Business owners we talk with are often mixed in their opinion about social media. Some see it as a way to “level the playing field” with their larger competitors as they build their brand. Others, frankly, are simply in unfamiliar turf and have concerns about playing there, and still others see no value and believe it is a waste of time. Well, it’s neither a panacea nor a waste of time. It is a tool, a communication vehicle, another approach to getting the word out about your business and for building relationships.
And there is now a new arrival in the social media space currently occupied by the big four: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and You Tube. And that new arrival is Google+.
In a recent article in the July 25 – July 31, 2011 edition of Bloomberg’s Business News, it looks like Google+ is off to a great start. Bloomberg reports “since the company started distributing invitations to Google+ on June 28, 10 millions users have signed up and visited at least once.”
So what’s the big deal? Google+ has added some interesting features that we feel will appeal to the business user. You can set up what are called circles. And as you invite people to join, you place them in separate circles. You can have circles for: families, friends, people who share the same interests/hobbies, business colleagues, customers/clients. What’s nice about this is that you can communicate differently to different circles. On Facebook a posting is a posting and everyone gets to see it. There are times when you would rather not share your hobby interests with your business connections.
Another interesting feature is what Google calls Hangouts. Hangouts allow multiple people to get together and chat, discuss business, build strategy – and you can have group text chats or you can use live video chats.
Google+ has created an interesting and compelling product. We believe it’s worth looking into.
Copyright 2011 Kubica LaForest Consulting
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