Part 2 (1/2)

Here are a few other tips to keep in mind to prepare yourself for opportunity: * Keep your circles well organized. This might seem like a ch.o.r.e at first, but the more granular you keep your circles, the better the chance you'll see something of specific value flow by in your stream.

* Build outbound circles. Chapter 5 talks about how to build outbound circles, but different from how you organize the people you want to follow and observe, an outbound circle is a list of people you want to share specific kinds of information with. For instance, I have an outbound circle called ”Press,” where I share information that reporters and other news professionals might find useful. I have another called ”MKTG” for web entrepreneurs, who want some specific tactics and tips on how to use Google+ for more business. Your outbound circles might be different, but the concept is the same.

* Share links back to your main website or blog, but sparingly. People who have you in their circles want to know about you, but they also want you to be a source of other people's good information. The more you talk about yourself, the more people tune out. It's like a c.o.c.ktail party. You can post and share relevant information as much as you'd like (though too much might get you uncircled by others, meaning they'll stop seeing your updates), but you should consider a blend, anywhere from 5 of other people's items to every one of yours or perhaps closer to 10 to 1.

* Build your use of Google+ into your schedule. It's not like your day job is to interact on social networks (unless it is). Consider posting information and shares two times a day, and consider dipping in to answer comments and talk back and forth at least two times a day, as well. The more interaction you have on Google+ (beyond just posting and sharing), the more opportunity you have to find potential business relations.h.i.+ps.

* Think up ways to use Hangouts, the live video chat feature. Aaron Manley Smith of Motorphilia uses Hangouts for virtual Bible study. You can limit attendance to a hangout to those members of a circle, or you can invite the public at large to partic.i.p.ate in a free-for-all video chat. Both have their advantages.

The Personal Touch and Personality.

Sometimes, especially when talking with larger corporations, I'm asked whether it's a good idea to share personal information and topics that might not be germane to your primary business focus. Ask yourself this question right now: Do you prefer buying from someone pus.h.i.+ng a sales agenda, or do you prefer buying from someone you feel understands you or you feel you understand?

Several reports and studies over the years boil down to the same thing: We buy from people we like. Though this isn't always an option, it's more common that we, as buyers, will bend our justifications around going with the choice that supports this view.

For example, think about your experience with restaurants near where you live or work. When you go to a place and feel warmly welcomed, that experience makes you more likely to revisit. The more you revisit, the more you feel ”known” and valued. Sometimes, this comes from sharing stories with a server. Other times, it comes from the staff knowing something about you and your preferences.

Now, translate this to the online world. When people get the opportunity to learn more about who you are and what matters to you, they find reasons to be more interested in your other business pursuits, and this can come from all kinds of wild and varied angles.

Your personality can s.h.i.+ne on a social network like Google+, and this will help with business-building. How do you do it? You talk about things related to your business, but you also talk about other points of interest outside of your day job. It's a balancing act because if someone is coming to you to learn about your pa.s.sion for education, and you end up sharing more on Google+ about your pa.s.sion for reality TV shows, the disconnect might not really help you grow your business. But it can be done.

Consider this your litmus test: Would you talk to someone about this while waiting in line for something? If yes, then it's probably okay to talk about in an off-topic way as a means to sharing more of your personality. If no, then don't share it on Google+,.

Blending Business and Personal.

Start with, this disclaimer: If you share all kinds of weird intimate details about how your life is a shambles, how you hate cats, or endless streams of nonsensical ”chatter,” it probably won't benefit your business. A certain element of curation is required for how you choose to share your personal thoughts and ideas alongside your business information. Filter yourself a little, to be sure that you're not turning away any potential business connections. Pick and choose between all the thoughts that rush into your head, and maybe don't post each and every one of them to your stream on Google+. By ”curation,” the idea is that you are your own mental editor, and you pick the ”best of” your thoughts and ideas for the day to share with people.

But you'd be surprised by what causes a connection.

Following are some of the stranger things I've shared that have brought me unexpected connections: * My appreciation of '90s hip-hop music * Photos of the lake and waterfall near my house * My love of Batman (and comics in general) * A single tweet about a car * Random one-liner jokes.

* Reports on my efforts to get more fit.

* A photo of a lobster.

In all the previous cases, those random choices to share have resulted in an increase in my follower base, and in all those cases, it led to a business relations.h.i.+p that eventually ended in financial and strategic worth. Re-read that list. It's absolutely silly. And yet, because I blend business information (mine and sharing great stuff from other people), people start to feel like they know me. We buy from people we like, and we like people we feel we know.

Start Early.

I joined Twitter in 2006 and was one of the first 10,000 or so users. Twitter gave me a platform that translated into quite a lot of business value. People who came to Twitter much later didn't always meet with the same success. I believe that my choice to learn as much as I could about the platform and to use it heavily to build relations.h.i.+ps was part of what led to my business success.

The same can be true for Google+. The sooner you get in, start, and build some relations.h.i.+ps of value, the better your chances to have a first-mover advantage.

Don't worry that it's early days. Consider this a great opportunity to get the jump on others who prefer to wait and see what comes of new platforms like this. Scott Monty, head of social media for Ford Motor Company, was on Google+ on day 2. To me, that speaks volumes about him really understanding the value of Ford starting early, and it gives you further proof that you should consider doing the same.

This service isn't yet widely available to the public, and invitations are required, but if you ask your web-savvy friend for an invite, chances are they'll have one. At some point, this service will be open to the public, but if you wait that long, you'll miss the boat.

The sooner you get into the game, the sooner you can use the tools to change how you grow your business. It also enables you to experiment faster, make more mistakes faster (before more people are there), and have a presence before some of your compet.i.tors.

What You Can Accomplish with Google+.

Everyone reads books (especially business books) with a specific goal in mind: ”What's in it for me?” That's okay. If you're going to spend your time and money on a business book, there should be some value given in the exchange. But one of the most important things about how to use Google+-and social networks in general-is to learn how to build value by promoting and helping others.

In 2009, Julien Smith and I said in our book, Trust Agents, ”Be the elbow of every deal.” What we meant was that there's great value and long-term influence in helping others make connections and build business relations.h.i.+ps. Without ever asking for reciprocation, this one move of helping others connect and make business happen with no immediate value to you is a power move worth mastering.

In Google+, you can do this in several ways. One is by sharing posts from people with smaller audiences. Another is to make introductions between two people you follow who might not yet follow others. Another is to promote products and services that aren't yours but that would help your const.i.tuency. These are all big opportunities to build value for others and build relations.h.i.+ps in general.

In opposition to ”What's in it for me,” consider, ”What can I do for others that can help them?” What this brings you, if executed in earnest, is a lot of respect and admiration from people in your community, and if one were to be honest, that kind of currency translates well into people's willingness to share your content with others, with their interest in partic.i.p.ating with you and your posts, and with people's perception of you and your motives. Don't do one simply to earn the other, but understand that, should you work toward this mindset, it does indeed pay off in tangible dividends, even if these aren't always directly monetary in nature.

Opportunity Is What You Make of It.

Google+ isn't a hardcore sales and marketing engine. The game, such as it is, isn't to get the most followers and then start blasting them with offers until they purchase. It is, instead, a way to educate prospective buyers, a way to connect with your community of customers, a method by which to promote offers and events (sparingly) to your audience, and a way to build relations.h.i.+ps before you need them.

If you've noticed, a lot of these methods and means aren't exactly hardcore tricks and tactics yet, which is explored in later chapters. The reason I start with this talk about potential opportunity and about the mindset behind what might be helpful for you, and all this stress on relations.h.i.+p-minded business practices, is that these are what are required for a mindset before you dig deep into the heavier selling or other business functions. I hope that works for you.

We've talked about what you can do and why you might do it, and we've talked about a lot of the various methods by which you can find opportunities in Google+. The next chapter walks you through several ”serving suggestions.” Pick up a can of vegetable soup at the grocery store, and you'll see a picture on the outside of the can with the words ”serving suggestion” nearby. What they mean by that is, ”Hey! You can make what's in this can look like this picture, if you want.”