It’s nearly impossible to execute a PR or marketing campaign without getting involved with social media at some level.
The benefits of exuding your brand’s personality on Facebook and Twitter, and interacting with consumers in a fun, pithy manner far outweigh the drawbacks of opening yourself up to public criticism. The problem is that social media can take on a life of its own and accounts can grow to require a lot of time and attention. In some cases, if resources are scarce, brands are forced to reevaluate their audiences and focus their time and energy on one channel over another.
That’s why, when I read fellow social media junkie and industry insider Zeny Huang’s recent opinion piece, “4 Reasons Google+ Brand Pages Will Be Better Than Facebook’s” on Mashable earlier this month, I paused to think, “Could it be?”
Though there’s much we still need to learn about Google+, Huang highlights two potential areas where I do believe this newcomer may have a leg up in this race: search and analytics. As Huang notes, Google has long been a leader in both of those fields. It’s still a guessing game at this point, but it will definitely be interesting to see how brands begin to use Google+ for their marketing and PR efforts, and if they’re able to effectively break into your “circle.”
What do you think? Based on what you’ve seen and read, does Google+ hold a candle to Facebook and Twitter when it comes to helping brands interact with consumers?