Google+ may be the biggest online conversation in the history of the Internet

What is Google + and what are the main differences with Facebook and twitter is what most people are wondering right now. Should I be part of it? I can’t waste my time on Facebook, Twitter and now in Google+. This is what most people are saying right now, but what is actually Google+?

Google+ is the biggest online conversation since the internet was available to the public.

In Google+ you can potentially make a conversation with every single user of Google, not of Google+ only but Google, so if there are millions in it, you have potentially millions to exchange ideas with. Why? and How?

Google+ allows you to add to your circles everyone on Google+ and anyone with a Gmail account and they don’t even need to accept or add you in their circles to receive your status updates. In Summery everyone you add to your circles (and you can potentially add everyone) will receive your status updates in their “Stream” and they can add comments and likes.

This is a total new way of social interaction, online conversation and online sharing.

Many of us don’t believe Google can have a successful Social Network because of all their previous failures, but Google + is not competition to Facebook or Twitter, it is a whole new vision of the capabilities within Social Media in general.
Do companies actually see the potential of what Google+ is? I am sure not yet and they will not see it for a long time, basically you are able to reach your target market and potential clients without them even knowing you are there, but they will receive your posts about your business so you can reach everyone you want.
You can make the biggest market research ever imagine for your business by reaching as many people as possible and sharing the questions, they don't need to have you their contacts but they are still able to answer your questions.
This will create a whole new level in the way marketing is done online. Like we have been saying for a long time now... the news, services and businesses will find you, no longer you will have to look for them.
How will this affect Facebook or Twitter? That is only to be seen, all the attention is going to how Facebook will react about Google+ but what about Twitter? While not having all the eyes on them we might be giving the space they need to be the real threat to all social networks around.

Google to Businesses: Don't Create Google+ Profiles Yet

Google to Businesses: Don't Create Google+ Profiles Yet

In a post and accompanying YouTube video on Google+, Product Manager Christian Oestlien says that the Google+ team is working on creating a unique experience for businesses that includes deep analytics and the ability to connect to products like AdWords. “How users communicate with each other is different from how they communicate with brands,” Oestlien argues.

As a result, Google is asking businesses to put their Google+ ambitions on hold.

“The business experience we are creating should far exceed the consumer profile in terms of its usefulness to businesses,” Oestlien says in his post. “We just ask for your patience while we build it. In the meantime, we are discouraging businesses from using regular profiles to connect with Google+ users. Our policy team will actively work with profile owners to shut down non-user profiles.”

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Several prominent brands have already joined Google+, including Ford, Breaking News and yes, Mashable, which is now one of the top ten most popular users on Google+.

While the new Google+ experience for businesses won’t be ready until “later this year,” the company intends to launch a “small experiment with a few marketing partners” to test the brand-oriented accounts over the next few months. It even has opened up a Google Spreadsheet where “non-user entities” can apply for the program. It’s unclear when Google will shut down non-user profiles or how the process will work.

We’re not surprised that Google is building an optimized Google+ experience for businesses, but we are surprised that Google wasn’t more prepared for the wave of brands that have been joining its social network. The same thing happened with Google Buzz and has happened on Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and countless other social networks. Brands like to go where their customers are.

Google hastens Google+ corporate account launch

Google is accelerating a test of corporate accounts on Google+ after "thousands upon thousands" of businesses applied for a place in the program, a Google executive said.

The company plans next week to choose who'll get into the test and announce their names soon afterward, said Christian Oestlien, a Google product manager, in a Google+ post last night.

But if you want your company, brand name, school, or celebrity pet to have a place soon on Google, you'd better act fast. Google is closing down its applications form on Friday, he said.

"To the thousands upon thousands of businesses that applied to be a part: thank you!" Oestlian said. "We won't be able to accommodate everyone, but your interest has got us very focused on accelerating our development plans."

Last week, Oestlian said Google had planned to launch corporate accounts later this year. He didn't say when they'd arrive under the accelerated plan.

Corporate accounts are a big deal these days as companies try to tap into the vibrant, fast-growing world of social networking. Facebook and Twitter, the two incumbent powers in the area, both offer corporate accounts.

Every now and again, a company through luck or skill enjoys a promotional perk as a viral video blazes from friend to friend across social networks. Probably more important in the long run, though, will be customer support, friends' recommendations, and other relatively mundane interactions involving companies and consumers. Either way, a corporate presence online is necessary.

Google says Google+ isn't yet ready for them, though. That hasn't stopped many from trying, but Google has been deleting corporate accounts.

Some, such as Ford Motor Co. on Google+ are apparently a shoo-ins for the corporate test; their corporate accounts on Google+ remain unscathed even before the test participants are announced.

Oestlian said that team members including himself and business profiles product manager Dennis Troper "will focus next week on selecting a diverse set of business partners for the test period. We will be communicating with these partners next week, and will let the world know who they are soon thereafter."

Too Busy for Social Media Marketing Could Be Fatal Read more

I have a friend who runs a nationwide “traditional” business, and business has been down, like it has been for most people. I suggested that he add some social network marketing initiatives, and his answer was he is “too busy.” He is not alone, according to a recent study, which concludes that only 47% of companies use social media today for marketing, despite the fact that 78% of executives polled feel it’s critical for success.
What’s the problem? It seems to me that there is abundant proof in the marketplace of the financial returns to both large and small businesses, the low cost of entry, and the ubiquity of social networks. Dell announced years ago that it had earned $3 million in revenue from using Twitter, and other businesses report daily on increases in web traffic up to 800%.
I suspect that a good part of the problem is that startup and small business owners still don’t know where or how to start. They don’t know if they should move to social networks for lead generation, branding, customer loyalty, or for direct marketing and e-commerce. My advice is to pick one, start slow, and spread out as you learn. Here are some specifics:

• Create a business profile on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. A business profile starts with a business account using your company logo as your picture (avatar), rather than your photo or a picture of your cat. If you are in consulting, you are the business, so use a professional headshot. Don’t mix your personal and business profiles or messages.

• Develop a marketing strategy specific to this media. Don’t use the same message on Twitter you developed for email blasts and postcard blitzes. Social media demands two-way communication, rather than outbound only. Read everything you can about viral marketing. It’s not free, so budget appropriately, but not excessively.

• Start social networking with peers. Pick a base, such as LinkedIn or Facebook, to be your community, and work the territory, much like you may have learned to work a room of peers at a tradeshow or convention, or local business organization. Find out what other people are doing, and what works for them. People love to share what they know.

• Experiment with social media tools. The basic tools are the platforms like Twitter and Facebook. But don’t stop there. There is TweetDeck to help you use Twitter, and YouTube for video sharing. A most valuable tool is WordPress or TypePad for blogging. You need these to add the human element to your business or service.

• Proactively learn from the experts. Maybe it’s time to sign up for a few free Webinars, or even invest in an expert consultant in this area. Successful people don’t wait for their kids to teach them about new technologies, or wait to be the last one on the block to try new things. It’s all available for “free” on the Internet, but your time is a valuable resource.

• Define relevant metrics and measure. That means first take some baseline measurements of, for example, lead arrival rate today, and costs associated with your current media marketing. If you don’t have this baseline, you will never know if you are making progress. Then continue to measure and learn what works, at what cost.

If used correctly, I guarantee you that social media marketing can improve your business with new leads, by bringing traffic to your website, creating a buzz around your product or brand, creating inbound links to increase your search engine ranking, and improving loyalty and trust with your customers. How could you be too busy to work on these things?
Of course, if you found this blog though your own initiative, I have to give you credit for being ahead of the pack. So print it off and deliver it to a friend who is not so high-tech. My challenge to you, then, is to kick it up a notch! When is the last time you produced a video for your business, or a podcast, or sponsored a contest with free gifts? Or are you too busy?