lists
The best way to get more followers on G+ is to already have a strong mailing list and a popular website/blog.
And that is not an opinion.
I assure you that even though myself, Dustin, and James are biased to blogs because we are all bloggers, some of the most followed people on G+ are people with strong mailing lists and blogs with a lot of visitors.
Take a look at Darren Rowse’s (the one and only Problogger) following on Google+: over 55,000+ people have added him to their circles!
So how can you leverage your blog and mailing list to build your Google+ profile or page, without being annoying?
a.) Send out an email to your list about your Google+ pofile with a link. Darren has a list of over 160k+ for Problogger, I think that played a big part in his quick gain of circles, don’ you think?
b.) Promote your Google+ profile on your site. You can use the Google Plus profile widgets we discussed in an earlier post, or check out some cool Google Plus buttons on sites like GraphicRiver (use them in your sidebar).
c.) Do a separate post about Google+ on your blog, specifically about your profile and encourage readers to head over and circle you. Highlight the benefits of circling you: what kind of awesome updates can they expect?
I’ve used option B recently and it has worked really well.
Although my Google+ circles aren’t in the tens of thousands like Darren’s, after just two weeks of putting a Google+ button on one of my blogs, over 200 people added me to their circles.
2.) Promote Your Profile In Guest Posts
If you are familiar with guest blogging (and you darn well should be!), you know that people often add a social media link in addition to a site link.
This lets people see what you are about in addition to what you post about on your site.
For some time now, Twitter has been the most popular option for linking back to. But recently, times have changed, and even big bloggers have started focusing more on Google+.
before google+
after google+
You can do the same.
While your own blog is your home fort, guest posting provides a unique way to promote your profile to tons of bloggers (who are one of the biggest groups of people that have adopted Google+ early).
Guy Kawasaki & Chris Brogan have even described Google+ as a land grab, encouraging bloggers to get in early (like many early Twitter users did).
Adding a link back to your Google+ profile in guest posts can be the absolute best way to get your profile in front of a bunch of eyes. So, for your next guest post, consider your space for you “byline”, and see if you can fit in a Google+ link in addition to one back to your site.
3.) Create Quality, Shareable Posts (Often)
Instead of just using every opportunity you get to link back to your blog, send out a few Google+ posts just for your followers to enjoy.
Images, videos, quotes, your thoughts: they all work, and all of the big bloggers on Google+ use them.
You have to remember that this isn’t Twitter: people are more likely to “share” a photo on Google+ because people can actually see it! GIFs are especially popular I’ve found. Check out Reddit for some interesting image ideas as it is known for some of the most interesting and humorous images on the web.
Images are obviously not your only source: this is the web we’re talking about here! Share interesting news, articles, studies, blog posts, really anything that you & your circles would find interesting, and do so often.
It shouldn’t take you 2 weeks between updates. Although again, this isnt’ Twitter– no 30 posts a day please!
4.) Leverage Your Existing Social Media Profiles
After you’ve branded your Google+ profile URL, head over to your favorite (or should I say former favorite 
) social media profile, and promote your Google+ profile there.
If you are making a complete switch (like Chris Brogan– check out his profile picture), put your profile link in places like your description to let people know that you’d prefer they connect with you on Google+.
If you’re not ready to make the full jump yet, tweet or share your Google+ profile link on Facebook a few times to start sending followers over to your new preferred platform.
5.) Create Google+ Content Outside Of Google+
This one might sound a bit weird at first, but hear me out.
Like I’ve said, I’ve managed to build my circles consistently despite not doing much promotion at all for my Google+ profile. One of the ways in which I’ve seen big growth, for work I’d love to do anyways, is posting about Google+ on blogs.
My own post on Google+ Marketing features a healthy set of links back to my own profile, and as I’ve mentioned, guest posting is a great strategy to get your name out there for your site. If you create a guest post about Google+, you’re certain to see more people adding to your circles than usual.
You could also do what I am doing right now: posting about Google+ content on a Google+ blog, of which I’m a fairly consistent writer for.
Posting about Google+ will get people interested in your profile. It’s no wonder sites that focus on Twitter or that specialize in Facebook often have really high follower & fan counts on those profiles.
The same rule applied to Google+, so if you share your knowledge about the platform, you’re likely to see people more interested in your personal profile.
Over To You
What ways have you promoted your Google+ profile using blogging or non-blogging related techniques?
Have you completely focused on Google+ recently, or do you still use your other social media profile often? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
