Domino Theory's Marketing Blog

A report out this week from ComScore tells us that Google+ users are unengaged.

According to the report, users are signing up, then leaving. Google+ users are on the service just a tiny fraction of the time that Facebook users are. For internet marketers, however, the ComScore numbers don't tell the story. Google+ deserves your attention for reasons completely different than mass reach (and in addition to the benefits it ads to your SEO strategy).

Since its launch in June of 2011, over 90 million users have registered on Google+, approximately 10% of the number of people registered on Facebook. And, according to the report, the average Google+ user is on the service on 3 minutes each month compared with 7 hours per month for Facebook users. Marketers that have been allowed to test the Google+ service are reporting that users are far more engaged with them on Facebook. For these reasons, the Wall Street Journal reports that Google+ is virtual ghost town.

Whether Google+ was designed to be Facebook killer is for someone else to decide, but my experience on the two services (and Twitter and LinkedIn) tell me that looking at average user statistics on Google+ will leave you misinformed. Google+ is clearly not yet accepted by the "average" social media user. And that is perfectly fine. Marketers should use Facebook to reach the "average" user.

For marketers who look beyond "averages," Google+ serves a purpose that Facebook can't. Sure, use Facebook to offer my Aunt Edna a coupon or a new recipe, but use Google+ to engage in thoughtful discussion. Use Facebook to generate pithy comments and run promotions, but use Google+ to have a grown-up conversation about the merits of your marketing strategy.

If you're reading this on my Google+ page, you'll see below a Google+ circle of 500 users, put together by Robert Scoble, that you'll be hard pressed to interact with on Facebook. These are business and thought leaders who actively share and interact on Google+. Read their posts, comment, add them to your circles, and I promise that the knowledge you gain will be well worth your time.

Edit 2-29-12: Here's another perspective from TechCrunch worth reading.

 

There are plenty of times when responding to a social media post is all we need or desire at Domino Theory. But as social media moves more into our workplace Google+ allows us to go one step further by connecting with real-time video - with one person, or with many! To top it off, it doesn't cost us a dime!

http://youtu.be/1_HqVFEzY2U?hd=1

When we wrote recently about why your business needs Google+, we talked a lot about the search aspects and how Google+ will help increase your rankings. As Google+ continues to evolve (see the recent integration with Gmail), we're even more convinced that Google+ is going far beyond our vision of a social network. Hangouts might just be killer app that gets businesses from being interested in Google+ to being active on Google+

A Hangout on Google+ is a face-to-face interaction in real time - video conferencing at the desktop level. From my desk in El Dorado Hills, I can connect in real time, face-to-face, with anyone, anywhere! OK, big deal, we've all seen video chat before, right? But what about chatting with up to 10 people at once where people are free to come and go as they please, and smart technology focuses the camera on whoever is speaking at that moment? Pretty cool, huh? Oh, and did I mention it's free?

Well, that's the Hangout that was part of the Google+ at release. Today it gets even better!

With today's announcement of , "On Air" (demoed by the Dalai Lama last month) the host can broadcast to an unlimited number of viewers. There are still limits on the number of people who can participate in the chat, but viewership is virtually unlimited. Where blogs like this one and social networks have made everyone a publisher, Hangouts are about make everyone a broadcaster. Plus, the Hangout is automatically archived on your YouTube profile (with the default set to Private).

Think of the uses for your business: Internal meetings and presentations, Product demonstrations, Training classes and seminars, News releases, Strategy sessions, Sale calls, Customer service, and more. Did I mention it's free?

All predictions are that social marketing will be a key driver of business in 2012. We suggest that Google+ be a key part of your marketing initiatives for the coming year, too.

What do you think? Send us a note or post your comment below. [contact-form-7 id="541" title="Contact form 1"]

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As a Smarter Business Communications company, Domino Theory has been active on Google+ since it went live in June of this year. Our experience with it has been mixed. Google+, so far, is a social network for early adopters. You're not likely to find many of your Facebook friends or LinkedIn contacts aboard yet. As for businesses, well until last week they weren't even allowed. So, knowing all this, why do we suggest our clients get their Google+ Business Page up and running now?

 


First, let's be clear, Google+ is not a mirror of Facebook or any other social network and I don't suspect it will soon replace the interaction we enjoy on Facebook or the business networking on LinkedIn. Google+ is something different. From the outset it's designed to be more about Social Business than it is about connecting with friends and family. And that's why your business needs to be there!

Search
Google is king of search. Google+ will be tied more closely to Google's search algorithms than any other social network (to the point where Facebook and Twitter are now snuggling up with Bing). Google's recent changes to their search now weighs recency, making fresh Google+ content even more valuable to your SEO efforts. Add to this the ability to set up your Google+ Page as a Local Business and you're enhancing local SEO even further!

Put a "+" onto any search for a brand or business and a Google+ search also pulls that brand's Google+ Business Page! Talk about connecting businesses with customers!

Forgetting all else, search alone makes Google+ any business's friend.

Integration
Google+ is the place where all the various pieces of the Google ecosystem meet. Apps for Business, Gmail, word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, third party apps, and YouTube all meet together at the hub that is Google+. Throw in video chats and Hangouts on Google+ and soon there will be no reason to ever leave the Google environment!

Thought Leaders are Staking their territory!
Check out the follower activity these leading brands have had in the first week of Google+ pages being live. Do you have any marketing activity in your arsenal that has put you in direct contact with thousands of customers this week?
NASA
The Muppets
The New York Times
FC Barcelona
Pepsi
Burberry
Toyota

Clearly many businesses have yet get their arms wrapped around search engines, Facebook, blogging, and the many other social networking tools that will change the way they market. We understand that to the untrained eye this can all be overwhelming. Ignore it at your own peril!

The changes we're seeing in marketing can be compared favorably to the changes Moneyball brought to baseball. Analytics and digital tools are delivering an advantage to the companies that know how to use them. While many are afraid to let go of the old analytics, Reach, Frequency, and Awareness, the cutting edge is now counting real interactions and tracking them all the way through Sales, Repurchases, and Referrals. Are you?

We can't encourage you enough to get your Google+ page set up and active (here)! And while you're at it, add Domino Theory to your circles!

Update 11/19: 94 percent of top 100 brands have Google+ page - Already!

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