When we discuss social media, the first image that comes to our heads is usually a blue square with a big white, lower case F in the middle. That is very understandable, after all, there are very few things on the planet that more people have in common than a Facebook page. There are users who do not have a reliable connection to the Internet who still manage to be Facebook users.

Facebook claims to be a virtual community with 1.1 billion (yes, with a B) active users. Obviously Facebook cannot be ignored as a marketing tool, but we should also recognize that the big F is not the only player in the Social Media world. Mark Zuckerberg’s kingdom may be the largest player, but it was not the first, and even with its constantly evolving set of features, Facebook may not be the best social media outlet.

Google Plus is a relative newcomer to the Social Arena; G+ launched just 17 months ago at the end of June, 2011. Facebook launched 2004. Although Google+ numbers are small in comparison to Facebook, there have been a number of recent reports that G+ is experiencing “Facebook-like” growth.

As fun and informative as it would be to do a feature by feature comparison between the two social networks, we will confine ourselves to a few of the features that make Google+ useful for marketers.

In addition to the Circles, Hangouts, and Streams we find on G+, an important way to develop a following on G+ is to make liberal use of the PlusOne button. This is Google Plus’s version of the ubiquitous Facebook “Like Button”. One of the nicest features of the PlusOne button is the ability to add a snippet to your “like”.

By definition, a “snippet” is a small piece of something. Google loves snippets. GoogleBooks users are familiar with snippets of books which Google is respecting copyright. SEO operators have been using Rich Snippets to customize their site’s appearance on Search Engine Results Pages. The snippet on your PlusOne has enormous potential to speak to your G+ followers.

+Snippets are designed to add information to your PlusOne. It is up to you to decide what information your snippet needs to include. There are a number of tools available to customize the appearance of your snippet. Features may include a logo for your company or a face picture. Personal touches are important in any social media outlet, and your face is a great way to become personal to your followers.

Some features are important to the material you are linking to. If you are reviewing a movie, adding show times, reviews, and a link to the trailer can be useful. Links to a restaurant’s menu can be nice if you are linking to a favorite eatery.

There is a danger of making your snippet too feature rich. We have all seen sites that have so many features that they become irritating because they take so long to load. Your snippets can become as overloaded. Remember that the idea behind your Google Plus Snippet is to attract followers and readers to your sight.

Click or call today to set up a Free Half Hour Consultation with Chad Morgan, and learn how to effectively launch and manage a social Media Campaign to raise your business’s profitability.