Google Gets Social with Google Plus

As if Facebook^®, Twitter^® and Linkedin^® weren’t enough to keep us busy, Google^® recently launched its own version of a Facebook-type site called, Google Plus (Google+). Yes, you read correctly, search engine giant Google has officially entered the social media realm. Why care about this site and not the countless others that also exist? Simply put, because this one is from Google. The world’s largest search engine, combined with the communication capabilities of its own social media site, can only serve to offer more efficient marketing efforts for those trying to bolster their online presence.

Just think about it; the premise behind marketing within the social sites is that essentially you want to be where the people are. If a large majority of the population is on Facebook or Twitter, then that’s where you want to be cultivating relationships and building awareness for your brand. Now consider the implications of pairing all the social properties of both Facebook and Twitter, and for good measure adding some cool new features; all the while tying user activity to search engine results, and you have yourself a site that is turning heads. Have I peaked your curiosity? If so, then here’s a brief tour of Google+. By no means is this complete — on a daily basis users are finding new and different ways to utilize the site; but at the very least you will be aware of the functionality and tools and feel more comfortable about navigating the site when you go there.

How +1 Adds to a Site’s Position in Searches

You may have noticed those little boxes with a +1 to the right on your search pages when Googling. You might have even clicked on them to find out what happens. Once you have a Google+ account, this button works much the same way the “like” button works on Facebook. Click it and it becomes highlighted, asking you to recommend this page. You can share that you +1’d a page with all or select followers within Google+. So if you like gardening, but don’t care to share that with everyone, you don’t have to. You will be afforded the luxury of determining who sees which pages you clicked on.

All the while, Google search engines will take note of the pages that have been clicked and will use this information when calculating search results. Essentially Google views these clicks as votes of confidence by users that a site has content that is useful and worthy of page one search results. Therefore, more than just being “liked” on Facebook, Google+ will impact your SEO efforts. This is probably the single most compelling reason not to overlook this new site. Expect to start seeing +1 buttons popping up on web pages, blogs, and marketing communications.

Getting Around Google+

To use Google+ you need an invitation. Anyone interested in getting an invitation can send me an email at and I will invite you to join.

Circles: Ever wished you could group your Facebook friends into different categories? Have you held back a post because you felt it wasn’t appropriate or relevant for some of your friends or colleagues? Circles is one of those surprise-and-delight features on Google+. Circles allow you to silo your connections into categories that are most meaningful to you: family, friends, professional, and more. You can communicate to groups of people independent of the others. This means your colleague doesn’t have to see pictures of your kids anymore, not that they aren’t adorable! Additionally, unlike the “groups” feature in Facebook where individuals know they are members, only the Google+ account owner knows who is placed in the various circles. Users will only know that they’ve been circled, nothing more.

Another interesting tidbit about Google+ is that profiles are public. Users can find and “follow” you without your having to reciprocate the action. This is similar to Twitter, but unlike Twitter you can control who among the followers in your circles will see which posts and respectively the comments on those posts. Essentially you can have several conversations with a variety of people simultaneously without the entire community being privy to what’s being said.

Sparks: When we see something interesting, we like to share it. Similar to “share” in Facebook, Sparks allow one to share content with selected circles or followers. How this differs from Facebook is that Google+ has a tab one can click on that will stream content related to identified personal interests. The content comes to you now, no longer will you have to seek it out or stumble upon it; it will be there waiting for you. When you see something you want to share, you can spark up a conversation. This can be a great tool to share relevant information with your customers, professional contacts, and friends. And with circles you can do so without spamming those to whom it’s not relevant. You can also save this information for yourself. You can create a circle of consisting of one member (you) and use the circle as a place to store interesting content, posts (notes to self), and videos you want to access at a later date.

Hangouts: Unlike anything on Facebook, Hangouts allows multiple connections to have a video chat live. Have you been stuck in a message stream that would surely be more efficient if only you could just speak with the person/people live? Google+ allows spontaneous face-to-face connections with one or more of your followers, up to 10 people. From a business standpoint it means free video conferencing, prospects for more innovative customer service, and an overall increase in valuable communication. Face-to-face interactions are always more effective than verbal or written ones.

Making Time for Google+

I have no doubts that the thought of having to manage yet another social media site is causing cringes among you; it did with me. I certainly have enough to keep me busy before Google+ came along, but I also realize this site is worthy of consideration, if for no other reason than the implications it has with respect to search results and rankings. You may also feel like all this social media stuff is more of a distraction than a revenue producing marketing effort. I would argue that it may seem that way sometimes, but please keep in mind that via social media we are in the midst of a fundamental shift with respect to how the world communicates. Communication is the basis of marketing and as such warrants a progressive point of view with innovations, such as sites like Google+.

Please know that Google+ launched roughly two months ago, back on June 28th. While it’s presently the fastest growing social media site, it only has about 25 million users so far. Facebook has over 750 million, and is clearly still the primary site where people are congregating. Point being, there’s time to get acquainted with this site, while the rest of the world does the same.

About Insights Discovered

Penny Redlin is a regular contributor to the “Business Sense” feature on The Giggle Guide^®, sharing insights about business planning, effective communications and marketing strategies.

Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, Insights Discovered was founded by Penny Redlin in an effort to share her professional expertise within the children’s product category. The company’s mission is to give every mompreneur an opportunity for success. Insights Discovered exclusively services children’s products brands. The specific industry focus demonstrates a strong dedication to the unique needs of children’s products companies. Insights Discovered offers strategic planning, market research and traditional marketing services.

For more information, visit www.insightsdiscovered.com or call 702.218.5707.