Why Creating a Google+ Page is Just Like Registering 50 Domains
For a couple of days now you can have your business’ page on Google+. This was great news for everyone who opened business pages which Google shut down for its “real names only” policy.
Several world-wide known brand names opened up their Google+ pages immediately after the launch, and many more of them hyped up to get their name on Google+. I’ll blame it on the hype and say – ok, all of you want to be there today, but what about in a month or two?
Lesson Learned
When Google started with their latest social network, a lot of people moved to it. People were so proud with it they even made those “I have moved” Facebook avatars. But as expected, they came back to their social life on Facebook.
They did it because they didn’t find what they were looking for on Google+ – Facebook friends and even more important; Facebooks features. More on that later.
So why should brands suddenly move to Google+? Your audience probably isn’t there and you probably won’t get so much attention as you get on Facebook. Still, in the next few weeks, we’ll witness big business page boom on Google+. Why is that?
Take Care of Your Name
You might like or dislike Google+, but you can’t deny its size in the social network market. It created a lot of hype and buzz (pun intended) and you should at least create a page for your business. You don’t have to update it, heck, create a status saying that you can get reached on Facebook or Twitter. However, you should create a page or someone else will do it and you might have problems because of that. Sounds familiar?
You do have registered several domain names for your business, don’t you? Yes, there are ways to get domain names based on your trademark, but why should you go through all that trouble?
The bigger the business is, the more domain names it has registered. .com, .net, .org, .me, .info… misspelled variations and whatnot. The same idea is with social networks and Google+ – get your page now and decide later if you’ll use it or not.
Why Not Use It Now?
OK, you got your Google+ Page, but you’re not sure if you need to use it or not. Think about it – what can you do on a Google+ Page? Can you create very targeted ads to get a great reach? No, you can’t. Can you assign people to admin your page? No, you can’t (for now). Can you build interactive application for your fans? No, you can’t.
That’s not the only problem – what will you post on Google+? Is there something specific that you Facebook fans or Twitter followers won’t get? What’s the value of Google+ Page for you?
Google+ is a new social network that has some potential, but is basically vaporware because its users aren’t as active yet. The same goes for Google+ Pages. Until they transform into a social media platform such as Facebook with ads, custom applications for getting fan engagement and some other options, you shouldn’t spend too much time and money on Google+ Pages.
It’s like with domain names. The fact that you’ve registered 50 domain names in order to protect your online brand doesn’t mean you need 50 different websites. Sometimes, a simple registration is just enough.
