I wasn’t always in the social media marketing business.
There was a time when I woke up at 4:30 every morning, drove across the mountains, and worked underground in a coal mine. I was overworked and underpaid; I ate my lunch in total darkness, sharing a sandwich with the rats and rock dust that encircled me. I was doing the job my father did and his father before him. In fact I was the fifth generation to work in a coal mine.
The inside of a coal mine is total darkness. If you turned your light off, you wouldn’t be able to see your hand in front of your face. The blackness of the mine was like a heavy weight on me. But thankfully, I was saved from this environment. Fate, in the form of a mining accident, snatched me out of a black-lunged future. The accident left me with a twisted knee and terrible pain. As I writhed in pain on the mine floor I wondered what I was going to do for work. It took this life crisis to help me start to see the light of opportunity for the first time.
How Google+ Saved Me
I knew that you could build a business through social media, I just wasn’t sure how it all worked. Eventually, Google Plus led me into one of the best jobs I could ever have.
I believe that Google+ probably saved my life. It redeemed me from the darkness, a place where I thought I had no options. As I began to find my way around the web Google+ gave me a micro-blogging soapbox and enabled me to create a strong brand and connect with others who helped me and nurtured my young business.
Some people claim Google+ is a ghost town but I am living proof of the vibrant community there.
Still not convinced?
Google+ is like the Swiss Army knife of social media. There are so many options that it can give you to support a business.
You have the chance to create a brand page on Google+, and then support that page with an individual profile. You have the opportunity to build your brick and mortar business through Google Places and support your business with the use of the search engine benefits.
But there are a lot of businesses that don’t think the same positive things about Google+ as I do. They believe Google Plus is dead or dying.
Step into the light
I personally feel that all of these articles about how Google+ is dead or dying comes from people who haven’t immersed themselves in the platform. They’re not seeing engagement because they’re not engaging. They aren’t taking the time to cultivate their following. If you’re only going to try it for a week and then assess the results, don’t even do it.
This is a place where lasting relationships are built, but it takes a little time before this happens. If you are willing to do the work you are going to find a place that is fascinating and rewarding, where people engage deeply and with a heart of service, authenticity and passion.
If you haven’t tried Google+ or given it a fair chance I hope you’ll devote some time to see if this is a way to help you step out of the darkness, turn on the lights, and see the value that is possible through this powerful platform.
