I have made it my mission to master a few different things over the comming months and one of those is the illusive Google Hangout!
I plan to share my journey… tips of what I learn along the way and where I can, step by step guide to using a Google Hangout and how to use it for your business.
Yup, I am not by any means an expert. Where I am at? About a year ago I created a Google+ account – I go there (semi-reluctantly) from time to time, but have really struggled to switch my brain over to taking any of it seriously.
Maybe it’s just me – but… sometimes it just feels like there are too many bits and pieces that everyone is saying you MUST use in your marketing stash – and G+ has been one of those for me.
I have decided to bite off a chunk though and learn about how to use Google Hangout videos as a source of content creation, getting a lot of information from people in this IM Launch community, without it having to result in being a massive time suck for everyone involved.
So.. Where to start. Let’s start at the absolutely beginning, yeah?
A Google Hangout is basically a group video chat session using Google’s free online platform. They can be used for any combination of video, live chat, video conferencing, voice chat, and live broadcasts. They can be used to host classes, webinars, chats and more.
You can use a Google Hangout for a wide variety of functions, including marketing, education, planning and brainstorming, entertainment, and much more. Almost anything you in a live group setting, you can do with Hangouts.
I am going to be ripping Google Hangouts apart, breaking them down and working this stuff out – and then putting it into bite sized chunks – so that no matter what type of business you run, you will be able to apply it and benefit quickly.
I want to learn about some of the smartest, most effective, and most profitable ways to use this amazing service, and what you can do to make sure every Hangout we create is the best it can possibly be – and then share it with you.
One thing I have learned about is the new Hangouts On Air feature. You can still do traditional, personal Hangouts, but I will be talking a lot about this new On Air feature, so that what we are building in regards to a Google Hangout will be as cutting edge as possible!
I hope you enjoy the journey! I am excited about it too!
"I have been learning that there are many different ways to use a Google Hangout for your business"
The most common I have seen are people using them for webinars and sharing other types of marketing content, but there are other ways you can use them profitably, too – so here is my list.
Here are a few ideas for ways you can use Google Hangouts for your business:
1. Offering Lessons – You can offer lessons, either free or paid, or individuals or small groups through the Hangouts platform.
2. Training – If you have a product such as software for sale, you can offer live video training to individuals or groups showing them how to use it. This video can be recorded using the Google on Air system and uploaded to YouTube for others to watch at a later date.
3. Demos – You can use Hangouts to show really cool live demos of upcoming projects.
4. Marketing Presentations – Hangouts make excellent live commercials for your products or affiliate products, allowing potential buyers to ask questions and get answers about the product in real time.
5. Interviews – You can have someone interview you, or you can interview someone else live.
6. Webinars – You can use Google Hangouts to hold webinars online without paying a fortune for expensive webinar software or paying monthly subscription fees.
7. Communicating with Partners – You can use Hangouts to communicate with any type of business associates, including your virtual assistants, designers, programmers, business partners, and affiliates. Keep them apprised of updates, new products, upcoming projects, brainstorm together, etc.
8. Providing Customer Support – If your customers need help that can’t easily be explained through email, or you’ve tried email and they still don’t understand, you can offer to start a Google Hangout and give them live support through video chat. This can be much more effective than email support, and your customers will thank you for it!
9. Live Collaboration – If you’re working on a project with multiple people, gather your team together and collaborate live through a Hangout. It will let you give each other instant feedback, updates on current project progress, and more.
10. News & Announcements – If you need to hold a live “press conference” to announce something or report some news you have, a Google Hangout is a great way to do so!
These are just a few ideas. As you can see, Google Hangouts can be useful for any business in a wide variety of ways, and best of all, Google Hangouts are FREE!
If you really think of any other uses that I might not have mentioned please share them in the comments below. Oh and, even though I am mainly covering it for the making money side of things, don’t forget that there are some other less ‘make money’ ways to use Hangouts.
I have seen people using them to hold meetings with people across the world, including business partners, staff, outsourcers, virtual assistants, affiliates, and other people you work with.
