7 Google Tools to Boost Your Marketing Results

Most people think of Google as “just” a search engine.  But the company has several different products that can help companies promote their products and services. Here are 7 Google tools to enhance your marketing:

1. Google Docs – You can upload Word documents, spreadsheets, presentations, drawings and forms to Google Docs and share them with members of your team, who will have the ability to view or edit as you choose.  Great for brainstorming sessions and time management.

2. Google Keyword Tool – Developing a solid keyword research strategy and implementing those words on your website will help online searchers find your company when they search for your product or service. This tool is part of Google’s Pay-Per-Click advertising platform, but you can still use some of the features to generate keywords for your site.

3. Google Alerts – This free tool helps companies monitor their brand name, key industry terms and competitors. You can set up the type of content you want Google to find such as blog posts, news articles, and videos, and how often you want notifications sent to you by email – such as daily or weekly.

4. Google News – Using this tool can help you find relevant news about your industry, and generate ideas from the results you see for blog articles, social networking posts, etc. Writing about recent industry trends can turn you into an industry thought leader, and a go-to resource for online searchers – just add your own perspective to the articles you write.

5. Google Reader – When you’re pressed for time, (and who isn’t nowadays?) Google Reader can be your best friend! This tool allows you to quickly filter through news stories, blog posts, videos and other content that’s relevant to your industry. As you subscribe to websites and blogs, you can add them to Google Reader and then get notifications when there are updates.

6. Google Places – You can gain more visibility and traffic for your company’s website by listing your business with this free tool. Results are displayed on both Google Search and Google Maps. In addition to providing a keyword-rich description about your company, you can display photos and videos of your products too.

7. Google+ – The newest kid on the block – Google+ can be described as what happens when you cross Facebook and Twitter. You can create personal and business pages, add post status updates, display photos and videos, add connections – such as team members and customers and put them into separate groups called “circles.” You can also conduct “hangouts” or video chats with individuals or groups of people.

If you need help creating a Google+ account for your business, contact Meredith Communications today.