As a marketer, I couldn’t resist jumping on the bandwagon. This time on Google’s Facebook-esque Google+. I begged and pleaded for an invitation until I finally received one. Excitedly, I added my peeps (mainly consisting of other marketers) to my “Circles,” and then I set off to figure out the great mystery: how does this platform fit into a brand’s marketing strategy?
The current answer: it doesn’t. Yet.
We are living in the age of technology, and that means there’s a lot of trial and error and waiting for the “bugs” to get fixed. As of this moment, there is no marketing value for Google+. How could there be—it’s not even open to the public.
I know marketers are eager to use new technology that may open up different ways connecting with their audience, but there is no reason to stop what you’re doing or focus only on Google+. I’m not in any way saying that Google+ will never hold value—who knows, maybe it’ll kill Facebook—but again, we cannot even begin to fathom its potential.
Here’s what I suggest you do: find someone in your organization that is interested in social media—on a personal level, that it’s not just something they do for their job. Ask if they’d be willing to check it out and use it. This way, you’re not stuck training staff on a platform that might fail (think: Google Buzz), and what harm has been done? And, when the time comes, your organization will be knowledgeable about how the platform functions, and you won’t be scrambling to figure it out when the platform is “ready” and conducive to your marketing strategy.
Another big reason—the main reason—to hold off Google+ promotions is that your client base isn’t there. Enough of them, at least. Even if they are, chances are they are much like me—experimenters. Who wants to be bombarded with ads and content “pushing”?
Let’s figure out the bugs first before there’s a mass exodus from Facebook to Google+ (or whatever the next new platform will be). Make sure it’s worth the time and effort before you invest it.
Are any of you on Google+, and if so, what potential do you see in it?
[Photo courtesy of someecards]