B2B+1+G+= A New Formula for B2B Marketing?
In late June, Google launched Google+, its answer to Facebook. Will B2B marketers be able to leverage G+ to their advantage? The short –and honest— answer is that it’s just too early to tell. Despite the buzz it built around its summer launch, G+ is telling businesses not to set up profiles. Why? Because “later this year,” Google will launch a business-only G+ platform. It will supposedly feature highly-prized marketing tools, such as advanced analytics and the ability to link to AdWords.
Until G+ for business rolls out, users are limited to exploring the social applications. “How users communicate with each other is different from how they communicate with brands,” says Christian Oestlien, product manager for G+. Right now we’re looking at the bare-bones version of G+. Social users will probably spend the coming months just getting the hang of it and comparing it to existing Facebook functionality. This quiet “getting to know you” period won’t last very long, though. Google will introduce a host of new G+ services, such as plugins, enhanced customization, games, etc.
One particular tool, the “+1” button, may yield some clues about what to expect. Google’s new +1 button that appears in search results. The +1 feature is the equivalent to Facebook’s “Like” button, but like many Google tools, there are more strategic layers at work. If you click on +1 for a Web site, photo, video, etc., that pops up in your search, you’re saying it is a legit source of information tied to your search terms. Does this mean that the more +1 ratings a result has, the higher its Google ranking will be? Google says it doesn’t, but it would be no surprise if it eventually does.
Google’s broad vision for +1 is to be an all-in-one tool that binds user-endorsed content from across the Web. Your +1 endorsements would further customize your experience and content. This sounds like a great experience for individual users, but it would be an SEO game changer for marketers.
Until we see G+ for business, here are some questions to think about as we plan next year’s B2B marketing campaigns:
- If Google is migrating from algorithm-based search results to results that are driven by social media tools like +1, will it yield higher quality searches for your clients’ sites and content?
- If social media starts to drive search engines, will you need to merely adjust or radically change your clients’ current SEO and web strategies?
- How can B2B marketers get in front of this trend today and weave +1 and similar tools into Q4 and 2012 marketing campaigns?