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What does the launch of Google+ mean for marketers?
This month search giant Google opened its new social network, Google +, to people across the globe after attracting more than 20 million users in its 12 week trial period.
Google+ is a direct rival to Facebook which dominates the social media scene with more than 800 million active users. Google+ is different to Facebook in that users can choose which of their ‘Circles’ they want to share their news, photos and videos with, whether friends, family or colleagues for example. The company claims the Google+ project as they like to call it, more adequately reflects how people interact and share in real life and hopes that this, their third social network project, will finally gain enough appeal to really challenge Facebook.
Over the next six months it should become clear whether Google+ has caught the imagination of social media users as is likely to become a genuine player in the social network world. Regardless of whether it becomes a serious challenger to Facebook (and anything is possible – Facebook overtook MySpace after a few years), it signals a few important trends that all marketers should take note of.
Firstly, social networks are big business and they are changing the way commerce, communication and real life relationships operate. Google has invested millions into launching Google+ and earlier this year Goldman Sachs valued Facebook at US$50b. Social media is on the increase and if your business hasn’t incorporated it into your online marketing strategy yet, you risk missing out on potential growth – in customers, brand awareness and endorsements.
“Social search”
Secondly, people are increasingly looking for news, entertainment and content via social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. Consequently, search engines such as Google and Bing have signalled moves to more closely integrate social media actions into its search results. With ‘social search’ the more people link, share or +1 (the Google+ version of ‘liking’) content through social sites, the higher these pages will be pushed up the organic search results. It means organisations that have successfully developed customer relationships and a ‘following’ through social media will see their investment pay off in the search engines too.
Microsoft group search manager, Colm Bracken, told Sean Hargrave of Marketing Week magazine: “This is going to be a massive opportunity for people to invest in their brand proposition in social media. … This will feed into improving natural search results. I can see natural search becoming all about branding, where results are improved by people liking what you are doing in social media and recommending your content, at the same time as paid-for search will be about tactical marketing.”*
Third but by no means finally, as social media becomes more closely integrated with search results, employing a joined-up digital marketing strategy is absolutely essential. Search engine marketing will soon be about more than just good website optimisation and link building; developing effective social media campaigns will become a key factor in boosting rankings and gaining the top spots. If you haven’t yet considered how best to engage your customers and prospects through social media, now is a good time to start.
For an expert search marketing agency with real social media expertise, contact Adams Creative today.
*Get a social strategy or lose out on search, Marketing Week, September 2011
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