Ignore Google+ at Your Peril

Nov 01

Ignore Google+ at Your Peril

by Rebecca Davis
Category: Digital Influence, google

On October 27, I joined communications pros on Bulldog Reporter’s webinar “An Advance Look at Hot, New Google+: How It Will Impact PR Pros, Social Media Strategy and Your Customers.” Co-panelists were Jennifer Lashua, Global Social Media Strategist from Intel; Vidar Brekke, Chief Product Officer from Converseon; and Mark Traphagen, Internet Marketing Manager from Virante.

A lot of our value-add from Ogilvy comes from helping clients anticipate which platforms will win. There are a million ways to optimize your social media presence, and spending more time on yet another social network is something many social media pros are not wont to do. That said, despite social media fatigue, and despite the enhancements on Facebook released in the last few months, I’ve become more convinced that time spent on G+ is well spent. The panelist laid out a compelling case.

“My friends aren’t in G+” is no excuse. We should never forget that Zuckerberg made a decision in establishing the “real identity” and “know in real life” folkways of Facebook. Google+ doesn’t share these; in fact, panelists said that much of the value of Google+ comes from meeting new people around interests in the platform and having meaningful, thoughtful conversations.

Right now Google+ audiences cluster around early adopters. Talk to your journalist, designer, and developer friends and, as likely as not, they will have had a good experience with Google+. If you’re interested in what these folks think (and if you’re reading this blog, it’s likely you are), you should be in on their conversations.

+1 could fundamentally change the way we use the web. Anti-trust and privacy issues notwithstanding (and not to be underestimated), +1’s effect on search results may change user behaviors we’ve been seeing for nearly a decade. Transparently, users see that a friend has found a link valuable and are more likely to click on it; behind the scenes, Google may add this layer to the relevance of search results and shift the very content of search results. Seismic shifts are possible.

Don’t bet against Google. While the track record from Google on new product introduction is spotty, when it counts they make it work. They have deep pockets, a very real competitive threat to their search business in Facebook, and a gmail install base they can use to push the platform. In effect, Google+ is a company-critical product like Android, not a “die in beta” product like Rooms. (Do you even remember what that was?)

Having a second, strong social network will benefit advertisers. Having an 800 pound gorilla across the table when it comes time for advertisers to negotiate does not benefit anyone, except the 800 pound gorilla. You will likely see brands flock to the upcoming release of brand pages and support the platform aggressively with dollars when they can. It’s just good defense.

“Interest orientation” may make Google+ an ideal vehicle for thought leadership & social business. G+ groups people flexibly around topics that matter to them. A new product feature allows you to share the name and composition of your circles, making it possible for circles to come together around functional areas, companies, passions, products and brands. Facebook’s constructs, around friend lists and brand pages, aren’t quite this flexible. Early attempts at this, like ning and yammer, were islands without the backing of a huge, well funded company.

So. What should you do? How do you spend your precious time on this platform?

Open your mind. We’ve all spent so much time on Facebook and Twitter that they’ve become synonymous with “social media,” but if you want to have a meaningful, threaded dialogue with people you don’t know well, you’re sort of out of luck. There are needs that the FB/Twitter suite can’t address, and Google has incentives to listen to their community and introduce them appropriately.

Engage as an individual. Find where the conversation is in Google+. There is likely one that appeals to you. Google has spent time improving their in-application search. Start following & participating.

Get clear on your company’s “interests.” If you are not actively engaged in building a content strategy with key message pillars, you likely will be in the next six months. Think through what topics and interests are driving the conversation around your product. Market theorists are starting to call this “purpose-driven branding.” If you’re selling cars, you’re in the transportation business. Join the transportation conversation in Google+. Encourage your internal subject matter experts to do the same. Follow some people. Comment & engage.

Get creative. No one is exactly sure where the community is headed, but isn’t that the fun of engaging with a nascent product? Follow Friday, RTing, and even Facebook’s brand pages emerged from smart users building useful applications within fairly flexible tools.

Stay tuned. Google brand profiles are near on the horizon. This is where it gets interesting.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 1st, 2011 at 7:59 pm and is filed under Digital Influence, google. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

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TAGS: Tags: brands, Facebook, google plus, twitter, webinar

16 Responses to “Ignore Google+ at Your Peril”

Buddy Scalera Says:
November 2nd, 2011 at 2:20 am
Google+ is creating a new ecosystem for social media connection. It has features in common with both Facebook and Twitter, but it is something new and unique.

It will take time to understand and appreciate Google+, but Facebook and Twitter did too. We compare this less-than-a-year-old social network to Facebook, which has been around since around 2004 (and was featured in a movie!)

What you write about early adopters is important. As Google+ grows, the people participating will help shape the direction and tone of the site.

Google+ is unlikely to fade away soon, so brand managers should start to explore it now. If it becomes “the next big thing,” then they will have a better understanding of the platform.

Buddy Scalera
Robin Deliso Says:
November 2nd, 2011 at 6:39 am
I think the note in this post about marketers/communicating through more than one social channel is right on. All too often “social media marketing” is focused on Facebook with a dash of twitter on the side.
Rebecca Davis Says:
November 2nd, 2011 at 8:29 am
Excellent comments. “Ecosystem” is a very apt way to describe the G+ network; it stands in stark relief to FB’s walled garden, and therefore presents a formidable threat.
Peter Fretty Says:
November 2nd, 2011 at 12:40 pm
While G+ will undoubtedly mean different things to each user group, I am confident that its greatest value will eventually surface in supporting project based collaboration. With dynamic user customized circles, huddles and hangouts, G+ lacks realistic competition within this space.
Kari Rippetoe Says:
November 2nd, 2011 at 12:44 pm
This is a topic I talked about yesterday at a seminar our communications firm gave yesterday. I talked about social media trends for 2012, and Google+ is going to be a big one. What I think makes it fundamentally different from Facebook is its targeted nature - being able to join topic-centric conversations, sharing content with certain, targeted “Circles” of people. I can’t wait to see what Google+ business profiles will bring!
Kari Rippetoe Says:
November 2nd, 2011 at 12:45 pm
This is a topic I talked about yesterday at a seminar our communications firm gave. I talked about social media trends for 2012, and Google+ is going to be a big one. What I think makes it fundamentally different from Facebook is its targeted nature - being able to join topic-centric conversations, sharing content with certain, targeted “Circles” of people. I can’t wait to see what Google+ business profiles will bring!
juliemarg Says:
November 2nd, 2011 at 1:06 pm
Google + will evolve and perhaps it will become something useful. Your arguments are compelling.

My concern is that what I see people talking about as positives are the worst things about G+. I don’t want to have long conversations with strangers and I don’t think others do either. I know business owners don’t have the time to add meaningful, thoughtful conversations to their already busy schedule.
Todd Randolph Says:
November 2nd, 2011 at 1:13 pm
It is unclear what vehement anti-Google-ism you are battling here. I see one expression of protest “my friends aren’t on it,” which in most cases is equally true of Twitter. When Google releases business profiles, businesses will start to move toward it. Facebook is less and less a walled garden, with Facebook comments now showing up in Google’s search results. I think both will be viable solutions for business - but Facebook’s offerings are here, and Google Plus’ are a few weeks away. The enemy here is not refusal, it is indifference.
King Rosales Says:
November 2nd, 2011 at 1:20 pm
I agree with buddy, time will only tell as it will take time for people to understand and appreciate Google+. Although Facebook’s had a lengthy head start, social networks did exist before it; myspace, hi5, etc. Thanks for the post Rebecca!
JeffS Says:
November 2nd, 2011 at 1:36 pm
Interesting points… but I think the network effect is very much in play here. “All my friends are on Facebook” is and will remain the compelling argument against Google+. Until another social network (note that I am talking about social networks, not social media, such as Twitter) figures out a way to get a critical mass of users switched over to its network I just don’t see how anything is going to unseat Facebook. Also, I’m not sure that the “Don’t bet against Google” argument really holds water. Yes, overall Google is a safe bet — but that doesn’t mean all of their products are. Case in point: Google Wave.
Rebecca Davis Says:
November 2nd, 2011 at 1:48 pm
@juliemarg Agree that the length of posts is a significant UX issue for G+. Optimal length seems somewhat north of 140 characters, somewhere south of where they are now, based on screen size. This is precisely the sort of issue to be worked out with active users before the habits are formed too deeply.

The counter-argument that @jeffs begins to make is actually more that G+ might have a classic Geoff-Moore-style “chasm” problem unless it gets to a critical mass among the broader market. Twitter surmounted this with an emphasis on drawing in celebs for whom the masses had appetite - Kim Kardashian was an early example, ironically. Google needs to figure this out quickly lest it optimizes around a community that grows to love some of the functionality that a larger audience finds less palatable. But they’ll likely figure it out.
Sifiso Says:
November 3rd, 2011 at 4:06 am
I think JeffS nailed it, no matter how shiny and cool we may all think Google+ is, for people out there it boils down to, where are my friends? Rebecca raises a good point about how Twitter grew using celebrities. However one thing you’re forgetting is that for the most part that is not how people are using Facebook. They are using Facebook to connect with their friends, family and colleagues. Until Google can give me a good enough reason to leave my Facebook world that I have invested so much of myself into, building connections, not to mention all of my albums, videos etc I just don’t see why I should move there. It’s honestly that simple.
Jerry schindelheim Says:
November 3rd, 2011 at 10:19 am
Thanks for writing this article. When google+ came out I was an early adapter, but since then I haven’t used it much. Thanks for the reminder why we need to use it more.
Klado Says:
November 5th, 2011 at 2:57 am
@Jeff, did you know your people already use Youtube? or Google search? or Chrome? or Android? Google has already stated around that G+ is not a Facebook competitor at its core, it is more of a re-imagination to themselves to make the Google’s whole ecosystem more organic and viable, and this ecosystem is simply too big for something like a single service like FB or Twitter to retain into, and if so, expect Google+ to be the definitive social red out there.

What assures me this? stuff like
Chrome + Black bar = +1, betting on it.
Youtube + Black bar = +2… coming or further integration like Blogger.
Android + Google+ = ICS native integration like hang out and chord.

In resume, no, you didn’t nail it, it is not about Google+ beating facebook, but Google, and if seen that way, FB doesn’t have a change.
Erika Says:
November 6th, 2011 at 10:23 pm
It’s funny how we compare to Google+ to Facebook all the time. Obviously Facebook was sort of the break the mold group. But I teach an intro to public speaking class and one student choose to do his informative speech about Google+. Once the speech was over almost all of the class was amazed. Mind you this is a group of 18 year old kids who have grown up on computers and specifically Facebook as we know it today. Not back when it was restricted to “networks” and colleges. After discovering about circles and easily limiting the information they share all my students wanted a profile. They love being able to only share their drunkin nights with other students and exclude mom, dad, and aunt sally with one click. Yes for advertising it is great but also think of it’s viability with the youth. They love being able to pick and choose with one click what they share. This I think is what separates Google+ from the other sites. Being able to truly be themselves with everyone they know! At least that’s what caught my students attention.
Marketing Says:
November 12th, 2011 at 11:33 am
Brilliant post, nicely done. And thanks for mentioning all those blogs - you have introduced to me to three new blogs and I love them all! Cheers