Google+ Profiles for Investor RelationsHow to use Google’s primary Social Network in your IR Strategy

Should a public company use Google+?

Absolutely. For dozens of reasons. We’ll explain…

Should a public company use Google+?

Google+ has a highly male-dominant audience

IR professionals seem to have dismissed Google+ Profiles as being effective IR tools

That’s an advantage for anyone who does

Largely because it’s thought that you can’t use Google+ Profiles as a business

But that’s not technically true

Google Products and Gmail Addresses

How do Gmail Addresses affect Google+ Profiles?

Google Products and Gmail Addresses

Google requires you to create a Gmail account to use products like YouTube and Analytics

YouTube accounts are NOT broken down into Personal and Business

If they want to use YouTube, Businesses have no choice but to create a Gmail account

If your business has a Gmail account, it also has a Google+ profile…

Legitimacy of Google+ Profiles

According to the Terms and Conditions - Is using a Google+ Profile as a business “OK”?

Google+ Terms of Use

11. Do not use our products to impersonate

12. To help fight spam and prevent fake profiles, use the name your friends, family or co-workers usually call you. E.g. if your full legal name is Charles Jones Jr. but you normally use Chuck Jones or Junior Jones, either of those would be acceptable

Thank goodness, neither of these eliminates the use of Google+ Profiles by businesses…

11. Impersonation

Google+ prevents you from “Impersonating”

Being deliberately deceptive in Social Media is just about the worst thing you could do anyway

The workaround here is to share a Google+ Profile between multiple people

This eliminates any suggestion of impersonating another individual or of deceiving anyone

12. User Profile Names

Use a naming convention that makes plainly clear that the Google+ Profile is managed by multiple people at the company

Genericize the User Profile Name enough to be accepted according to the terms of use

Put your Company Name in there somewhere

E.g. “Jamie [Your Company]”

Branding Your Google+ Profile

When creating your Google+ Profile, what information should you include?

User Profile Name Example

Using a Disclaimer

Because you don’t want to be accused of impersonation, a disclaimer is mandatory

Disclaimers should make it clear that the Google+ Profile is shared by your IR Department.

E.g. "Usually I'm a member of the Investor Relations Dept but on a given day, I could be anyone at IR Smartt Inc. I exist to allow simpler, and more effective communication between stakeholders and our company."

Example of a Disclaimer

Branding Profile Header

Include an image from your website

Use the main tagline in your company’s branding

Add stock ticker info

Engaging with your Google+ Profile

Now that you’ve create it, how should you use your Google+ Profile in your IR strategy?

Uploading Contacts

The fastest way to your Google+ connections with the minimum of fuss

Allows you to find existing shareholders in Google+

Grab a .csv file of all your company contacts and upload them using the Google+ function

Add them to a circle called “Stakeholders”

Example of Uploading Contacts

Content Searches

Search for and save keyword for future use

Find current content, discussion and even other Google+ users based on your keywords

Allows you to monitor industry sentiment

Searches are a function that is far less effect as a Google+ Page

Example of Content Searches

Creating Google+ Circles

Start with the searches that you’ve saved in the previous step

Group the people that you follow by the role they have at their company

Don’t over-categorize, try to limit your Google+ Circles to < 12

Examples of Google+ Circles

Content Sharing

Always attribute the content you share

Adding a + before a User Name will share your content directly with another user

This provides more visibility than blending in to their regular stream

Another advantage of using a Profile Vs a Page

Examples of Content Sharing

Linking with Klout

Klout is the most effective way to measure user sentiment within Google+

Klout only allows you to link a Google+ Profile, as yet you can’t link a Page

Google+ is not on par with Facebook and Twitter as an influencer of Klout

Example of Klout Linking

Questions?

For more information on these and other ways for your Public Company to use Google+ Profiles in your Social Media strategy, contact IR Smartt directly using:

Email: get @ irsmartt.com

Website: http://irsmartt.com

Blog: irsmartt.com/news