Article By: Emma Ellinson, DISRUPT Media

Google+ may not be quite as popular as Facebook but it is in the top ten Social Networks. And when you take in to consideration that Google+ only became public in September 2011, that’s pretty impressive. And it’s still growing so now is a good time to utilize this particular area of Social Media.

Many of the features are similar to Facebook and the way you approach it will be similar in a lot of ways. However there are some differences and extra features too. The biggest of those is the use of the Community pages.

Use Brand Pages And Create Your Own Community

Much like Facebook, you will start out with your own profile. After that you are free to make a Page to either represent a brand, company or organization. In addition to these, Google+ has Communities.

Communities are a place where people can come together to take part in discussions, share websites or upload photos. It’s a good idea to set up your own Community page. But don’t just put your name and photo on there and leave it at that. Think of subjects that can be discussed such as local events and ensure that people in your real life community know that they are free to share.

Share Appropriate Content With Your Community

Everything you post or upload should be thought about before you press the Share button. Remember your Community page should be different from your Company Page.  So in addition to keeping people updated with the business, you could also share news articles that are related to you in someway. Or you could share announcements from other local businesses or organizations.

Another idea to consider might be to share picturesque photographs or touching poems. Think of something that your community would appreciate if they were going through a difficult time.

Post Regularly

This is an obvious point but it’s one that too many people fail to do. Posting regularly, regardless of how many people are following you, is important. People respond to reliability and sticking to a posting schedule will help to maintain your followers.

If you find that other people are driving the discussion and content, then that’s excellent. However don’t be tempted to disappear, you need to get involved and share your own opinions.

Utilize Key Words

When writing a text post, take moment to think of what words you’re using and how you are phrasing something. The reason for this is that any public Community on Google+ is searchable by the Google search engine.

Not only that but Google+ now picks out keywords and makes them in to a searchable hashtag for you. This can be an excellent way to bring more people to your Community and Business Pages.

Moderate The Community

It’s an excellent idea to make your Community page public for many reasons. However this also comes with some responsibility on your part. With content being provided by other people it’s important that you act as moderator. You might find that other businesses are using it as a platform for their own advertisements. This isn’t a problem but if they’re posting the same advert 15 times a day then it might be time to give them a warning or ban them altogether.

For a Funeral Home this is especially imperative as you might be discussing potentially sensitive subjects. So keep a close eye on what’s happening and use a certain amount of common sense. It is also worth setting out some ground rules for the Community members.

Customer Service

People who find your Community Page might use it as a way to get in touch with you and ask questions. If they do want to get in touch with you, it’s worth reminding them of alternative methods of communication in case they want to ask you something in private.

However, if they are happy to discuss something in public this can be a great opportunity to show off your people skills.

Your Community should be respectful and positive place where people are free to share and feel connected to others. By running your own Google+ community you can help to build the impression of a business that is caring and respectful.

Circle ConnectingDirectors.com on Google+

FrontRunner Professional announced its strategic partnership with DISRUPT Media, the funeral profession’s dedicated social media provider, founded by Ryan Thogmartin of Connecting Directors.

This new partnership will forge the development of the new “Socially Acceptable™” social media program designed to set a new and higher online standard for the funeral profession. The program will be available exclusively through FrontRunner Professional to their clients.

DISRUPT Media is a full service social media agency for social strategy and complete social media management for businesses. They help funeral professionals, worldwide; interact with today’s consumers by truly embracing the Internet and engaging in conversations about their funeral business online.

For more information on FrontRunner Professional and DISRUPT Media contact FrontRunner at 1-866-748-3625 or online atwww.FrontRunnerPro.com/SociallyAcceptable or email Ryan Thogmartin at ryan@disruptmedia.co