Right now, Google Plus seems like it is best suited for content intensive businesses that need to educate and inform their customers. While there are certainly great consumer examples of this such as media companies, financial services institutions, and automotive manufacturers, the most fertile area for content marketing is B2B. Here are some best practices that can help a B2B company more effectively use Google+...

1. Ask yourself whether your target audience is in fact reachable via Google+. The demographics are actually extremely narrow on Google+ right now.

2. Establish a cadence of activity. Google+ isn't Twitter, but you will need to make sure that you create a cadence that your network cares about. Posts are a great way to do this, but the most powerful available to a B2B marketer is events using the Hangouts.

3. Don't overuse Circles when you are just getting started. Start by targeting and engaging a singular audience. You can segment later, but even then make sure it's worth it.

4. Google+ is only as good as the content you create. Twitter is powerful for many B2B marketers because the cost of content creation is so low. The opposite might prove to be true on Google+.

5. Then there are a bunch of tips, techniques, hacks you should use. Google Docs has a bunch of stuff on this like what code snippet to use for better SEO and how to use the Ripple feature.

Kim Beasley Replied on Jan. 18, 2012

Additionally, here are some suggestions that I have:

1. Make sure that you create a business page so that you can start connecting with others via it.

2. Sharing circles is another way to connect with others so that you can grow your connections.

3. Hangouts are important to business because it allows you to connect with target customers in real life. But remember that it's not about pushing your business on others. You should concentrate on building relationships that can lead to business opportunities.

4. Managing your circles is very important because it allows you to easily share content with specific individuals without having to type in each person's name.