Social media marketers tend to get fixated on Facebook and Twitter as the tools to reach the masses, but messaging on these two networks alone could be severely limiting your lead generation.  HubSpot Blog reports that LinkedIn is 277% more effective at generating leads than Facebook and Twitter, and Google favors brands with Google+ accounts in “Search Plus”.

As far as Google Search Plus is concerned take a look at the image below.

In an effort to bring more information to search, Google has added this box to the right of search results in order to offer quick answers to those seeking information on the web.  However this extra information is often taken from Google+ accounts.  As you can see above, Chevrolet has effectively created more ad space for themselves in Google searches through the use of their Google+ account.  A Google search for NASA will show you similar results.

The Search Plus box is not the only benefit to businesses with Google+ accounts.  The Google search algorithm has become more personalized, which means Google search results will be customized to an individual based on his or her likes and search history.  In these changed rankings, Google accounts are clearly favored.  Read all about this algorithm phenomenon on SearchEngineLand.com.  Some of these idiosyncrasies have been altered since the above article was written, but most are still in place.  It just goes to show that Google is likely to favor their own content, and why not?  It’s their search engine, not a public service.

LinkedIn is beneficial for different reasons.  People viewing LinkedIn profiles are typically not looking to socialize, per se.  They’re looking to make connections tied to some type of conversion.  LinkedIn users are seeking jobs or seeking companies that offer services.  The basis of the LinkedIn model is to connect people. So jump into the LinkedIn and Google+ game! Leads are waiting…