Share This
Tweet this
At a recent breakfast seminar involving Google, the speakers discussed its social network Google+ and some potential benefits for businesses.
For those who have just asked the question: What is Google+? I wrote a previous blog, which provided an overview of what it’s all about.
Some facts you may not know about Google+ are that it started off with a bang as 90 million users signed up within the first six months following its launch in June 2011. Current numbers are hard to come by, but the number has surpassed the 100 million mark, threatening to quickly overtake the 150 million user base of Linkedin.
In November, 2011 Google+ rolled out business pages, but businesses haven’t been quick to embrace Google+ and who could blame them? Currently, most businesses would have a Facebook, Twitter and a Linkedin page with some also having Instagram and also the hottest social network at the moment, Pinterest. Who would want to add a sixth network to that already crowded mix?
Before you let out a big sigh about the effort required behind the upkeep of a social network, Google+ could greatly benefit certain businesses.
There are some similarities with a Facebook and Google+ business page: both allow you to develop relationships and interact with customers but the big difference is that Google+ allows further engagement with fans via Hangouts (video conferencing) -although this feature is limited to a maximum of 10 people per Hangout.
Despite this limitation, it does open up a new way of interacting with fans via a social media network. A business could run a Q&A session in a Hangout, interact with the media and even run a ‘how to’ session over the course of a few hours to enable multiple users to participate. Even celebrities have gotten into the act with the Black Eyed Peas giving some of their fans exclusive behind the scenes content via a Hangout.
Aside from the capabilities of Hangouts, a Google+ business page can help with site traffic, SEO as well as direct connect, which is a new integration between Google+ and Google search. This can be done by simply ‘connecting your website’ via your Google+ page. No one knows exactly how it all works as the Google algorithm is probably the most guarded secret in the world outside of the Coke formula but it can’t hurt to have a little extra help to assist with SEO and potentially page ranking. Ask yourself this. What page will get ranked higher on Google? The one with a Google+ page or just Facebook and Twitter?
In the end Google+ is very much like picking up a videogame with no instruction booklet. It can be difficult and daunting at first but enough ‘playing around’ with it could prove to be a fruitful endeavour.
What now?
Leave a comment
Tweet this
Add to Delicious
EmailRelated Posts
What’s all this fuss about Google+?
First there was Myspace, then Facebook, and recently
Is interest in Pinterest here to stay?
Unless you’ve been lying under a rock lately,
Want travel advice? Tweet about it.
Over the past few months I have noticed
Skittles finds there is such a thing as bad publicity
Through no fault of its own, Skittles has
How will we do business in five years’ time?
For those early adopters who were around at
RSS
Evan Petrelis says:
April 13, 2012 at 10:28 pmHow interesting, Rod – and I like the sound of those ‘Hangouts’! And you make a very valid point: can businesses afford not to embrace Google+, despite social media fatigue? As you point out, the advantages of getting connect definitely outweigh the disadvantages of ignoring it. Great blog piece!
Nick Owens says:
April 16, 2012 at 3:41 pmAgree Evan, and as if they didn’t have enough to deal with they are now having to worry about rockets from North Korea.
Adrienne says:
January 18, 2013 at 2:55 pmThis is a good tip especially to those fresh to the blogosphere.
Brief but very accurate information… Thanks for sharing this one.
A must read article!