Advisors: its time to join google+

Are you on Google+ yet? You should be, especially if you have a blog.
“Link your blog posts to a personal Google+ page using the Google Authorship tool to get a head start on Google’s new search algorithm, AuthorRank,” says Michael Kitces, partner and director of research at Pinnacle Advisory Group and an active social media user.
AuthorRank evaluates which writers are influential and important to readers, and then places them higher in search engine results. With this new metric, Google searches take into account not only PageRank, which assesses site popularity, but also the influence of a page’s author.
“The upshot of this change is that, for the first time ever, financial planners and other service professionals will be able to start establishing their own online ‘webutation’ as they tie content they have produced to their personal profile and business, regardless of where it is published,” Kitces says on his blog.
Advisors can further curate their Google+ presence to reach specific target audiences. Group contacts in “circles” based on specific criteria, such as high-net-worth investors and prospective clients, suggests the CFP Board’s recent social media guide. The platform also allows advisors to set up “hangout” video sessions to enhance communication with clients and colleagues.