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In terms of the big players in online social marketing Google+ has often been cast aside in brands’ consideration of which network to focus their efforts on. The likes of Facebook and Twitter are deemed more effective and useful in reaching a large, target audience.
Many are now beginning to realise however that overlooking Google+ has been a mistake. It’s growing fast; from June 2012 to March 2013 it grew 33%, and it now boasts 359m monthly users. That’s 144m more than Twitter.
The Google+ floodgates have opened. Here, in a series of three articles, SBC’s Sam Cooke looks at the who and how in terms of which brands are (currently) the kings of Google+, and how they are best utilising the social tool. The potential of the platform in terms of marketing will also be examined, as will its potential superiority in that same manner over Facebook. Prior to that however, as the social media network which, despite having been around for three years, most remain relatively clueless about – we offer the Google+ sweeping low down.
The low down
Google+ has undergone some significant changes in recent months with its creator, Vic Gundotra, stepping down after eight years at the company. David Besbris, its former Vice President of Engineering, has now taken up the helm at Google+ and changes are expected. What is for sure though, is that despite the much debated TechCrunch article which appeared in April, it is here to stay.
One major reason for that is that brands love it, and the amount of followers are rising in tandem. Of the top hundred presently listed interbrands, 70% have a presence on Google+. What is it about Google+ that makes it so brand and marketing friendly? First, and arguably foremost, is its direct connection with the largest search engine on the planet; SEO value is essential. In short, Google had over 2 trillion searches in 2013, it is a goldmine for advertising. When a search on Google is made the top results are influenced by those you follow on Google+. As such by way of simply maintaining an attractive and up to date page on Google+, thereby gaining more followers, your brand’s SEO value is improved.
Features such as Circles and Hangouts are additionally fantastic ways in which companies can get the most out of the social platform. It is through both of these that the all important social interaction with customers and fans comes into its own.
Circles offer brands a chance to organise their staff, their customers, their potential influencers and partners, whatever, into different circles. This in turn means they can better target specific groups, they can for instance create circles for Hangouts in which ‘attendees’ are able to interact with one another. This ability to form new connections and establish online communities with people’s shared passion for a certain brand the vocal point.
Hangouts on Air are an unparalleled way to reach a large audience and provide them with exclusive and interesting content concerning your brand. The fact that these can then be saved onto a brand’s Youtube channel (a site with over 1bn unique users per month) ensure that the maximum long term benefit is earned from them. They can be used to connect, to instruct, to guide and to inform – many brands are already well versed in their usage – more on this later.
Community work
Google+ communities are a place where its important to engage and not spam. Correctly selecting the right type of communities is another matter of importance for brands but should they do so, the benefits of gleaning what a target audience is currently discussing, and improving and furthering a brand’s reputation, are two vital benefits.
Local pages for businesses are a further bonus with the option to quite literally put yourself on the (google) map after creating a local Google+ page. This also enables the reviews function in which possible customers are able to read past, hopefully glowing, reviews and later leave their own. Providing a brand is verified too, then Google+ is able to provide useful information on how to better understand your customer base; such as what they are searching for on Google to find you.
+Post ads look set to be a key way in which brands can best utilise Google+. This essentially means that brands (currently solely for those with over 1,000 followers) will be able to turn Google+ posts into interactive display ads in the Google Display Network. These will then be fully interactive, they could be anything from photos, to links, videos or Hangouts, and so far they’ve achieved significant success. The clothing and beauty site ASOS used a +Post during a Hangout on Air and 71% of live watchers arrived by means of the post. Meanwhile, Toyota USA, used it for their Corolla campaign this year and gained a 50% higher engagement rate than the industry average for rich media ads.
A further campaign, on behalf of the European Parliament to encourage citizens to cast votes in the elections, saw engagement rates 50% to 100% higher, and with a lower cost-per-engagement than in previous campaigns. It seems inevitable with results such as this in the early stages that +Posts will become a prominent way in which Google+ is made effective by brands. The potential reach and targeting of the Google Display Network is an undeniable major asset to any marketer.
Numbers game
Below are some important statistics concerning Google+, and its likely rise…
- It is the second most popular social network
- There are 1.15bn registered users
- 35% of Google+ accounts are actively using the social network on a monthly basis
- Users are 62% men & 38% women
- 25 to 34 year olds are the most active demographic on Google+ (with 31 %)
- People upload more than 1.5bn images and gifs every week on Google+
- The 45 to 54 year old bracket increased its usage on Google+ by 56% since 2012
- In the fourth quarter of 2013 56.2% active via mobile on a monthly basis, this figure rose from 41.7% in the same period in 2012
