Can Google+ circle the wagons to fight off Facebook?

Is Google+ finally the solution they've been looking for to out-connect Facebook in the social arena?

Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt announced the introduction of Google+, their newest (and hopefully better than Buzz or Orkut) foray into the social world of sharing among friends. Or in this case, “circles” of user groups.

According to Mr. Schmidt, this latest introduction is not an attempt to compete directly with Facebook. "Our social strategy is to take our current products, get users to give us social information and make our current products better," said executive chairman Eric Schmidt, talking to a small group of journalists following his address to the ad festival here.

But we know from previous unsuccessful attempts, that Google wants to find a way to collect and analyze the data about human connections generated by the social web and apply that to search and even display advertising.

Grouping connections into "circles".
Google+ is different from Facebook in that you organize your friends into groups, such as family, work, friends, etc. This can be an advantage over Facebook if you want to share work-related information that your friends or family would not have an interest in seeing. Or if you want to share photos of a more personal nature that you don’t want your business colleagues to see.

Another difference with Google+ is that there are no friend requests. People do not need to agree to be friends with one another and can view updates without sharing their own.

Google + breaks down the Facebook data walls.
Even though search engines now crawl Facebook for content and links, the data about users and friends inside Facebook is not accessible to outside companies. Google+ could be a huge deal for Google if people are willing to participate in their network. Google+ will give Google a place for users to create their own content but will be searchable and information rich for Google. And you can bet they will monetize that data.

No one is saying how Google+ will impact their future advertising strategy. Yet.
Google executives declined to say how Google+ will affect their advertising offerings, but as people spend more time inside controlled environments such as Facebook and mobile apps, Google loses its power to search and monetize that walled-off content. Google did confirm that +1, an icon launched recently as a counterpoint to Facebook Likes is integrated into Google+. Since +1 will be used as a tool to improve ad targeting, it seems safe to assume that Google+ will be used as a major part of their future advertising strategy, if it succeeds.

Google execs say more information will improve usability of all Google products.
Google executives said that getting social information on their users will improve Google products across the board -- by allowing personalization. Most of Google's most popular products such as search, maps and YouTube do not require a login, which limits what Google knows about its users.

Will Google+ have more impact on mobile than social networks?
At least one exec thinks so. "It would take a seismic shift for people to take their social stuff to Google," said Deep Focus CEO and founder Ian Schafer, who said that the real earth-shattering use for Google+ is in mobile, not social networking. "The biggest implication for Google+ is mobile," Mr. Schafer said. "For example, for people to be creating content wherever people are and using that to deliver messages to them and close the loop on sales. The promise of Google+ is closing the loop on social CRM."

For advertisers and brands, the potential impact of Google+ is huge. "A connection made with a brand in Google+ can eventually be tracked to a purchase," Mr. Schafer said. "If we can create relevant brand engagements with people and give them an ability to purchase the product at a later date -- whether that's three, six or 18 months later -- this brings us back to social ROI."



I like the idea of being able to control youir content, especially as it relates to directing any business-related content to people who might actually be interested in reading it. But I’m not sure I want to stop using Facebook, even though I'm not an active, everyday user. So, to me, the real challenge for Google+ will be whether people will want to devote more time to sharing given the current time-compressed world we live in. It will be interesting to watch.

For first impressions from an early user, visit this link: http://techcrunch.com/2011/06/29/google-plus-is-actually-pretty-good/


More thoughts on the convergence of search and social media.
As a follow-up to recent posts on the importance of understanding the role social media now plays in the search equation, I failed to acknowledge a MarketingProfs article by Jonathan Lawoyin, director of search engine marketing and social media at eWayDirect on this subject - The Convergence of Search and Social Media - for its contributions to the discussion. It's an excellent article on the growing interdependence of these two marketing channels, and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about this important topic.

Don Morgan is Head Rainmaker at Raindance Consulting, a Seattle marketing and social media consultant.

Read This If You're Thinking About Hiring A Social Media Agency,

When I saw the SmartBrief headline "7 signs that your social media expert doesn't know what they are talking about", I was intrigued. When I read the opening paragraph of the blog post, I was hooked.

News Flash: Not everyone who says they understand or have used social media actually knows what they are talking about. I know, that’s not much of a news flash for many of us. We’ve been watching as this tremendous growth of social media has created a mass-market of companies selling huge lines of BS to brands who honestly don’t know the right questions to ask. They are like really smooth men with pick up lines that are so brilliant you don’t even see them coming. They know if a company is looking for help with social media, it is likely because they don’t understand it themselves. Therefore, if they talk in buzz words and “fake it ‘till they make it” the company will never realize they are clueless.

The author, Nichole Kelly, is a social media measurement speaker, consultant and coach from Baltimore. She is a frequent contributor to several popular social media blogs, and is the publisher of FullFrontalROI.com,

As I read her blog post, I was impressed with her wit and style, but mostly with the practical information she delivered. She offers a list of “red flags” that should make any company considering hiring outside help for their social media strategy think twice.

Here are the "red flag" statements to be wary of that she points out in her post:

1. Social media is a great strategy for every company. . If you don’t have a social media strategy you will be left behind.
2. You must have a presence on Facebook and Twitter and YouTube and…
3. We will manage your entire social media presence for you…it’s effortless for you.
4. We developed a strategy for Company X that led to over a bazillion fans.
5. We have an experienced social media team.
6. Social media is special. Your current marketing strategies won’t work, that’s why you need us.
7. Social media is the only marketing strategy you need.

You can read her complete post Hiring A Social Media Agency? Read This First! here.

I agree with Nichole that social media is not a silver bullet nor the end-all, be-all solution to every marketing program. And I believe that many so-called "experts" may not be all they claim to be.

But we know that social media can be an important contributor to an integrated marketing communications plan. And if you need help, you're not alone. I've heard more than one social media practitioner say, "Social media is still the Wild West. It is continuing to evolve and no one has all of the answers." So my point in referencing this article is to be sure you pick the right partner. A partner that understands your company, its objectives, and your target consumer as well as the opportunities and limitations of these new marketing tools.

Anyone out there want to share your company experiences? Any "red flags" you've heard? What are the steps your company has taken when selecting your social media provider? Please leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Are You Ready for .phone, .coke, or .anyname?

The Internet just got a lot more complicated and confusing for brands and consumers. The current use of top-level domains, such as .com, .net, .org, as well as country-specific TLDs is about to change drastically.

During a special meeting in Singapore, ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), the international authority over top-level domain names, has approved the expansion of generic TLDs which will allow companies and organizations to create domains for their brands (such as .coke) or simply create generic names (such as .car or .green).

New global TLDs will change the way people find information on the Internet and how businesses plan and structure their online presence. Internet address names will be able to end with almost any word in any language, offering organizations around the world the opportunity to market their brand, products, community or cause in new and innovative ways.

ICANN execs claim this new policy will usher in a new generation of creativity and inspiration. Rod Beckstorm, President and CEO of ICANN said “ICANN has opened the Internet's naming system to unleash the global human imagination. Today's decision respects the rights of groups to create new Top Level Domains in any language or script. We hope this allows the domain name system to better serve all of mankind."

Critics, however, see ICANN itself as the main beneficiary. The organization will collect huge fees for anyone applying to own a new top-level domain, as well as those disputing them, and trademark attorneys, which will be kept on alert as new domains open up thousands of new potentially-infringing registrations.

The initial cost to set up a new top-level domain is $185,000, but then you’ve got to consider a $25,000 annual maintenance fee. ICANN defends the steep prices as a way to dissuade cyber squatters. There will be a "sunrise" period for companies that own established trademarks where the approval process will be more efficient.

ICANN also subjects new applicants to an exhaustive process, including a comment period for anyone disputing the registration to object. ICANN will subject all applicants to a screening for criminal history or past "cybersquatting".

ICANN won't be taking applications till Jan. 12 of next year, which presumably gives companies enough time to examine the feasibility of registering new domains, but that may still prove difficult. New domains should appear within a year according to the ICANN press release.

What do you think about this? Good news? Bad news? An improvement or a potential disaster?

Don Morgan is Head Rainmaker at Raindance Consulting, a Seattle marketing and social media consultant.

Adding Social Media to the SEO Equation

If you missed last week's PSAMA luncheon on "The Convergence of Social Media and Search", you missed one of the best meetings of the year. Scott Fasser, Director of Customer Experience for Optify gave a great overview of the changing nature of Search Marketing as Social Media continues to increase its impact and power.

Traditional SEO has typically emphasized that there are three legs to the SEO Stool - keyword focus, page/site optimization, and external links. Scott showed us how Facebook and Twitter must be added into that equation if you want to have a successful search strategy.

As evidence of how much impact social now has on your search ranking, he cited an A/B Test conducted by SEOmoz that compared traditional SEO thinking (36 linking root domains and 620 external links) vs. the same message distributed via Tweets (1 linking root domain, 1 external link, 521 tweets). The test is illustrated below:

At this writing, Page B ranks number 2 on Google and number 7 on Bing. Page A cannot be found on the first five pages (I gave up looking after that).

The important thing to take away from this test is that Facebook and Twitter are simply too powerful to ignore in your Search strategy.

As Scott said "Ok, I believe. Now what do I do". Here are a few of the ideas on how to improve your Search ranking through Social:

Treat Facebook as an extension of your brand.

• Build a company page with strong branding – logo, tagline, personality.
• Fill out as much profile information as possible including links to your website.
• Promote Facebook on your website.
• Share content, news, events, white papers, promotions, contests and more via Wall Post.
• Use RSS feed from Blog or add a task to blog post process to automatically add to Facebook.
• When your community manager interacts w/ users, they should point to resources on site.
• Build your network – actively ask employees, partners, customers and associates to LIKE your page.
  

Use Twitter as an on-going conversation between your brand and your customers.

• Build a company page with strong branding – logo, tagline, personality.
• Promote Twitter on your website.
• Share content, news, event, white papers, promotions, contests and more via Tweets.
• Create searches for your brand, focus keywords, associations and competitors.
• Build your network – follow others, include follow-us on site.
• Re-tweet interesting information to build your credibility as a resource.
• Use Twitter before, during and after events like conferences and webinars.

Scott had a lot more to say about the convergence of social and search, including the importance of real time tracking. If you are a PSAMA member, you can view his slide presentation at the PSAMA website. Unfortunately, it doesn't contain the Q&A session, which was the best we have had this year. If you have further questions, you can find out more at www.optify.net.

Our June meeting was the last until September. But we will continue to offer our members and friends new and interesting marketing news and trends via our weekly blog and through regular updates on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. We invite you all to Like Us on Facebook, Follow Us on Twitter and join our LinkedIn group.



Don Morgan is Head Rainmaker at Raindance Consulting, a Seattle marketing and social media consultant.

Does the Convergence of Search + Social Mean More Business For You?

You may already know that Facebook has overtaken Google as the most popular site in the United States. And at 400+ million users and 25% of all traffic, it’s not just teenagers anymore.

But did you know that Facebook serves 150 million search queries a day? That level of search doesn’t match Google (est. at 250 to 400 million queries per day) but it’s nothing to sneeze at.

Twitter search is now handling an average of 1.6 billion queries per day, and they recently upgraded with an improved search infrastructure with the aim of making the results as personally relevant as possible. “Our ranking function accesses the social graph and uses knowledge about the relationship between the searcher and the author of a Tweet during ranking,” the company explained. This means that Twitter’s search index will now incorporate dynamic information such as information about the searcher and how users’ interact with tweets.

Search engines have been forced to respond to the tremendous growth of social media. As the demand for real-time search results increased, it became clear that users would no longer be constrained by the limitations of search engines, which have to index sites on the Web before displaying them on their results pages. In December 2009, Google introduced real-time search, which incorporates news results and Twitter updates into search results.

Google's universal search (which displays content from YouTube and other networks) is another way social media content has been brought into search results.

Apart from the incorporation of social media content into search results, social networking sites affect search engine rankings in other ways. On his blog, search marketing guru Danny Sullivan recently posted some interesting answers from Google and Bing on how they are addressing this subject:

• Both search engines count referencing of a given piece of content via Twitter as an indicator of authority (apart from the links coming from those references).
• Both search engines attempt to compute the authority and quality of an author and give that author's tweets preferential treatment.
• Both track links shared within Facebook.
  

The emergence of social media as it relates to search results means that an article that a couple years ago generated 50 links might today generate 10 links and 300 mentions on Twitter and Facebook.

Now that Facebook has opened up their pages to be crawled and indexed, you should be looking for new ways to use social media to influence search results on Facebook and Twitter.

Search Meets Social Media
Ten years ago, SEO professionals preached that organic rankings were all about optimizing page-level elements, such as title tags and on-page copy. Five years ago, SEO strategists were stressing the importance of inbound links pointing to your website.

Those things are still important today, but getting real SEO results these days requires not only a technically optimized website and relevant inbound links but also a strong, vibrant Web presence that supports your overall brand.

That’s where social media comes in. If your SEO strategist is not encouraging you to use more social media, you have good reason to worry. Any good search strategy is focused on relevance, and social media is becoming one of the major indicators of relevance.

So how do you take advantage of the convergence of social media and search for your business?
Here are four things you can do right now:
1. Make sure you are marketing your articles and blog posts using the major social media outlets. The major search engines now factor "shares" (Facebook) and tweets (Twitter) into the degree of importance they attribute to a piece of content. Did you write a new how-to article for your customers? Post that content to Facebook and Twitter. Post pictures to Flickr. Ensure that you are getting your content out via the major social networking sites.
2. Make a dedicated effort to develop a solid presence on the major social networks and any niche sites that focus on your particular industry. Marketing your content is directly dependent on how much of a presence you have on the social Web. If you don't have many engaged followers on these social media sites, there won't be anyone to help promote your content via shares and re-tweets. One simple way to begin improving your social media presence is to have links to your Facebook and Twitter pages on your website. Let your customers know they can engage with your brand via social media.
3. Start testing Facebook’s PPC as an alternative and/or complement to Google. The Self-Serve Facebook Ad Tool allows you a lot of opportunity to test alternative visuals, headline and body copy. Use analytics and attribution to determine the effect of the impact on organic search traffic and continue to test until you find the best combination of ad message and targeting.
4. Keep a close eye on the progress of Promoted Tweets as Twitter continues to make strategic acquisitions to boost its advertising technology. The recent addition of AdGrok (similar in concept to Google's AdWords) and the purchase last year of Smallthought Systems, maker of a cloud-hosted Web analytics application, could finally give Twitter a legitimate revenue tool to create a self-sustaining business. Analytics software is critical to evaluate the efficacy of online advertising campaigns and make adjustments accordingly.

Both search and social media are here to stay, and the ever-increasing interdependence between these channels should be seen as an opportunity in any business category. The strategic use of both channels can result in increased marketing effectiveness.

Want to know more about social media and search? Come to the June 8 PSAMA luncheon to hear Scott Fasser of Optify discuss best practices for creating a balanced plan of online marketing activities and how to find the right mix for success. Click here for more information and to register for this event.

Don Morgan is Head Rainmaker at Raindance Consulting, a Seattle marketing and social media consultant.