Best-selling author Guy Kawasaki believes Google+ will ultimately win the social networking game. “This is Google, after all,” he said on BlogTalkRadio University earlier this week, noting that we shouldn’t underestimate the power of the No. 1 search engine.

Guy shared ready-to-apply tips from his book with the BTR community. Select the image above to listen to the podcast.

Guy’s chat with us was not only informative — he answered a bunch of BTR listener and host questions — but also super entertaining. At one point, he likened himself to the Pope! Listen to the full interview for a fun breakdown of this important social networking tool.

OUR BURNING GOOGLE+ QUESTIONS

Besides buying his new book (on Amazon as both softcover and ebook versions, in the iBooks store, at Barnes & Noble as both Nook and softcover versions), we asked Guy the best way our BTR community can get started on G+.

Q: Should our hosts create a personal page or a branded page?

Guy: Branded pages have limitations because the person has to follow you before you can follow that person back. Your hosts are people first, brands second. If you’re representing Boeing or Porsche or Procter & Gamble, then yes, create a brand page. But for most solo practitioners, create a personal page.

Guy: Twitter is about gaining perspective, such as how long the line is at Starbucks, there’s an earthquake in Peru, etc. And Facebook is for pre-existing friends — people you know enough to care about their baby, their cat rolling over, etc. — you’re connected by blood or history. Google+ is about passions. For instance, very few of my Facebook friends share my passion for photography, so I can share those posts on Google+, which is for finding people you don’t know yet who share a common interest with you.

Q: Can you talk about the power of Google behind G+?

Guy: No one knows search like Google. Let’s say you’re interested in SXSW but can’t go this year, so during it, you want to know what’s happening. If type SXSW into Google, you’ll see standard coverage by the New York Times, Mashable, CNet, etc. All the journalistic entities. But if you type the same keyword into Google+, you’ll see posts by people you know — insider posts that are remarkably different from, say, the Christian Science Monitor‘s posts on it. Google+ gives you more personalized results.

Q: Since many of our BTR hosts have shows on topics they’re passionate about, what’s the simplest way to grow their audience on G+?

[Guy's answer to this one was short and smart. Listen to the interview online to find out this simple-yet-powerful tip.]

Google+ is one of the most powerful ways BTR hosts can grow their listening audience.

Q: What’s the best way to use G+ for self-promotion?

Guy: I use what I call The NPR Model: NPR provides good content 365 days a year. Every so often, they run the telethons to fundraise. We tolerate them because we feel a sense of obligation. So what you should do is become a sector expert and promote good content all the time, so that when you want to promote your stuff, people won’t be offended. The community doesn’t tolerate pimping all the time.

[Listen to the full interview for a real-life example on how to market your local business.]

Q: How often should we post?

Guy: I post 10 times a day, 365 days a year. But that’s what works for me. 10 times a day is only too much if you post crap. I don’t post crap. I post between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. PT, the prime time for posting. I use tools for scheduling posts. [To find out which ones, listen in.]

Q: Should we make all our posts public?

Guy: 100% of my posts are completely public. I understand the utility of posting to a specific circle, but I’m trying to post to my followers. Every post goes to my closest 2.8 million friends.

Installing Guy-approved tools will optimize your G+ experience. Listen to our interview to find out which ones.

GUY’S TOP 3 G+ TOOLS

There are 3 tools Guy considers indispensable for optimizing your G+ experience. Listen to the complete interview to find out which ones are Guy-approved.

TALKBACK

Are you on Google+? If so, comment below with your profile so we can add you to our Circles!

And feel free to share some of your favorite G+ tips!

Visit Guy’s G+ profile and add him to your Circles.