Why creating a Google+ (Plus) Page is a no-brainer:
- It’s way to early to predict whether or not Google+ will build up a critical mass of followers, but it’s Google. Don’t ignore it.
- Google search results are likely to weigh Google+ profiles heavily in search engine results. It’s an easy way to get your band, your band’s music, your band’s videos, and your band’s witticisms indexed immediately within Google. (Google+ Direct Connect is a hint of what’s to come.)
- Google Plus enables you to actually communicate with your fans more directly and in more ways than does Facebook.
- Google Plus allows you to segment and organize your fan base into circles — friends, family, strangers, groupies, you name it.
- At the very least, it’s another opportunity to generate a free link to your other band properties for a little SEO love.
- It’ll take five minutes. Step away from your preamp and create Google+ magic while you down a doughnut.
Why it’s semi-brain dead:
- There is currently no way to add your music to your Google+ page, which kind of defeats its usefulness for bands. However, I’m sure all the big players (ReverbNation, SoundCloud, RouteNote, Nimbit, etc) are hard at work creating a Band App that will plugin.
- You can’t sync with your YouTube account. However, you CAN upload your music videos separately.
- Very few people are using it yet. But again, it’s early — don’t hold it against Google just yet.
How to create your Google+ (Plus) Band Page:
1. Pick a Google account to use. If you’re like me, you may have several. For example, I have one for my personal self, and another for my GarageSpin alter ego. Do I create a Google+ Band Page using my personal account, or my band account? It’s a simple decision, but will impact 1) what contacts you’ll be able to easily import at the outset, 2) where email notifications regarding Band Page engagement will be sent, and 3) how many Google+ profiles you’ll be forced to manage.
Once you move forward, changing your mind will be a hassle, so choose what will work most conveniently for you. (
Creating a band page in Facebook required first creating a personal account, then using that account to create a Facebook Page. A slightly different process.)
Oh, and if you don’t have one yet,
create a Google account here.
2. Go to to the Google+ Pages site. This is where Google+ (Plus) Pages can be created for businesses, products, celebrities (i.e. you), and all sorts of craziness. Click on the “Create Your Google+ page” button once you’re there.
3. Pick a Category. The “Arts, Entertainment, or Sports” category seems to be most relevant, currently. Moving your mouse over the button reveals that the category is appropriate for “films, TV, music, books, sports, shows.” “Band” isn’t listed, but “music” is. Close enough. Select it.
4. Enter your Page Name. On the “Add Your Info” page, you’ll probably want to use your band’s name as the Page Name, unless you have some very creative, wacky, or unique name you’d like to insert instead.
5. Enter your Website Name. Enter the URL that serves as your band’s primary “home base”. For me, it’s GarageSpin.com. For you, it might be a social network site, or something else. (Beware of entering your band’s Facebook band page, Google may not find that very funny.)
6. Select a Sub Category. One of the options in the dropdown box is “Music Band”. I’m not sure why Google thought it necessary to clarify a ‘music’ band as opposed to some other kind of band, but such is how their classification schema works. Select “Music Band”.
7. Check both check boxes, and click on Create. After reading the Terms of Service, of course. (We all always do that, don’t we? Not.) Some day in the future, you may find it informative to check out the
Google+ Pages Contest and Promotion Policies, which, if they’re anything like Facebook Pages’ promotion policies, they’ll change monthly.)
8. Add a short tagline. Be brilliant in 10 words. Or be lazy like me — I just recycled my blog’s tagline.
9. Pick a profile photo. Your call. Upload a band photo? An album cover? A cow? Be unique and brilliant. Or be like me, and use the web camera to snap a shot of your over-tired mugshot.
10. You’re done. Go forth and prosper. Google+ gives you an ugl,y non-vanity URL that’s impossible to remember. (I now tell all my friends, “Hey, you can check out my Google Plus Band Page at
https://plus.google.com/114814280998470069863!”). That will hopefully change.
You can now 1) add a link or button to your Google+ (Plus) Band Page, 2) build your circles by spamming all your friends with circle invites, and 3) create “Hangouts” (very cool), and a bunch of other stuff Google is capable of.
Good luck, and have fun. Be sure to connect with me at
my GarageSpin Google+ Band Page.]]>
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