Once again, Google is offering a better way for its Google+ users to connect with one another. Helpouts, an extension of Google Hangouts, offers users a streamlined way to get answers to questions by asking real people in real time. While seeking answers to questions has long been a regular task on the internet, Google is now offering a more human way to do so.
For business owners and those seeking to grow their personal brands, Google Helpouts isn’t just another feature of yet another social media platform. It offers several benefits that can help individuals expand their personal brand including:
An Avenue to Become an Authority
If you are interested in perpetuating your personal brand, the becoming an authority in your field is important. No one is going to care about what you have to say or buy what you are selling if they don’t think you are truly knowledgeable. By answering questions, offering tutorials, and displaying your credentials, you have a greater chance of establishing yourself as a thought-leader in your industry.
For real estate agents in particular, Google Helpouts can help them become authorities in their local areas. Agents can use Helpouts to answer questions about listings, neighborhoods, local schools, and amenities for interested buyers who may not even be in the area. The more often the advice is deemed as beneficial, the higher the Helpout star rating, increasing the agent’s credibility.
The Ability to Make Additional Cash
Google Helpouts doesn’t just offer users a way to showcase their expertise; it allows them a way to offer their expertise at a price. For social media experts, this is a great opportunity to create tutorials on how to better manage social media platforms and make money while doing so. Helpouts has a Google Wallet integration so receiving payments for services rendered is built into the platform.
Helpouts also indirectly allows those with personal sites to make greater cash as Helpouts are showing up in search. Anyone in business knows, that if you want to grab the attention of more customers and gain their business, you have to be seen on Google. If users rate your information and tips as useful, your information could rise in search engine results.
An Opportunity to Offer Better Customer Service
The best way to promote a brand is by creating brand advocates who share their positive experiences about your service with others. To get your customers to talk about the products that you are selling, you need to offer quality customer service. Google+ is well suited to help business owners offer a complete and positive customer service experience. However, with the creation of Helpouts, brands now have a more efficient way to answer questions and get their clients the information they want as quickly as possible.
Google+ was once criticized for being a “ghost town”. However, with the development of Hangouts On Air and Helpouts, Google+ is becoming a real-time resource for any business owner looking to put a face to their brand.
Sarah Hill is the Chief Digital Storyteller for Veterans United Home Loans, where she is the Hangout Host for its veteran and military issues news hub, Veterans United Network. Connect with Sarah on Google+ to start a Hangout, or chat with her on Twitter. 
