M80's point of view

1. M80 on Introduction
Google+
November 9, 2011
Brand pages launched on Google+ this week to great fanfare from the
trade press and social media experts. Like user profiles on the network,
there are not many functions offered to brands, but that's not the point.
Google is pushing hard to be a player in social by deeply integrating its
social tools into its strongest product - search - while making its own
version of the social graph.
This document serves to detail what the first version of Google+ offers
brands, why brands might want to make a presence, and why they might
want to hold off.
Google+ Page Features
Google has applied its new design language to the G+ pages to great
effect. They might also look startingly familiar, as the pages' layout and
features mirror stripped-down Facebook pages. While Facebook's early
visual design was always held to be calmingly tasteful compared to the
typically loud designs on Myspace, there is a new king of minimalist design
in social media.
The Muppets Google+ and Facebook pages.
Like the design, the features of Google+ pages are fairly minimal.
• Facebook-style page elements. Seemingly based in the soon-
to-be-updated Facebook brand page layout, the page
elements echo the types of social media presences brands are
already using. The Wall has become “Posts,” Info is “About,”
Photos are “Photos” and Videos are “Videos.”
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2. • Making connections with consumers. While Google+ used Twitter’s
M80 on “asymmetric” follow model so people can determine how closely
Google+ they want to share with others, the network took a consumer-
November 9, 2011 oriented tack with brands creating connections with people. Users
must first add a brand to their Circles before the brand can add them
back – “follow strategies” alone will not drive audience growth, cutting
down on spam and pushing brands to use organic brand building and
paid methods to build Circles.
• Segment consumers with Circles. One of Google+’s best tools for users
– managing the content different groups of friends can view with
Circles – has been ported as a tool for brands. Segmentation for the
moment is manual, but as the platform matures, the ability to
automatically and easily segment audiences should be rolled out.
• “+(brand name)” direct traffic. Google tweaked its search engine and
Chrome address bar mechanics to redirect traffic with the “+(brand
name)” – a subtle feature, but one more way that Google is making
things as easy and simple as possible to interact with G+.
• Influence Google search results. Many SEO experts were ill at ease as
Google announced this summer that +1’s (their version of the Facebook
“Like”) will impact search results. This is a natural continuation of Google’s
Panda update roll-out in 2011, where content farms’ and spammers’ sites
were deprecated in favor of actual human-generated content, but the
extent of +1’s impact isn’t fully understood. As brands get active on
Google+, however, +1’s will naturally pile up and change the way brands
are presented in search.
Macy's brand page launched
on Google+'s opening day.
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3. M80 on Why to Dive In to Google+
Google+
November 9, 2011
This document serves to detail what the first version of Google+ offers
brands, why brands might want to make a presence, and why they might
want to hold off.
Today might be the right day for you to create a Google+ brand page.
You may want to consider this if:
• Your desired audience is early adopters. Explorers of early-stage
social networks are keen to see the promises of these sites brought
to life, and are willing to talk about brands in the space. They might
not be loyal, but can drive the buzz you seek.
• …or has expressed displeasure with the experience in your current
presences. Let’s say your motorcycle brand’s choppers bring in big
groups of fans on your Facebook page, but a vocal minority of fans
of your street bikes are fans of your page, too. They’re both drawn to
your brand, but ill-suited to be grouped together and not easily
segmented on Facebook without a separate page. If various segments
of your social audiences have emerged and proved to work better
apart than together, migrating the smaller group to Google+ would
provide an excellent opportunity to engage both groups directly and
test activity on both networks.
• You’ve established presences but are seeking a different tone, purpose
or vibe. Brands operating in categories, like internet service providers
and mobile device manufacturers, see daily that the social presences
they’ve created can become negativity echo chambers – making
consumers’ mildly bad feelings worse and blocking out whatever
positivity they can generate. Starting from scratch on Google+ and
segmenting users using the Circles feature can give the haters the
space to vent and lovers the space to discuss what they like without
being shouted down.
Negative, off-topic
responses to a
mobile brand's
Facebook posts.
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4. • Hangouts makes sense for your brand. Want to drive engagements
M80 on with viewers after episodes of your TV show air? Have stars hop on
Google+ your Google+ page and host hangouts. When your brand has public-
November 9, 2011 facing people consumers want to interact with, Google Hangout is
the ideal tool to host video chats.
• You’re displeased with your current search traffic and want to test a
new way to drive clicks. While Google+ and +1’s impact on search
results is not fully understood, Google has made it clear that these
will play a role in what searchers are served. Brands interested in
getting a leg up on competition in the search space would be wise
to make a move and integrate Google social tools in its owned and
paid media.
Why to Hold Off
No matter what the trades say, brands don't necessarily need to rush into
establishing presences on every social network as they arise. You will be
wise to hold off on setting up a Google+ page if:
• Your brand has limited resources and unaddressed priorities. In a
perfect world, we’d all have unlimited budgets and a fully crossed-off
to-do list. Given the limited budgetary and human resources available
for brands’ social media efforts, holding until the next budget cycle or
promotional period will give appropriate backing for a Google+ launch.
• Your target audience is already engaged in social networks that your
brand isn’t on. If you know that your audience is all over Tumblr,
Instagram and Pinterest and you’ve done nothing to address those
communities, running into Google+ headfirst might not be your best
bet without being sure the people you need to build a relationship with
will materialize there.
• This network is not a “sure thing.” Pundits from all corners are dubious
about G+’s prospects to succeed as a social network. Whether the
argument is “we don’t need to re-chart the social graph,” “Google
squandered whatever interest it had this summer, we’re all bored now,”
“It offers nothing special” or any other reason, the analysis shows valid
doubts and builds buzz that will prevent consumers from rushing into
participating on the network.
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5. M80 on
Google+
November 26, 2011
What This Means For Brands
The boomlet of noise surrounding Google+ will yield buzz for and
consumer engagement with the brands capitalizing on this feature launch,
but there are serious, valid doubts about the long-term viability of the
network. Should the Google+ audience build to become an active, vibrant
community, Google’s tools for brands will no doubt provide an intelligent,
modern set of features.
M80 will continue to monitor and report on Google+ as its feature set and
audience evolve.
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