G+ Business Pages Heats Up Competition
Last Monday Google opened the doors to it’s latest tool G+ Business Pages. The move heats up competition with Facebook for ad dollars because Google made their point of entry for business easy and offers far more connective resources.
Both Google and Facebook are notorious for changing their service options. By making a shifting platform easier to build on will be key to attracting more business. Clearly Google’s move to create relationships between brands and consumers so much easier than Facebook is a good indicator for business, especially early adopters.
With the exception of ‘Hangouts’, the business pages on Google+ really do look similar to that on Facebook, and they seem to provide the same opportunity for updating followers on news, offers, competitions and other relevant information.
The same basic rules apply to G+ Business Pages as to other social networking platforms. One key point of differentiation relates to Google+ ‘Circles’ model of sharing. Theoretically, businesses on Google+ could use Circles to specifically target a certain group of followers with unique content. However, it might be difficult particularly for large brands with many followers to ensure that this system works effectively. Any way to level the field for competition is very good news, especially for small business.
Google+ has seen an initial surge in users ease off in recent months, but now opening their doors to brands may provide another surge of momentum to further close the gap on Facebook. The question still remains as to whether users, SEOs and social media marketing managers will see enough value in G+ to start using it or representing their clients on it as well as Facebook.
With news emerging that it’s now possible to link a Google+ profile with an AdWords account, there will certainly be more developments as more businesses take to G+. Google really hopes this update to their social network will encourage more people to join. The pages are a nice addition, but they don’t really offer anything better than what Facebook is already providing.
Some might argue direct competition with Facebook could be a white elephant for Google because many social media managers already have a vested interest in Facebook advertising. Thus media managers will be reluctant to switch from a platform they are comfortable with. However, the ability to directly connect with other business pages in vertical markets is a very compelling feature that Facebook cannot provide.
While it might not be enough to convince some social media users to switch services, the bottom line is all about effective market reach. No matter which media channels are being used, if the ROI proves sustainable and has room to grow, then it presents another channel to market into.
The truth is, there will undoubtedly be a lot more features coming to the social network. Early feedback on G+ Business Pages already indicates a great reception and will help to encourage Google to provide even more features soon.
So what is coming to Google+ Pages next? “A few of the top requests [are ones that] we’ve already started working on, such as multi-admin support, ownership transfer, and page analytics,” wrote Dennis Troper. These are definitely popular features that are indispensable from a marketing perspective.
No doubt, Google will keep investing effort into improving both the functionality and usability of its social platform. It has to if it wants to compete with Facebook’s dominance in social media space.
Some social media managers might underestimate the potential of G+ Business Pages development at this early stage due to its low social membership as compared to Facebook. However, it is worth recognizing that in advertising, effectiveness is a key metric. As long as marketing campaigns produce desired results, the network is a feasible option to extend market reach and hedge against downturns.
Download the free 32 page ebook “A Guide to G+ Business Pages” to get more detailed information about building your own G+ Business Page.