A Step-By-Step Guide to Customizing Google+ and Youtube

+Yourself: A Step-By-Step Guide to Customizing Google+ and YouTube

©2015 Mindful Media Services Step 1: Create a Google Account Signing up for a Google account is the first step to accessing all of Google's great, free products, like Gmail, Google+, YouTube, Hangouts, and much more. All with a single username and password. If you already have a Google account with your real name, you can skip this step. If not, please continue.

1. Go to accounts.google.com/signup.

2. Complete the form (see image 1). It is best practice to use your real name during the setup.

3. If this is the first Google account you have created, you will then be asked to create your

Google+ profile (see image 2). Creating your image 1: sign up form Google+ account will give you access to such Google products as Hangouts On Air, which allows you to host and broadcast live discussions through your Google+ Homepage and YouTube channel. This also allows you to edit and share the broadcast. Click “Create Your Profile”. (PLEASE NOTE: If you have previously created a different Google account, you may not be presented with this popup. In that case, to create your Google+ profile, click on the image 2: create your Google+ profile silhouetted profile in the top right and click “Join Google+” from the popup and follow the prompts to create your Google+ page.)

2 ©2015 Mindful Media Services 4. You will be taken to a welcome page where you will see your newly created email address. Click “Get Started.” This will complete your account setup. You will be taken to an account settings page where you can review your security settings (see image 3). To tighten security, click “Get Started” and follow the prompts.

5. To update your profile, click on the silhouetted person (seen to the left) found in image 3: account settings the upper right hand corner of the page. On the popup, click “View profile”. You will be guided through the setup process. There are advantages to completing your Google+ profile, such as better rankings and perks from Google.

6. Now we will create a business Google+ page that we will tie your YouTube channel to. To do this, click on the Home menu on the top left and then on “Pages” (see image 4).

7. On the page that comes up, click on “Get Your Page”.

8. You will then be presented with three different business types. Choose the one with which your business most closely identifies. image 4: create your business page

3 ©2015 Mindful Media Services These three choices include: → Storefront This is for those with an actual brick and mortar location such as restaurants, retail stores, hotels, etc. → Service Area This is for those who provide services within a given area such as plumbers, delivery services, taxi services, etc. → Brand

This is for a business that provides a image 5: choose your business type product but does not have a storefront, a sports team, a band, a cause, etc. (see image 5).

9. Enter your business information, including your Google+ business page name and your existing website, if you have one. In addition, you will need to read and agree to the terms of creating the business page. Click “Create Page”. image 6: switch between profiles 10. You have now created two Google+ pages – one attached to your name and the other to your business. You can easily switch between the two profiles (see image 6). You will want to take the tours and be thorough with updating your profile pages.

If you don’t already have a YouTube account associated with your Google account, follow these steps to create one.

1. Go to www.YouTube.com.

2. If not logged in automatically, click “Sign In” in the upper right hand corner. (PLEASE NOTE: If you have more than one Google account, you will be asked to pick which account with which to sign in.)

3. Enter and submit your password for your Google account, and that’s it! After logging in on YouTube’s site with your Google account information, you become registered on their site. You will see a confirmation of this registration on the top of the page. You will now be able to create unlimited YouTube channels under one account.

Now we will create a new channel for your business or brand. YouTube automatically will create a new Google+ page for you that will be associated with your channel. image 1: my channel

1. Click “My Channel” (see image 1).

2. Click on the link at the bottom that says, “To use a business or other name, click here” (see image 2).

image 2: link YouTube to your Google+ business

5 ©2015 Mindful Media Services 3. You will then be taken to a page where you will see both of your newly created Google+ profiles, personal and business. Select your business Google+ page. YouTube will ask you to confirm that you are creating a channel for this Google+ page. Click “OK”. Your Google+ business page and your new YouTube channel will now be connected (see image 3). image 3: connection successful

Step 3: Verification In order to activate some really useful features of YouTube, your Channel needs to be verified. It's a simple process that unlocks these great tools.

#1 Custom Thumbnails

Video Thumbnails let people see a quick snapshot of your video. After your video is finished uploading, you'll be able to choose a thumbnail from the three options YouTube automatically generates. If your account is verified and in good standing, you have the ability to upload custom thumbnails for your video uploads. This is important because the ones YouTube generate rarely capture images that accurately reflect your content. Instead, you can create memorable, attention grabbing thumbnails that will motivate folks to click and view your video.

YouTube offers a feature called External Annotations that can offer big results for the small business owner using video. External Annotations can create clickable links inside your YouTube videos that immediately send your viewers directly to your website. External Annotations can help convert more of your viewers into visitors and increase your traffic!

#3 Longer Videos

The time limit for non-verified channels is 15 minutes, which is lifted once you verify your channel. This feature is great for more detailed how-to videos or replays of talks, seminars and webinars.

#4 ID Content Appeals

If you upload a video that contains copyright-protected material, you could end up with a Content ID claim. These claims are issued by companies that own music, movies, TV shows, video games, or other copyright-protected material. If you have the required rights to use the copyright-protected content in your video, or if you think the system has somehow misidentified your video, you can dispute the claim.

When your channel is verified and in good standing, you can enable live events from your Account Features page. Once your channel is enabled for live events, you’ll see a "Live Events" option in your Video Manager. With Hangouts On Air, you can host and broadcast live discussions and performances to the world through your Google+ Home page and YouTube channel. You can also edit and share acopy of the broadcast. It is also possible to broadcast using other streaming video software.

As you can see, verification is apretty important step to take as you set up your YouTube Channel. It allows you to use YouTube in aprofessional way, helps you engage more deeply with your audience, and provides away to convert viewers into subscribers, fans and more importantly, customers.

On YouTube, click on the profile icon in the top right hand corner. Make sure to select your new channel linked to your Google+ business page. Go back to your YouTube Channel’s Creator Studio by clicking on your channel icon in the top right hand corner and selecting “Creator Studio” (see image 1).

1. From the menu on the left side of the screen, choose “Channel”.

image 1: get to Creator Studio 2. You will now see a list of your channel’s features. At the top is your Account Status with a “Verify” button next to it. Click “Verify”. This is a crucial step because once verified, you can post videos longer than 15 minutes in length.

3. Choose whether the verification code will be sent to you via an automated voice message or by text. Enter your phone number and click image 2: verify your account “Submit”.

4. You will be taken to an account verification page where you need to enter the 6-digit verification code sent to you by Google (see image 2). Enter your code and click “Submit”.

9 ©2015 Mindful Media Services Now that you are fully verified, the last step before being able to have a Hangout on Air is to create a separate username and password for your Google+ page that will allow the apps within Google+ Hangouts to work properly.

1. Go back to your Business Google+ page (www.plus.google.com).

2. Click on your icon in the top right corner and click “Settings” (see image 3).

3. Scroll down to Third-Party Tools image 3: my business settings and select “Set up a password”. Follow the on-screen prompts.

Step 4: Customization

Customizing your Google+ Page and YouTube Channel helps you standout in the crowded social media world and allows you to control that ever-so- important first impression. You want viewers to immediately recognize your pages as belonging specifically to your business or organization. By using your brand colors, fonts and logo, you can create a strong, memorable online presence. Here are some ways to make it your own:

10 ©2015 Mindful Media Services 1. Google+ Graphics/Logo Once logged in to your Google+ page, hover over the default image next to your name. A “Change Cover” link appears to the bottom right of the image. Click it, and choose an image that best represents you

or your brand. Another great way to update image 1: your story the look of your page is through the help of applications like Canva, www.canva.com. Canva gives you all the tools you need to design your graphics, including templates for Google+ for free, or nearly free. It is easy through these types of applications to keep your site fresh and interesting. (Please note: Profile image should be a minimum of 250 x 250 pixels. It is recommended your cover photo be 1080 x 608 pixels but can image 2: your work experience be as small as 480 x 270 pixels and as large as 2120 x 1192 pixels.)

2. Google+ Profile Information From your Google+ page, go to your profile and select “About” found under your name and image. From this page, you will see a section to update your Story, including your tagline, introduction, and bragging rights (see image 1). There is a section to

update your work and contact information image 3: your contact information as well (see images 2 & 3). Update away!

11 ©2015 Mindful Media Services 3. YouTube Once logged into your YouTube account, click on My Channel. Update Be sure to use the image associated with your channel by simply clicking on the “Add keywords in your Channel Art”. Again, Canva is a great profile and channel place for creating art using a template already in place for YouTube Channel description. This will Art. (Please note: If not using an help with your Google application like Canva that sizes the images for you, your YouTube channel search ranking! art should be 2560 x 1440 pixels and fits the template seen in image 4. The template is available for download at: https://support.google.com/youtube/ answer/2972003?hl=en)

4. Channel Description & Contact Info From your YouTube Channel page,

click on the “About” tab toward the image 4: YouTube channel art template top. From here you can update the description of your channel and add an email account for inquiries (see image 5).

image 5: channel description

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