Most probably for big brands Google+ is a good
investment but is Google+ an efficient use of time for small businesses? Google+
in November, enabling businesses and brands to join its social network. We
reached out to our community to better understand how (and if) small businesses
are using Google+. We received more than 50 responses detailing the merits and
downfalls of using Google's social network as a small business. There are some
pros and cons related to the small business given below:
Pros:
A bulk of the small businesses we spoke with
said they feel Google+ is an important social platform because it was developed
by Google, one of the Internet's favorite brands and one of the most influential
websites when it comes to site referrals. But small business owners gave a
plethora of reasons for being early adopters of the platform.
1.Get an SEO Boost: Bob
Shirilla, director of marketing at Simply Bags, says that his business joined
Google+ because he relies on Google search referrals for sales conversions.
2.Host a Hangout: “Hangouts
offer an amazing opportunity for businesses to engage in a highly personal way
with clients, customers and industry thought leaders,” says Roger Friedensen,
president and CEO of Forge Communications.
3.Expand Content Distribution:
Phyllis Khare, the social media editorial director of iPhone Life magazine, says
that Google+ is a great platform for expanding the publication's content
distribution.
4.Connect with Early Adopters:
If your business falls in the Internet or technology industries, Google+ could
be a great place to connect a tech-savvy audience.
5.Segment Your Audience: “The
obvious benefit of Google+ is that it allows us to share select content with
specific audiences,”
6.Use Google+ to Network:
David Greenberg, president of Parliament tutors, says that his business does not
have a Google+ page, but that he uses his personal Google+ page to network and
gather contact data and research the “personal side” of relevant contacts, such
as journalists and potential clients, so that he can better create a connection
with them
7.Just Explore: We currently
use Google+ for exploratory purposes. It is still a niche platform, but quickly
growing and with a platform giant behind it.
Cons:
1.Administration is Difficult:
“The pages need to be created from an individual's Google+ account, and you
cannot add admins or any other users to manage the account,
2.Facebook and Twitter Reign:
Many of the small businesses we spoke with pointed out that they maintain
engaged audiences on Twitter and Facebook, but most of their customers and
clients don't use Google+.
3.Social Dashboards Don't Integrate
Google+ Yet: For businesses that manage their social presences from one
central location, the lack of Google+ integration is a huge barrier to Google+
usage.
4. Google Side Projects are
Unreliable: James Beswick manages online marketing for a bar in San
Antonio called Drink. He looked into creating a Google+ page for the bar, but
decided against it, since he's not certain that the social network will pan out.
5. Growth Is Small:
“The biggest drawback to Google+ so far is that it's hard to grow a fan base,
since businesses can only add other businesses to their Circles, and not
individuals, the way you can on Twitter.