Getting started with Google+ for business

OK, so everyone and their mother is posting about Google+ opening the door to businesses. I’m sure you’ve read plenty about how to get started, so here’s just a quick link summary.

1. Sign up and create your page.

2. Make sure you add at least five photos – the social web is visual.

3. All of this should be obvious, but check this list by the awesome Heather Mansfield to make sure you’re all set.

4. For inspiration, check out all of these nonprofits or all of these nonprofits who’ve already done theirs.

5. Circle Google For Nonprofits and read through their posts. Oh and Google+ Your Business too.

6. Here are some more details of how it all works, plus some info about promoting your newly created page.

7. Post some stuff.

8. Share your Google+ page on your website.

9. Not sure whether this is worth it? Here’s one decent post about that. Here’s another. My take? This is all the new frontier, and all you’re doing right now is planting your flag. You need to be able to move to where your people go – and while they might not be there now, it doesn’t take much to just be ready.

10. Still haven’t tried Google+ for yourself? Sign up, follow me, follow some cool association peeps, follow some more cool nptechies, and/or find some other people based on your interests.  Start there and make sure you share some stuff publicly.  As soon as you get some conversations going, you’ll be hooked.  But none of this works without connections between people – whether they are friends or strangers.

More on all this soon.