A Closer Look at the New Google "My Business" Insights for Pages

Brand pages on Google Plus just got better! Today Google announced that page owners now have access to some basic stats that can help them learn more about their audience and view trends in their follower count and the +1s, comments and reshares of their posts. New businesses getting started with Google and current users of Places for Business will have access to the new Google+ Dashboard. 

Below are a closer look at the new Insights (analytics) for my client's brand page, +Naturally Colored, after clicking the new "My Business" tab. Insights were previously only available for local pages.

New Dashboard for Google Plus Brand Pages

New wording under the Share section indicates that "Posts you share here will appear on Google+ and Google.com." According to the information on the "Learn More" page, posts "will appear on the Google+ stream for your page and may also display across Google on Maps, Search, and more." While this information is not new, the placement under the Share section will likely make more users more aware that Google Plus is Google.

Best Tools to Find Fans for Your Google + Brand Page

Building a following for a brand page on Google + is not easy - and building a following that is targeted, interested and engaged in your brand, product or service may seem next to impossible; however, there are tools that can help you identify and follow potential fans in your niche.

I manage several brand pages and have observed many others; I am convinced that there is a "tipping point" that you need to achieve before your page will begin growing organically. I also believe that this "tipping point" cannot be achieved (or at least would be much more difficult to achieve) by following people at random or simply by being included in shared circles. While your follower counts may increase, long term success depends upon increased engagement so that your posts will extend beyond your followers via plus ones and reshares to help attract new followers. Until that happens, you need to actively identify and follow potential fans, as well as unfollow those that are not actively engaging with your brand. The goal is to build a targeted fan base which will help your brand reach a larger audience by engaging with your content (plussing, resharing, etc.).

CircleCount Reactions Graph for My Music Hangout Page

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Getting Started - Benchmark/Track Progress & Manage Circles w/ Tools for Google +
If you plan to use your Google + data for reports and/or analysis, it is important to note that some tools will only begin to track your data from the date you set them up. I recommend setting them up now so you will have the data available when you need it.

• CircleCount
• Circloscope
• NOD3x
• Steady Demand Pro (Note: 14 day free trial. Use code #CQApproved for 20% off for life.)

In addition to the tools above, you can use Google+ Search, Hashtags and Ripples to find people and pages to follow.

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Leagues of Influence: Is this the new Klout?

Webfluential is hoping to become a leader at connecting advertisers with "influencers" by helping brands identify influential users that are best matched for the requirements of a particular campaign. Once selected and invited to participate in a campaign, influencers have the opportunity to earn money by blogging, tweeting and promoting the brand on their blogs and social media profiles.

The algorithms used by Webfluential are able to distinguish real followers from fake ones, factoring in web statistics and other metrics to identify each influencer's true influence per network; this is then compared to the results of others on the platform in order to classify users into dynamic "leagues of influence" which advertisers can then select from based on their budgets and campaign goals. Influencers are measured by the reach, resonance and relevance that each has on the networks and then placed in leagues with similar influencers and ranked accordingly.

Reach measures the size of an influencer's audience (following) per social media network and is relative to the most influential person listed on Webfluential for that particular network.

Resonance is a measure of how widely the content that an influencer shares reaches outside of their own community; again, this is relative to others on the platform.

Relevance is a measure of the response from the influencer's community in the form of likes, comments, retweets, etc. and is used to calculate a score for each network.

Influencers can create multiple profiles in their account; each profile consists of a blog and several social profiles (currently YouTube, Twitter and Instagram) and data is gathered for each (see below) which is then run through the algorithm to place them into leagues.

As an influencer's score approaches 100, it implies that they are nearing the top of their league. Higher leagues contain fewer but more influential people; influencers move into higher leagues by increasing their reach, resonance and relevance of their networks.

Influencers must meet Webfluential's minimum requirements to join, which includes a minimum of 1,000 legitimate Twitter followers. Webfluential offers suggested prices per blog post, tweet, photo upload, etc. based on what others with similar influence are charging; however, the ultimate price is set by the influencer.

Invite a #socialmedia #influencer to join @webfluenti_al: https://t.co/cWl7v4W4DP
— Christine DeGraff (@ChrisDeGraff) November 5, 2013

Advertisers and PR agencies are provided with access to listings of social influencers and can search by location, audience, platform, and topics to find influencers for their campaign.

Webfluential anticipates job offers going live on November 16th and opportunities for influencers in the US will be launched in the coming months. Visit http://webfluenti.al to learn more about Webfluential.

Data Gathered by Webfluential

Statistics for blogs include the number of visits, new visits, page views and time on site each month as well as averages for the prior month and a graph to track average visits, page views and time spent on the blog during the previous 6 months.

Twitter statistics show the number of followers/following, the number of tweets and account age, the number of people who retweeted and favorited and the rates for each. For example, "1 tweet gets retweeted for every 3.387 tweets posted." Month to month statistics are also tracked.

Instagram statistics include the number of followers, and an aggregate of the number of photos posted, likes and comments each month.

YouTube statistics include the number of videos uploaded, the number of subscribers, total views, total likes/dislikes, comments and favorites for the channel as well as the number of views, likes/dislikes, favorites and comments per video.

30 Day Brand Ambassador Campaign Results

I just completed a 30 day brand ambassador campaign for +SEND A TEDDY  (www.SendATeddy.net) with a specific goal of increasing engagement on Google Plus. 

Acting as a spokesperson for +SEND A TEDDY, I helped establish new relationships and strengthen existing relationships within Google Plus by introducing their product to my 30,000 followers as well as including their "Tatty Teddy" on several live hangout on air; by proactively engaging +SEND A TEDDY's community by sending them "Teddy Bear Bombs" and encouraging participation on a series of posts over the past month; by starting a "Teddy Bear & Friends" community as a way to interact with fans; by launching a thank you circle of Teddy Bear Friends which was reshared 118 times; and by using a "tagging game" in a post to promote their monthly contest.   

The results of the 30 day campaign (see graphs below) were as follows:

• 75% increase in followers
• 104% increase in page plusses
• Comments increased from an average of 0 to 41 comments per post
• Reshares increased from an average of 1 to 11 per post
• +1's increased from an average of 5 to 35 per post

+Madeleine Nicholls, owner of +SEND A TEDDY, is very pleased with the results saying it is an "awesome improvement." 

The monthly #SendATeddy contest offers visitors a chance to #WinATeddy for a friend and encourages the entrant to write a note as to why their friend should receive a free teddy. Madeleine noted that the contest entries she received so far this month as opposed to prior months are "different this time" and that she "gets goosebumps every time I read one" as the notes are much longer than usual and filled with "so much love." To enter this month's contest, visit http://www.sendateddy.net/contest.php.  

(averages over 4 week period)

A Plethora of Pinterest Tools for Businesses

Pinterest is driving traffic to websites. 
According to a recent report for the first quarter of 2013 published by Monetate in its latest E-commerce Quarterly, 55.18% of site traffic from social networks came from Facebook, down from 62.45% the previous quarter, while Pinterest accounted for 24.96%, up from 17.51%. The remaining traffic came from Twitter, LinkedIn and other social networks. 

Brands can no longer afford to ignore Pinterest.
According to Monetate, shoppers visiting e-commerce sites from Pinterest had the highest average order value, spending $80.54 per order, compared to $71.26 for Facebook and $70.17 for Twitter. A study by RichRelevance reports an average order of $169 from Pinterest traffic, compared to $95 for Facebook and $71 for Twitter. Whichever study is more accurate, the one thing that appears to be clear is that Brands, especially e-commerce brands, can no longer afford to ignore Pinterest as part of their online marketing efforts.

Tools for Managing, Advertising, Marketing & Measuring:

No matter what your budget, there are tools available to help you manage, create, improve or simplify pinning and sharing content on Pinterest. I have compiled a list of the current tools available and intend to review this list periodically, keeping it up-to-date. I also created a list on Listly that includes many of these tools. I am not recommending one over another, I am merely providing links and a brief description of each so that businesses and marketers are aware of everything currently available before making a decision.

If you are aware of a tool that should be added to this list, or if you find that one is no longer available, please let me know in the comments below. Get more tips by following me on Pinterest at http://pinterest.com/chrisdegraff/.

Ahalogy
Formerly Pingage, Ahalogy recently announced a pin-based platform called Content Network. Content creators who have opted-in to the network are given complimentary access to Ahalogy's image editing and pin scheduling tools in exchange for allowing paying Content Network customers to source the pins for repinning on their own boards in a pay for performance model.

Curalate
A marketing and analytics suite for Pinterest and Instagram. Curalate's scheduler feature enables brands to schedule pins and batch them into campaigns. Curalate also offers detailed analytics for marketers, monitoring and consumer engagement tools and promotions that can "live anywhere and everywhere" including your website, blogs and Facebook. A free demo is available to potential clients with a decent sized marketing budget.

GoPixel
Formerly known as Pinster, GoPixel offers powerful automated scheduling to help you spread out your pins evenly throughout the day. You can measure and monitor interactions and website referrals using their analytics tool that also integrates with Google Analytics. There is also an insights tool that provides recommendations for the best time and content to pin based on your data. The free version allows you to schedule 3 pins per day for 1 Pinterest account. Basic, premium and custom versions are also available.

HelloSociety
Formerly known as Pinpuff, HelloSociety is a premier Pinterest marketing and technology platform with a suite of tools, an exclusive influencer network, leading brand partnerships and powerful analytics. Contact HelloSociety for a price quote.

Octopin
Claiming to be the most advanced Pinterest marketing suite, Octopin features a scheduling tool, a campaign manager, and measurement tools that help you identify top influencers and track competitors. With Hyatt, Volkswagen and IKEA as current customers, Octopin is targeted to larger companies. Contact Octopin for a price quote.

Pinbooster 
For advertisers looking for a pay-per-click model, Pinbooster is a platform to connect advertisers to pinners who are willing to post your pin for profit. You only pay for the originating pin, so repins, likes and comments are "free press." When a pin goes through Pinbooster, it is automatically tags to indicate that it is an advertisement so it is in compliance with FTC regulations. Contact Pinbooster for pricing.

PinLeague
There is a free starter version of PinLeague, but it seems to be pretty limited. Starting at $29/mo, the lite version allows for 1 Pinterest account, tracking for 2 competitors, basic profile and domain trends and tools to optimize your pins and engage your audience. The professional and enterprise versions enable you to track virtually everything and is used by brands such as Nike, Microsoft and Target.

Pinterest Web Analytics
Businesses can access basic metrics including impressions and reach and is included free with your Pinterest account. You can use this to tailor your website and Pinterest boards by understanding which pins get the most repins and what else people pin alongside your pins.

Pinterest Web Analytics Walkthrough from Pinterest on Vimeo.

Pinterest Widget Builder
The Pinterest Widget builder can help you create free buttons and widgets to add to your website or mobile app. Pinterest's newest tool allows you to create "Rich Pins" and apply to get them on Pinterest. The types of Rich Pins currently available include:

• Product pins include real time pricing, availability and information about where to buy;
• Recipe pins include ingredients, cooking times and serving info; and
• Movie pins include ratings, cast members and reviews.

Piqora
Piquora (formerly Pinfluencer) is a tool for advertisers and provides the ability to customize, deploy and track contests, sweepstakes and promotions on Pinterest. Future plans for Piqora include a Social CRM (currently available for Instagram and Tumblr) to help brands identify and act on purchase intent. Contact Piquora for pricing information.

Reachli
Using Reachli (formerly Pinerly), you can create posts and publish to your Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Tumblr accounts at the same time from one place. The free version allows you to connect four accounts, includes a link shortener and offers tracking including the number of clicks, likes, reshares and reach per social site. If you want to reach a wider audience, Reachli has a pay-per-click option and your campaign can be pushed out to publishers' blogs, websites and social sites.

ViralHeat
Social media management for various platforms; however, Pinterest is only included in the premier and enterprise versions. The premier version is $99.99/mo but only supports monitoring for Pinterest at this time.

Viraltag
The $12/mo basic account on Viraltag (formerly PinGraphy) allows you to schedule 100 pins per month and includes a free trial. The $28/mo premium version does not limit the number of pins that can be scheduled, provides access to analytics and gives you the ability to add up to 5 accounts. This is probably one of the best options for small businesses on a tight budget.

Free Search, Discovery & Other Cool Tools for Pinterest:

Hipstamatic, pixlr and Tweegram
Free apps that can add some "fancy stuff" to your images.

PicMonkey
Quickly edit, filter and apply touch-ups to your photos with PicMonkey.

Pin Search
A Chrome extension that enables you to perform a Google Image Search on any picture on Pinterest.

PinAlerts 
PinAlerts (beta) is like Google Alerts for Pinterest and will notify you when someone pins something from your website.

Pinalytics
Search pins, boards and people on Pinterest to find, track and evaluate content and interactions using Pinalytics. (Note: This didn't seem to work very well for me, but you may have to create an account to get the full results.)

Pinstamatic 
"Share more" on Pinterest with Pinstamatic including your favorite music which can be played on your board if the user has a free Spotify account, clickable maps and the ability to add quotations and sticky notes on your boards.

Pinvolve
Using the free version of Pinvolve, you can post your Pinterest pins onto your Facebook profile or business page. The pro version allows you to automatically post your Pinterest pins to your Facebook business page and you can sync a specific board or all boards.

Postris
Formerly Repinly, Postris is a tool to help you find popular pins, boards and pinners on Pinterest for a given category.

Quozio
Type your own quote or highlight text anywhere on the web and easily convert it into an image to share on Pinterest.

ShareAsImage
Formerly Pin A Quote, ShareAsImage allows you to highlight text on the web to share as an image on Pinterest.

Snapito 
A free tool to capture and share a screenshot of a website

Url2pin.it
A free tool to capture and share a screenshot of a website.

WiseStamp
This tool allows you to add an elegant Pinterest link to your email signature. It offers free and premium level accounts.

Woobox
The free version of Woobox can be used to display your Pinterest boards and pins as a tab on your Facebook business page.