At Flow, we like to be modest but when something is a success, we most definitely like to shout it from the rooftops!
A recent success is the Google+ page that we manage for South African Tourism – Love South Africa. This week, the page reached 50 000 plus 1s. “Plus 1s” are similar to “likes” on Facebook. They indicate the number of people who have acknowledged and enjoy the page. Love South Africa went live in April 2013 and has since seen rapid growth. The page is now the sixth-biggest South African business page on Google+.
Our strategy is simple. We publish stunning images, interesting facts, tips and good news about South Africa to generate conversations, and to encourage consumers to share their own experiences here. We update our profile picture on a regular basis with user-generated content, and reshare Google+ content that is interesting, relevant and beautiful.
Second only to Facebook in number of users, Google+, with 1.116-billion users in November 2013 (via plus.miernicki.com) is an essential platform for any brand to have a presence online. Google+ links to Google’s AdWords, improving visibility and ranking. It also provides a platform on which consumers can converse with their favourite (or worst) brands. Here are the top 10 South African brands on Google+ currently (as of 19 November 2013):
1. Yuppiechef.com: 332 238 +1s
2. News24.com: 93 677 +1s
3. Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory: 59 670 +1s
4. Virgin Active SA: 54 130 +1s
5. Wine SA: 50 702 +1s
6. Love South Africa: 50 234 +1s
7. Gumtree South Africa: 29 127 +1s
8. Ogilvy South Africa: 28 516 +1s
9. Avis Rent a Car South Africa: 19 668 +1s
10. EMI Music South Africa: 10 064 +1s
Add your plus 1 to our page by clicking on the +1 button on our Love South Africa Google+ page. Follow this link.