Maybe the biggest thing that Google+ lacks that Twitter, Facebook, and most other social networking sites have integrated are business accounts. But that all has changed with the Google+ Pages. Let me be quick to and bold to say, this is a game changer. Imagine the power of the whole Google cloud system of apps tightly integrated into Google+.
It is a business owner’s dream!
While Google+ is currently rolling out some of the big wigs into their Google+ Pages system right now and you can create your own page too. It looks like all of the features a person would have with Google+ are available to businesses, including Hangouts, Photos, and the always present +1 Buttons. What is different about these accounts are that you (the business) will not be able to interact with other Google+ users till you have been added to their circle. Thus, Google is effectively stating that businesses are welcome and encouraged to participate, but they value the individual user just as much.
Applause for doing it right!
If you are a blogger, business owner, or non-profit organization and have not yet invested in Google+ because you want to wait and see how it goes, stop waiting. Get to know how Google+ can work for you, reconstruct your social media strategy, and prepare to fully embrace this new tool.
Here is a quick YouTube video of the future of Google+ Pages:
I’m sort of in two minds about creating a page for our ministry as we are doing very well on Facebook. Do you think it’s absolutely necessary to have two pages? As there are so many people not yet on Google+ – let alone even know about it (well our fan base)?
That’s a great question and I actually wrote a post that will go live soon about that very question so I do not want to give too much away. But essentially it depends. How much do you want to invest, who is your audience, and what is it for?
Thanks Jeremy, looking forward to your post.
At the moment, I think time investment is an issue, as I’m only one person doing social media for our company, looking at our Facebook insights and interaction on our page, majority of our fans are African countries. The “what is it for” I cannot yet answer.
Great that you have identified these things. Good luck with the social media work.