From left: Claire Scully and Lauren Thomas, Nurun Atlanta.

As the social media landscape becomes more disjointed, brands need to develop and maintain an appropriate presence on multiple social networks to connect with audiences and fish where the fish are. Marketers have to expand their media reach, increase media spends and get more creative in order to engage with an increasingly fragmented audience.

Now, with the rapid growth of Google+, the question persists: what does this mean for my brand? Though the social network does not currently support business use, business pages are expected to launch in late-2011 and here are a few things we’re looking forward to exploring:

• Advertising: If Google+ expands upon Google’s search and Display Networks, advertisers may have new opportunities to fine-tune media to reach niche audiences by leveraging information about users’ web, search and social behaviour.
• Analytics: Analytics and ROI are the Holy Grail of social media marketing. When Google+ business pages launch with Analytics and Adwords, marketers will have a new way of tracking Web activity and conversions to better understand how their social media initiatives impact the bottom line. The integration of Analytics within Google+ business pages will create one of the most robust analytics offerings in the space.
• Innovation: Competition fuels innovation. As Google+ continues to grow, it will force other networks to evolve at an accelerated pace. For example, Facebook is already responding to the Google+ “Circles” feature by making it easier for users to share information with specific people. When Google+ launches business pages, other social networks will have no choice but to offer more robust analytics and insights to stay competitive.

So what can brands do now to prepare for the launch of Google+ business pages?

• Get your Google house in order
• Optimize digital content for search and social sharing
• Update (or launch) a YouTube channel
• Claim business listings on Google Places
• Experiment with services like Google Offers and City Pages
• Align digital marketing strategies with business goals and with the needs and interests of target audiences

What do you think is next for Google+? And how do you think this new social network will impact the digital landscape?

Written by Claire Scully and Lauren Thomas

Tags: Analytics, Business, Google

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