Is Google+ a Plus for Marketers?

Social

So many out there are down on Google’s latest social initiative. Not that they haven’t given sufficient reason. Wave, Buzz, were considered failures, and Places has been reinvented several times. In this post you’ll not only see a video of my account, shortly after logging in the first time, but I’ll offer some reasons why, on the surface, Google+ is worth some optimism. UPDATED 7/1/2011: Added video of 3 attention getting features of Google Plus after first 24 hours.

Is Google+ a Plus for Marketers?

Did Microsoft get Windows right the first time? Did they get Microsoft Office right early on? No, and no (WordPerfect was far superior). Let’s not talk about NT Server 3, or 3.51 for that matter (Novell was a superior at file and print sharing too.) Why is it the end of the world if Google needs a few swipes at social to make something that sticks?

Not sure of Google+ is the answer, but I just started to play with it, and thought I’d share a few thoughts, as well as my experience in my account with a video.

Google+ Overview

There are 5 main areas that are currently showcased in Google+ they include:

Circles: the people you are connected with… are you in the inner circle?
Sparks: Discussions and connections with people of the same affinity. Movie buff? Like sports cars? There is a spark for you.
Hangouts: real-time chat with friends of your choosing. Works with Google Talk.
Instant Upload: Share videos and photos quickly.
Huddle: Group chat, (think mobile) so friends can coordinate meeting places or social gatherings quickly.

Here is a video overview as posted by Google. If you can’t see the video go here.

I also want to share a quick peek video of my account shortly after I got into it, but before I do that, let’s cover a few things.

Clean Interface

It is a clean interface. Where Facebook has a lot of things clean an intuitive using “ajax” technology, etc. (isn’t that laundry detergent in the US?). Google has gone with more of a drag and drop interface where appropriate (see video below).

Social Circles

This is where the graphical interface is most helpful. Managing and categorizing friends in Facebook is hairy at best, this makes it easier (see video below of my account).

Mobile Marketing Android Support

Where it becomes compelling is when one considers the mobile impact.

Android Growth: 400K activations of Android devices per day, according to Google I/O, May 2011. Google is getting mobile apps together, and have a strong mobile ad platform.
Google Places Coming into Shape: After many iterations of Google Places and a few other local monikers, things seem to be settling down. Tying in nicely with the mobile platform.
Mobile Ad Network: Google AdSense has allowed advertisers to tie into local/mobile ads for some time now, positioning Google and small businesses nicely, should Google+ have a decent adoption rate.

Photo Sharing

Photos are some of the most shared items on any social network. Google+ makes it easy to do on the web, and tightly integrates with Android devices via their Google+ App for android. They also support web browsers on the iPhone and iPad. Apps for iPhone and iPad are “coming soon” they say.

Video Moments After Getting Into My Google+ Account

Quick look at my Google+ account. Can’t see it? View my Google+ on YouTube.

3 Favorite Google Plus Features After 24 Hours

Added 7/1/2011: Shot a quick video overview of 3 Google Plus features that caught my attention. Can’t see it below? Go here.

Closing Thoughts on Google+

If you’ve been waiting to the answer posed in this post, here’s the bottom-line…Google is simply too big to ignore. Why this may not dethrone the faithful from Facebook, it has the potential to give businesses options to extend their reach onto mobile platforms, who might otherwise ignore it. Therefore it is important that online marketers engage Google Plus as soon as they can. Which brings me to the next point…

Getting Invited to Google+

Not sure how long it will be until Google opens the floodgates on Google+, but if you want an invitation, have a look at How to Get a Google+ Invitation.