RYP Marketing

 While Facebook has been the social network stronghold for the better part of a decade, the new kid on the block has a competitive streak and it’s brought a new social media marketing platform to the table. I’m talking, of course, about the new Google+ Pages for business and brands. Released yesterday, this new feature has created quite a buzz over the web. Here are some of the points being discussed by the marketing and tech community:

Google+ Pages Not Allowing Promotions
I’m always a sucker for sweepstakes, and Facebook Pages have become a popular avenue for such promotions. Google+, however, doesn’t seem to be following the leader. Tech Crunch only took one day to post their article observing the following this clause in Google+ Pages’ Policies: “You may not run contests, sweepstakes, offers, coupons or other such promotions (“Promotion”) directly on your Google+ Page.” Instead, the policy suggests that you link to the promotion on a separate page. Why rule out a marketing mechanism that has proven to be a success on Facebook Pages? Blog author Sarah Perez suggests that it could be an attempt to reduce spam and fraud, or perhaps it’s an attempt to keep to social network pure of persuasive marketing “tricks.” Read the full Tech Crunch article.

Google+ Pages Getting “Baked” Into Search Results
Of course the most popular search engine will make it as easy as possible to find its new baby—that is, Google+ Pages. Jay Greene of CNET discussed the impact of Google+ Pages in Google search results in his recently published article. He discusses two ways the pages will be turning up; first, Google+ Pages will be easily found in search queries; that’s a no-brainer. The second feature, dubbed Direct Connect, allows users to add a “+” before their search query to quickly find the most relevant Google+ Pages. If more users take interest in Google+ and utilize the search engine to add businesses to their circles, the new Pages could render the Facebook Pages obsolete. Read more of the CNET article.

From the VP: Google+ Pages is Different from Facebook and Twitter
The vice president and product manager of Google+, Brad Horowitz, was eager to share the features that differentiate the new Pages from Facebook or Twitter marketing in a video interview with Bloomberg. One major feature he discussed was the capability to chat face-to-face with customers in a feature called Hangout. It’s a “free, multi-way video” that introduces a face behind the brand. Another unique feature is the ability to segment a business/brand’s audience using Circles, communicating differently with each group of “Gold, Silver, and Bronze customers.” To learn about more more of the features, watch the video on Bloomberg’s YouTube channel.