Brand marketers must look to utilise Google+ to increase online visibility.
Whilst Google+ is yet to allow official brand pages and profiles, brand marketers would do well to do their research now. It is clear from looking at Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube, that brand usage of social media networks has exploded over the last two years. However, each network has its very own DNA and brand marketers need to tailor their marketing outreach strategies accordingly.
Google+ is no different, and whilst officially there are no brand pages yet, the network has confirmed that it will be offering brand pages in the near future and as a result, brand marketers would do well to study the network’s particulars, so that when the light turns green, they are able to hit the ground running and commence an outreach strategy that is appropriate to the network and most importantly, its audience.
Whilst there are unquestionably user commonalities across the social networks, equally there are points of difference and it is understanding and responding to these points of difference that is key to successful brand-led social outreach. The way marketers present their brand profiles on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter needs to be different; sometimes subtlety so, sometimes markedly, but nevertheless, uniquely.
As a crude rule of thumb, Facebook is the mass market social network. In sheer numbers alone, it dwarves the other social networks (although YouTube is also represented strongly in this category); brand pages can number fans in the tens of millions as opposed to hundreds or thousands. The network has also invested significantly in assisting brands to market to its users and as a result there are numerous opportunities (from apps to competitions to advertising) where brands can quickly accumulate fan numbers. Naturally though, with such huge global audiences, comes a more generalised audience and in turn brand communications need to reflect this and hit the right note in terms of tonality.
In contrast, social networks such as Twitter (by crude rule of thumb once again) tend towards a more involved audience and more of a dialogue approach. Whilst restricted to 140 character messages, liaison between brand and audience tends to be more detailed, it could be argued.
And whilst YouTube seems to be primarily used as a supportive asset store and LinkedIn as a professionals-only directory, what is clear is that there are unique differences between them all.
And now, with the launch of Google+, there is another evolutionary creation. It is still early days, but the early adopters of Google+ so far seem to suggest a combination of all of the above; the professional directory of LinkedIn, the asset capabilities of YouTube, the potential scope and size of Facebook and the detailed, discursive qualities of Twitter.
So, whilst there are no official brand pages on the network yet, brand-marketers would do well to research, research and research some more, to ensure they have their communications and outreach strategy nailed before commencement. Of course, with evolution, that strategy has to be a flexible one, and one ready to adapt to growing audiences, but the evidence suggests when Google+ gives the green light to brands, there will be a significant and initial rush for the early adopting brands to establish their presences during the all important honeymoon period, before novelty wanes. If that is the goal of brands, then it’s going to be very important that they know how to talk the talk.
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