Is Google Plus Really a "Must" For Your Business?

When Google Plus entered the scene back in June, the newest player on the social media scene caused such a stir people began hailing it as "the Facebook Killer" before the service ever launched. Fast forward to 2012 and the social network has faded significantly. 90 million users sounds impressive, but not compared with Facebook and its 845 million users or Twitter's estimated 400 million or even Pinterest, the interloper soaring to make it the fastest site in history to land 10 million users.

Does that mean Google Plus is destined to go the way of Orkut? Can you skip it when planning your social media strategy? I'd wager you'll regret it. Adding another social media outlet that requires maintenance sounds like a bear, and maybe it is, but do you want to underestimate Google? I don't. Here's why.

Search marketing is a HUGE component of most internet marketing strategies. Companies spend millions to ensure their company ranks for search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. Finding yourself in the coveted #1 search result causes tears of joy quickly followed by increased swagger when talking to the competition. Search matters.

Google is the world's largest search engine with 85% of global search traffic. It's generally accepted that Google dominates the search world, and that's not expected to change anytime soon.

Does anyone see a connection?

Perhaps a nice way to show this is to explain how Google itself views Google Plus. In a recent Information Week interview with Rikard Steiber, Google social and mobile global marketing director, the marketer referred to Google Plus not as a Facebook alternative, but as a progression of the social sphere into the things people are already using the internet for. The point, says Steiber, is not social interaction, but rather a push for relevancy in an increasingly crowded world.

That's an interesting distinction, and one worthy of our attention. As a concept, Google+ isn't a new Facebook. It's a new search marketing tool. But what does that mean?

A few things. First off, Steiber's relevancy. That's where those cute little +1s come in. The +1 is Google's way of letting you publicly approve something in search and share it on Google+. When someone else searches, they will be able to see how relevant or trustworthy results are by way of Google's +1s. Do your friends like this? Would they recommend it? Exactly. That's relevance.

Google Social Search. This is the one everyone's been talking about. Google's "Search Plus Your World" has begun to bring social search results into the realm of the public. Top spots that could have traditionally given users your company info may now be giving them their top social data, meaning getting involved with Google+ (Facebook and Twitter results don't factor in) is more important for brands who wish to hold on to search rank.

Google+ pages and how they rank. Google Plus pages optimized for the same keywords your website is optimized for are starting to show up in social search results at the top of results. Companies with Google Plus pages that they optimize for SEO purposes ARE RANKING HIGH ON GOOGLE SEARCH. And there is your bottom line. Can your business afford to give up search rankings?

Other reasons you should join in the fun...

Circles are easy! Imagining a world where you can easily disseminate different messaging to different segments of your social sphere is now simpler than ever!!

Less "noise" on Google Plus could work in your favor

This is only the beginning. Really, with a powerhouse like Google behind it, the sky is very nearly the limit for the Google Plus world. Anything could happen, but you bet Google will do its best to encourage more usage of its service, not less.

Facebook Timeline is Coming For You! But What Does it All Mean?

I am sure by now we've all heard the big news: Facebook is rolling out its new Timeline feature - for all Facebook users - whether we like it or not. And from what we've seen from recent news articles and user polls, people definitely "do not like".

It was easy to see people were up in arms over the situation; what was harder to figure out was what about the Timeline had people so upset. Now, in the interest of full disclosure I should probably fess up here that several of us at Outlier had gone to some lengths to add the Timeline feature to our personal accounts. And, since we had done so, had fully enjoyed the new look and feel. In short, we do like. So why were people so unnerved?

Who gave the villagers those pitchforks?

After doing a little research, it seemed a lot of people liked the same things we Outliers did. Users' photos were now featured front and center, and information easily found by scrolling down through the timeline which ordered activity in a neat and tidy package--by month, and by year. The bad news was that it made this same information easier to find for everyone. Ghosts of youthful indiscretions past, long buried in users accounts, could now be easily accessed by a quick scroll down memory lane.

Some began frantically searching their accounts to find forgotten moments that were best left erased from memory. Others still simply deleted their accounts altogether rather than try to recoup their losses in a mad dash to "scrub" the accounts of dubious material.

Other concerns revolved around new features that allow people to "geotag" photos and comments (geotagging, a helpful tool for accessing all kinds of location-specific information, is an important tool for many location-based services) making it easier to pinpoint someone's exact location and path of activity. I can see why some might take issue, but weren't people already using this feature in other social media channels like Foursquare and Twitter?

I can't help but think that the biggest reason people are unhappy is because they're being told what they have to do. Nobody likes that. Maybe those of us who had already switched were less worried because we had chosen to adopt, rather than being dragged into the fray without our consent. In the end, the lesson for users seem familiar: be aware of your online privacy, take measures to protect yourself, and maybe stick with: "if I'd be embarrassed for my mom to see it, it doesn't belong on Facebook".

What does the new feature mean for businesses?

Good question. The new feature is not yet available for brand pages, but there has been plenty of talk about the next generation of business profiles (I know we would love to have a Timeline for the Outlier company page!) With a new similar Timeline feature, brands will need to consider new ways to engage audiences: more image space means more opportunities for graphics and promotions. A timeline could be a beneficial way to display content, enhancing or in some cases maybe even replacing a company blog. The point is, plenty of opportunities exist as long as brands are willing to change things up, do something different, continue to evolve, just as social media channels surely will continue doing, whether we like it... or don't.