• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Social Media Examiner

Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle

  • 🔥 Free Newsletter
  • ⭐ FREE Web3 Course
  • 💡 Society
  • 🗓️ Our Events
    • Social Media Marketing World 2024
    • Other Industry Events
  • ⚙️ Tools
  • 🎙️ Podcasts
    • Social Media Marketing Podcast
    • Social Media Marketing Talk Show
    • Web3 Business Podcast
    • Our YouTube Channel
  • 🎯 Partner With Us
    • Podcast Sponsorship
    • Email Sponsorship
      • Email Newsletter
      • Dedicated Email Blast
    • Event Sponsorship
      • Social Media Marketing World
    • Tools Sponsorship
  • 👋 About Us
    • Our Story
    • Articles
      • Web3
      • Instagram Marketing
      • Facebook Marketing
      • YouTube Marketing
      • LinkedIn Marketing
      • TikTok Marketing
      • Expert Interviews
  • Search
  • How to Build Your Google+ Hangout Audience

    by Megan Conley / August 21, 2014

    social media how to Would you like to use Google+ Hangouts On Air?

    Are you worried no one will attend your hangout?

    Laying a strong foundation for your Google+ hangout can help you find the audience you need.

    In this article you'll discover how to build an audience for your Google+ hangout in four easy steps.

    #1: Foster Relationships Before You Broadcast

    Don't forget this first step!

    build a google hangout audience
    Find out how to build an audience for your Google Hangout.

    You'll want to make sure your hangout subject is something of interest to your audience. An easy way to do this is to find and talk with the right people to estimate their interest in what you have to say.

    Start with keyword research on relevant hashtags. When you've chosen the right hashtags, use them to find relevant communities where your key audiences are active.

    keyword research
    Find hashtag options by search your keywords.

    Don't limit yourself to Google+ communities when you search. Participate in tweet chats, Facebook groups and LinkedIn conversations to help cultivate relationships with the right audiences.

    When the time is right, you can let them know you've planned a hangout that will interest them.

    #2: Team Up With Influencers

    As you develop relationships on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or LinkedIn, it'll be easier to identify the influencers in your industry. Collaborate with these other thought leaders and invite one or two to appear as featured guests on your hangouts.

    collaborative google hangout
    Example of Google+ hangout collaboration with featured guests.

    Partnering with relevant speakers or organizations will help amplify your message via cross-promotion.

    #3: Get Your Creative in Order

    Creating high-quality promotional content is the key to building awareness. Remember, “40% of people will respond better to visual information than plain text.”

    Have a number of images and at least one teaser video you can use in promotional posts on Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and Twitter.

    3 Days of World-Class Training—Zero Travel!

    Social Media Marketing World

    Travel to Social Media Marketing World off the table? Get all of the great content at a fraction of the price with an On-Demand ticket.

    That’s full access to recordings of every keynote, workshop, and session—the ones people travel thousands of miles to see. Don't wait. Get your On-Demand ticket and enjoy actionable content that you can watch anytime, anywhere.

    GET YOUR ON-DEMAND TICKET NOW

    Custom-branded graphics create a personalized feel that stands out from other content streaming past your target audiences on social networks.

    branded google hangout promotion image
    Example of custom-branded graphic to promote Google+ hangout event.

    If you don't have a designer on staff, there are a number of tools that can help you create your own professional-looking images and infographics.

    Remember, each image should feature a strong call to action that encourages people to attend your hangout.

    A promotional teaser video lets you give people a glimpse into what you'll cover during your hangout.

    Hype My Hangout makes creating a 10-second promotional video as easy as 1-2-3. When you're finished, your video will automatically be posted on your YouTube channel for easy social sharing.

    Tools Resource Guide

    Looking for something to make your life easier?

    Discover the tools we recommend to drive engagement, save you time, and boost sales across your entire marketing funnel or business.

    Whether you need help planning content, organizing social posts, or developing your strategy, you’ll find something for every situation.

    FIND YOUR NEXT FAVORITE TOOL

    A video teaser delivers a strong call to action because the invitation to attend and participate is personal.

    #4: Spread the Word

    Once you've got all of your promotional assets together, it's time to get the word out!

    If you haven't been very active on Google+ up to this point, now's the perfect time to start! Enhance your Google+ presence by making sure your posts are optimized for engagement.

    Share Hangout Highlights

    You'll likely want to spread the word about your hangout.

    Write a promotional blog post that gives people insight into what information you'll be covering in the hangout and the logistics. This is a great opportunity to showcase guest speakers and partners who might draw new audiences.

    Be sure to embed your sharable graphics and teaser video for a content-rich experience.

    Socialize Your Hangout Event

    A common misconception is that only people on Google+ actively participate in Google+ hangouts. Not true.

    Make sure you tap into these other social networks and activate communities to generate buzz for your hangout.

    google hangout promotion on instagram
    Example of Google+ hangout cross-promotion on Instagram.
    • Create a Facebook event and invite all of your friends and connections.
    • Email your LinkedIn contacts with a personal invitation to participate.
    • Post branded images on Instagram with a call to action to participate.
    • Share branded images on Pinterest with call to action to participate.

    Leverage the Power of Word-of-Mouth Marketing

    Your network will spread the word for you if you give them the tools and information they need. Here are some ways to help them.

    • Create a custom email asking friends and contacts to share your hangout information on their social networks. Use hrefshare.com to generate custom social media posts to let them easily share your details on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ with the click of a button.
    • Link to your hangout in your email signature to promote your hangout in day-to-day communications.
    • Create a notification circle in Google+ for people who indicate interest or sign up for your hangout. Send the circle members periodic reminders and updates leading up to the event.
    hrefshare
    Make it easy for people to share your Hangout information on social networks.

    Turn Up the Volume With Paid Social Advertising

    Paid social advertising tools are an excellent way to ensure your hangout's promotional content gets maximum visibility. In addition, you can leverage advanced targeting to identify and engage new potential participants for your hangout.

    Here are a few social advertising tools to consider:

    • Facebook ads—turn the Facebook posts you created to promote your hangout into news feed ads.
    • Promoted tweets—target current followers and non-followers by gender, geography, language, device, interests, keywords, tailored audiences or those who tweet or engage with selected keywords.
    • LinkedIn sponsored updates—increase the visibility of your promotional posts in people's news feed by sponsoring them on LinkedIn.

    Wrapping Up

    Here's why Google+ hangouts offer an interesting option for businesses.

    Most people retain 95% of the message in a video, compared to only 10% of what they read in text. That means video should be part of your content marketing strategy.

    Google+ hangouts have made producing low-cost, easy-to-develop video content possible. So why aren't more people using Google+ hangouts? To put it plainly, nobody wants to get caught talking to an empty room.

    Google+ hangouts can help you find and connect with the audience you need. Now that these tips have prepared you to promote your hangout, roll up your sleeves and dive in!

    What do you think? Did these steps encourage you to build a Google+ hangout audience? What other approaches and tools have you found most useful? Share your tips in the comments so we can learn together!

    Get Your FREE Course: Web3 for Beginners

    Web 3 for Beginners

    Curious about Web3, but don't know where to start or who to trust?

    Introducing Web3 for Beginners, a course taught by Michael Stelzner, the founder of Social Media Examiner.

    Learn the basics of Web3 and apply it to your business with this FREE comprehensive course.


    CLICK HERE TO GET FREE ACCESS

    Tags: Google Hangouts, Google+

    About the authorMegan Conley

    Megan is the Founder & CEO of Social Tribe, an agency that connects brands to customers through social media. Social Tribe clients include Cisco Systems, SAP and SuccessFactors. Follow her on Twitter @megconley
    Other posts by Megan Conley Âť

    Get Social Media Examiner’s Future Articles in Your Inbox!

    Get our latest articles delivered to your email inbox and get the FREE Social Media Marketing Industry Report (39 pages, 50+ charts)!

    Industry Report Cover

    Worth Exploring:

    Facebook

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Instagram

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    YouTube

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Linkedin

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Web3

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Social Media Marketing Industry Report

    Get Free Report →

    Social Marketing Trends

    The data you've been missing!

    Need a new plan? Discover how marketers plan to change their social activities in the 14th annual Social Media Marketing Industry Report. It reveals what marketers have planned for their social activities, content marketing, and more! Get this free report now and never miss another great article from us. Join more than 400,000 marketers!

    Enter your email to get
    our free report:


    Footer

    Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle
    Copyright © 2023 Social Media ExaminerÂŽ
    All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy.

    Helpful Links

    • About us
    • Our content via email
    • Our podcasts
    • Our YouTube channel
    • Our live show
    • Our industry report
    • Sponsorship opportunities
    • RSS
    • Accessibility