Google+ amassed over 40 million users in just months and recently launched brand pages, so G+ tools like Circles, Hangouts, Direct Connect, and the +1 button were made available to brands.  Now, Google has made the new platform available to 3^rd party publishers so they can help guide and service brands in their effective use of the network.

Reggie Bradford

Vitrue CEO & Founder Reggie Bradford was able to announce to many of our clients at our annual client summit in Las Vegas that Vitrue has been selected as a launch partner in the Google+ Pages trial.  This means the Vitrue Social Relationship Management (SRM) platform already integrates Google+ functionalities.

Now comes the inevitable question in the halls of brands everywhere, “What are we going to do about it?”  It’s a potentially powerful social stream through which social marketers can build even more relationships with even more customers.  And keep in mind Google’s ability to leverage its digital dominance.  Google.com attracts over 1 billion unique visitors per month and is the web’s most visited website.

While Facebook is clearly the social network of choice for consumers and brands at over 850 million users, with a broad array of services like search, Gmail, Chrome, Android and YouTube, Google clearly has existing tools that can, and probably will, be tied to Google+.

And specifically, there are elements of Google+ that could be particularly compelling for social marketers.  Circles engage fans about specific topics vs. generic content to all with updates that may not be relevant to some.  Hangouts can be a stage for live interactivity with your brand, with consumers of your choice.  Direct Connect lets consumers easily find you on Google+ using Google search.  And Badges connects your site to your Google+ page, helping Google better index your page.

There’s a lot to know, which is why Vitrue would like to make available to you our Google+ Handbook.  It offers a complete platform overview, an outline of current Google+ Business Pages’ native functionality, benefits to brands and consumers, and walks through how to leverage Google+ beyond the native platform through the Vitrue SRM.

To access the handbook, follow this link, fill out a brief survey and the download will begin.  It could be an excellent “Step 1″ in establishing your partnership with a 3rd party publisher who will be right by your side as Google+ evolves, expands, and becomes a big player on the social marketing scene.