The last feature I want to discuss is Huddle – one that is actually
designed for the mobile version of Google+. Huddle, at first glance is
about as inspiring as Hangouts. It doesn’t provide anything hugely
original or overwhelming, but for anyone who jumped on board Twitter at
first glance, you know that there is much more to the story here.
Huddle essentially allows you to sit down with up to 50 people and have a text conversation. Better yet, it can be used a supplement to anything you do with the rest of the social network.
Let’s say you decide to build a campaign around your new weight loss product.
You can set a time each week to sit down and have a conversation with people who want to discuss the product or the different strategies they are using in their weight loss routine. This can be a supplement to the product you sell or it can be a freebie that you throw in on Google+ to get people interested in your product.
It also works fantastically as a supplement to your Hangouts.
Let’s say you have a Hangout every Friday to discuss hot topics in the niche.
What better way to supplement your Hangout than to have a Huddle on Saturday afternoon to discuss the topics you went over.
You can even have a strategy session – getting people together to discuss whether the ideas you gave them really panned out in their own efforts.
It can be a coaching session too. If you offer personal advice on your website, why not take it live. If you can convince people to signup for Google+ so they have access to your Huddles, you create a connection that will last into the future.
Like almost every other tool on Google+, there is no “one way” to use Huddle. There are a lot of options if you know how to effectively integrate them into your marketing campaign. Here are a few of the more popular and successful ways to do this:
Brainstorming Sessions – Let’s say you’re getting ready to produce your newest product. You can certain bounce emails back and forth with your fellow marketers over the course of a couple days or you can sit down with them during a scheduled Huddle and bounce ideas back and forth in real time. A Hangout might be better if you can get everyone in front of a PC, but if not, Huddles allow multiple people in different time zones and in different parts of their daily life to chime in with ideas.
Meetups – If you’re trying to meetup with strangers or friends offline, it is often hard to find everyone and get them together. No more with Huddle. Simply send a group chat message and hash out where everyone is. This is perfect for meeting up at trade shows and conventions.
Commentary – Ever wanted to get real time feedback on a webinar or an event as it happens? Huddle makes it possible. Invite members of your webinar to join a Huddle and leave questions or comments for your review during the event. You can do this during events that aren’t yours too. For example, let’s say you sell World of Warcraft guides – why not set up a Huddle during the Blizzcon presentations and then use the thoughts and ideas you gather to craft articles or even a free report after the event? The possibilities are endless here.
Contests – Contests are great ways to provide value and drive engagement from your audience and JVs, but they are notoriously hard to organize and maintain over a multi-day or even multi-week process. To make things easier, use Huddle to request entries or to narrow entries down and then discuss the contest or its results in greater detail with people on your list.
Client Updates – If you have a big announcement or offer you want to share with people, Huddle is a great way to do it, especially if you have a lot of offline clients you want to contact at the same time. Anything that allows you to build relationships with people in real time is a great tool and one that you should add to your business.
Huddle is simple and most of you won’t use it very often if at all. However, the opportunities represented by Huddle are multiple, especially when used in conjunction with other Google+ tools like Hangouts or even Sparks.
If you’re looking for exciting new ways to engage your prospects, this is one you should have your eye on.
Huddle essentially allows you to sit down with up to 50 people and have a text conversation. Better yet, it can be used a supplement to anything you do with the rest of the social network.
Let’s say you decide to build a campaign around your new weight loss product.
You can set a time each week to sit down and have a conversation with people who want to discuss the product or the different strategies they are using in their weight loss routine. This can be a supplement to the product you sell or it can be a freebie that you throw in on Google+ to get people interested in your product.
It also works fantastically as a supplement to your Hangouts.
Let’s say you have a Hangout every Friday to discuss hot topics in the niche.
What better way to supplement your Hangout than to have a Huddle on Saturday afternoon to discuss the topics you went over.
You can even have a strategy session – getting people together to discuss whether the ideas you gave them really panned out in their own efforts.
It can be a coaching session too. If you offer personal advice on your website, why not take it live. If you can convince people to signup for Google+ so they have access to your Huddles, you create a connection that will last into the future.
Other Uses for Huddle
Like almost every other tool on Google+, there is no “one way” to use Huddle. There are a lot of options if you know how to effectively integrate them into your marketing campaign. Here are a few of the more popular and successful ways to do this:
Brainstorming Sessions – Let’s say you’re getting ready to produce your newest product. You can certain bounce emails back and forth with your fellow marketers over the course of a couple days or you can sit down with them during a scheduled Huddle and bounce ideas back and forth in real time. A Hangout might be better if you can get everyone in front of a PC, but if not, Huddles allow multiple people in different time zones and in different parts of their daily life to chime in with ideas.
Meetups – If you’re trying to meetup with strangers or friends offline, it is often hard to find everyone and get them together. No more with Huddle. Simply send a group chat message and hash out where everyone is. This is perfect for meeting up at trade shows and conventions.
Commentary – Ever wanted to get real time feedback on a webinar or an event as it happens? Huddle makes it possible. Invite members of your webinar to join a Huddle and leave questions or comments for your review during the event. You can do this during events that aren’t yours too. For example, let’s say you sell World of Warcraft guides – why not set up a Huddle during the Blizzcon presentations and then use the thoughts and ideas you gather to craft articles or even a free report after the event? The possibilities are endless here.
Contests – Contests are great ways to provide value and drive engagement from your audience and JVs, but they are notoriously hard to organize and maintain over a multi-day or even multi-week process. To make things easier, use Huddle to request entries or to narrow entries down and then discuss the contest or its results in greater detail with people on your list.
Client Updates – If you have a big announcement or offer you want to share with people, Huddle is a great way to do it, especially if you have a lot of offline clients you want to contact at the same time. Anything that allows you to build relationships with people in real time is a great tool and one that you should add to your business.
Huddle is simple and most of you won’t use it very often if at all. However, the opportunities represented by Huddle are multiple, especially when used in conjunction with other Google+ tools like Hangouts or even Sparks.
If you’re looking for exciting new ways to engage your prospects, this is one you should have your eye on.
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