When Google+ Brand Pages launched just over a month ago, many companies immediately jumped head first into the proverbial deep end and created a page. However, 30+ days later, much uncertainty remains and these same brands are still trying to keep their heads above water and make sense of what Google+ can do for them. They are looking to answer questions like: are enough people using G+ to warrant focusing on this and potentially taking effort away from the other social media market programs? Does anyone actually do anything with the content on Google+? And what about the competition - how are other brands using this channel so far? So before you begin investing, there are several things you can start measuring to help decide if, when, and how to leverage Google+ brand pages:

(All of the charts and data below came from Simply Measured Google+ Analytics tool.)

1. What Does Your Competitive Landscape Look Like on Google+?
   The opportunities can be great when a new channel opens up. In particular, understanding what your competition does that works (and fails) can help you more quickly adapt your strategy and the tactics you take for execution against that strategy. All of which gives an advantage towards dominating over your competition in Google+. With 60% of the top 100 brands already starting on Google+ there is a wealth of data you can start collecting about other brands, competitors, and industry leaders to guide your own strategy.
   
   


2. What Kind Of Engagement is happening on Your Page?
   For brands that are already set up on Google+, you have access to a clearer picture of what is actually taking place on your page. These reports give you the beta to understand who are you actually reaching? Are people doing anything with the content you are posting? And if people are, what content are they interacting with? Having the answers to these questions will enable you to adapt your social media strategy and determine what the best approach is for managing your brand page.
   
   


3. What Works Best, Where?
   One of the biggest pain points for marketers and social media managers is being able to tailor content to each distribution channel to ensure maximum success. By being able to easily compare what is happening on Google+ with Twitter and Facebook you can differentiate which content works best for each and understand the variances in the demographics you are engaging with. All of which provides you with another data point for determining what level of investment you should make into Google+.


4. How Do Conversations Disseminate Across Disparate Media Outlets?
   You probably already monitor conversations (such as a hashtag, keyword, or phrase) across Twitter, Facebook, blogs, forums, and video sites - now you can add Google+ to the mix. You can start understand how much organic conversation is happening on Google+ relevant to your brand. This gives you another data point when determining the amount of energy that should be dedicated to Google+.
   
   

There is a wealth of data out there to help guide your investment in Google+. Using Google+ Analytics to guide your journey into this new channel can help you decide if it will be the next Facebook or the next Google wave.