Google+ is fast becoming one of the most active social networks on the Internet. If you do not have a Google+ account, you probably have not heard of Google Hangouts. Most people haven’t realized the potential at their fingertips with Google Hangouts.  From offering consultations to free advice to small group webinars, there is much you can do to enhance your business with hangouts.

Meet with Clients

If you’re finding that meeting with clients takes up a huge amount of your time in both travel and meeting time, consider switching to a digital format. Hopping on a hangout means that you do not have to hop into the car, which saves you not only time but gas money as well. It also seems to speed up the meeting itself, since many people want to get on with their day when they are not directly tied up with someone in their office.  You can have several of your team members meeting with the clients, and everyone can be watching the same screencast and having conversations through the chat feature.  There can be up to 9 people in a Google hangout.

Network with Mentors

Because we are living in such a massively digital age right now, it is not impossible that you would get someone on a hangout that is extremely influential to you. This may be someone in your business life, or even someone in your personal life that can help you develop habits and strategies that will flow over into your business as well. By using good e-mail outreach and becoming a person of interest to them, you may snag them for a 10, 20, or even hour-long conversation that can provide massive value to you.

Connecting with influencers this way can open doors for you.  Perhaps they can introduce you to others, or send referrals to you, or invite you to guest blog on their site.  There are many ways that connecting physically with influencers can create new opportunities for you.

Fast Feedback

If you are coming up with a new product or service and want to throw the idea out to the market, there is no better way than to hop on a digital call and ask potential customers immediately. They will be able to tell you that you’re not doing what they want or that you’re absolutely nailing the idea and they can’t wait to purchase. It is this type of feedback that will save your business from catastrophic product development failures.

Publish to YouTube

Google Hangouts allows all hangouts to be published directly to YouTube. If you have a particularly enlightening conversation with someone, you can directly roll that over to YouTube and publish it as an additional piece of content for your viewers. It is a wonderful way to create something of value out of a simple conversation.

Chat with Employees

Let’s face it: many of us are working with people in different cities, states, or even countries. Because of the Internet, we are able to deliver them work and instructions online. However, have you also considered that you could meet with them online and understand exactly where they are in a particular project? This can pay extremely huge dividends when it comes to keeping people on task and productive.

Google Hangouts Really Work

For an example of a company whose business model relies on Google Hangouts, check out http://www.chefhangout.com/. They use Google Hangouts to offer cooking classes to people all over the world.  This is just one way of many that you can increase revenue through Google Hangouts.  Just bring your imagination, and start using it!

About the Author
  writes for Who Is Hosting This?, a company offering hosting advice and information for webmasters.  She’s an avid Google Hangouts fan and loves finding and sharing about tools and tricks to increase online engagement and success.

Related articles

• Google launches new Google+ features for businesses (slashgear.com)
• (thecontentlab.icrossing.com)
• (blogworld.com)
• Google Plus Hangouts for Business: Customer Contact on Steroids (windmillnetworking.com)

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