Google appears to be taking a cue (or Pin?) from Pinterest with its latest feature: Collections. With this new feature rollout, Google+ posts can now be organized into — you guessed it! — “Collections” that related to specific topics or interests.
For content marketers, the appeal of this new feature is simple; as with any content aggregations (like hashtags), Collections has the potential to boost content discovery and audience engagement on Google+ by aligning audiences around shared interests.
Curious how this new tool could fit into your content strategy? TrackMaven has you covered. Let’s go through why Google+ is still important for content marketers, and how Collections is going to make it even better!
Why Should My Brand Be On Google+ In The First Place?
TrackMaven tracks Google+ metrics, and Google’s maintenance of the service makes it a frequently improving tool for content marketing. First and foremost, Google is able to leverage their dominance in web searches to keep Google+ a relevant product.
As we discussed previously, Google+ activity factors heavily in Google search rankings, and can help boost the organic reach of your website. Most importantly, attaching Google+ official authorship to a blog post can increase its position in search rankings. In short, the role Google+ plays in SEO makes it an un-ignorable piece of your content marketing strategy.
What’s more, despite many questioning the longevity of Google+ as a viable social platform, the service does still have an active user base. A study from Stone Temple Consulting, for example, found that 23.4 million people post publicly on Google+ in any given 30 day period.
The bottom line is this: if you think Google+ is a content marketing ghost town, think again!
How Can I Use Collections To Boost The Reach Of My Google+ Content?
Much like Pinterest’s boards, Google+’s Collections organize normal Google+ posts into categories that users can then follow and contribute to. Here’s how it works.
The gif below shows how the feature works within the Google+ Android app (iOS functionality is coming soon).
Notice the mobile functionality of Collections? No doubt this is linked to Google’s “mobile-friendly” algorithm update…. (More on that here.)
If you’re tempted to brush off Collections as an irrelevant update to a low-priority platform, think again. Many leading content marketing brands have already moved forward with well-curated Collections.
Buzzfeed, for example, has effectively created Collections out of some of their mainstay editorial features. These Collections serve as a natural expansion of their content categories, priming their content for expanded reach and engagement.
Brit + Co took a Pinterest-inspired approached to their Collections. DIY projects, recipes, party ideas, and more are popular content topics on Pinterest, and now Brit + Co’s content has a comparable, categorically-searchable home on Google+.
For even more Collections inspiration, check out Google’s Featured Collections here.
Summing Things Up!
With the addition of Collections, Google is making it easier to identify and engage with sub-audiences on its platform. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, and LinkedIn-style posting can be replicated on Google+ easily, lowering the difficulty in producing content for a channel that many brands (unfortunately) don’t consider a priority.
Google+ is an adaptable tool that is frequently evolving. With its potential to catalyze content discovery, Collections will likely have a positive impact on the lifespan of Google+ content. Google+ is far from over. Keep in mind that if you ignore the platform, it will ignore you!