Google+ is a very powerful social tool which needs no introduction. According to a report by the Tech Times, Google had an estimated 300 million users in 2015. The number must have surged in the past year. Google+ is a platform which has a very strong user base- like the LinkedIn.

Use the +1 button to get inside other G+ user's follower-base
Since there is no way to get a viable list of the followers of a Google+ user, we can use the plus one button to get into them. When you hit the plus one button, it will show a profile icon on the right-hand side.

When you click on this profile icon, Google+ will show you the recent activity- the shares, plus ones (which is their version of a like) and the comments. All the people engaged in one or all of such activates is listed. There you can hover over their icon to follow them.

Use Circloscope to manage your Google+ followers
This is the last week of October 2016 and it is free. Circloscope is a tool which will show you the people, who are not following back, your fans- whom you are not following, whom you have blocked, etc.

It will also list the people according to the group they belong to. You can directly un-follow the un-followers and follow your fans.

This is a technique every G+ user should know. But this technique can be used only in the classic G+ interface. The new G+ interface does not support this functionality.

Create a group for ease of use to keep track of whom you follow
Not all those whom you follow, follow back. So, to keep track of the people, you must create a new group. It will aid you in using the Circloscope tool effectively.

Name the group you are going to create related to your niche- such as travel, technology, blogging and so on. And there is already a group/circle called the following. Add new people to the niche group while you un-follow from the following group.

And when there is none left, start the reversing the process. Add new people to the following group and un-follow from the niche group. This will give the people enough time to follow back. You don't want to un-follow a person the day after you have added to your circle. Use this technique. This technique gives them enough time to respond. It works!

Be careful of whom you follow
When you start following other's followers, your feed can get very populated. And if you follow haphazardly, your feeds will get irrelevant and sometimes it might even contain adult contents. So, be careful when you start following. When you see something that is not safe for work, immediately un-follow them. Since there are no profile explanations in G+, it might be difficult to know who you are following.

Engage with your circles
Engagement is pivotal if you want to keep the audience you have gained. Imagine yourself in a situation. You see a post like it, share it and ask a question to the person who posted the update. The person who posted the update does not respond. Would you like and share the next content you see by the same person? I guess not.

But if you actually get a response, you feel exalted. Someone cared about your comment and responded. That will make you feel good (about the person) and the next post you see by the exact same person will get plus 1'd and shared by you. That is the simple part of the complex human nature. So, never ever hesitate to engage with your audience.

If someone says nice, comment back thank you or at least +1 the comment.

Engagement is not only about replying to other's comments and +1nning the comments. You must also like and share other's contents. This will help you building a better relationship with other people and groups.

Conclusion
Google+ is a platform with a lot of potential. You can do targeted marketing with Google+, build a following base keeping an eye on the professional advertisement prospects, drive traffic to your site and much more. If you are able to use it wisely, you will reap a lot of benefits from G+.