Google+ for Business: Exploring the opportunities

Google+ now offers a social networking service for brands prompting  thousands of businesses to set up profiles. However, to optimise brand exposure, businesses need to understand what differentiates Google+ from its competitors and tap into its full potential.

Although it looks quite similar to Facebook, there are some features which really set Google+ apart. One of the greatest advantages of the new social networking service is its integration with Google Search. Google Search provides brands with exposure to a search base allowing access to reportedly 50% of global websites. Furthermore Google+ enables brands to streamline social media content easily across multiple platforms including Android, Google Chrome and YouTube. This could offer exciting opportunities to businesses to improve audience engagement and explore innovative ways to create and distribute marketing content.

To make its service more appealing to brands, Google+ launched its Direct Connect feature, which makes it simple for users to find and follow brands on Google+ by just typing a “+” sign in front of the name of the brand on Google Search. Another step towards strengthening the integration with Google’s search engine is the brand verification procedure at the initial registration stage. As Google+ permits the registration of multiple users with one brand name, it allows organisations to appear at the top of the search results by verifying their brand identity and linking their profiles to the company website.

As Google+ is looking to further integrate with the rest of Google’s products, the appearance of the website and its features are going to change. At the CrushIQ conference this week, Google’s spokespeople announced that they were planning to integrate Google+ with AdWords and enable multiple administrators to handle the brand pages on the website.

A further integration with products like Google Shopping and Places could open exciting opportunities for brands and advertisers to deliver micro targeted campaigns based on users’ interests, location and shopping habits. This has huge potential for brands. Furthermore they will be able to tap into Google+ features such as Circles and Hangouts to segment their Google+ followers and create targeted campaigns for engagement.

However, as social networking websites emerge almost on daily basis, a question is beckoning of how many social media profiles users can tolerate? With 40 million users worldwide Google+ is still far behind Facebook and Twitter in terms of popularity among brands and consumers.

To expand its reach, Google+ have to differentiate itself from its competitors and get the most of its integration with Google’s products to create an innovative, intelligent and pervasive social media product.

Is the Blackberry Squashed? Maybe Not (Yet)

I’m not a user but I have been shocked by how badly Blackberry’s reputation has been damaged by recent mistakes (the outage, censorship issues in Middle East) and the consumerization of IT that’s seen the brand overwhelmed by Apple (though not helped by how badly the Playbook’s been received) 

Growth has slowed down to a point where people predict a case of the Nokias or worse, the Palms. 

So, this articlewas a good reality check especially for those who predict Apple is the de facto for mobilising enterprises on a grander scale than previously seen.

Ansd my personal barometer of what my fellow commuters on the 7.12 from Dover  use suggests the battle isn’t lost just yet. Yes, they stroke their Apple devices but – as the City draws closer the Blackberrys come out en masse  for the essential emailing …

So perhaps don’t right them off yet but shouldn’t their PR machine go back to the basics of communicatinf the Blackberry as the best possible  mobile business machine?

Leveson Inquiry: Tabloid Witch-Hunt or Hunt for Media Standards?

As the first seminar of the Leveson Inquiry into media standards and ethics began yesterday morning, it saw the start of what would be a lengthy debate into the controversial matter of the phone hacking scandal. This inquiry has brought forth many key issues: The treatment of individuals as a mere ‘story’ rather than as people in their own right; the constriction of free speech and sharing of information; or can the ‘pressures’ journalists are facing justify their illegal actions?

I agree that journalists are constantly under pressure to get a story published quickly, especially as they are up against such competitive social media platforms and a decline in circulation. However, this ‘pressure’ has seemingly led certain journalists to take shortcuts in their practice which is, in effect, damaging to the institution of journalism, especially in the public eye.

I have to admit I was hooked reading the live feed of the seminar as it happened. Although, the battle between the tabloids and broadsheets as to ‘who said what’, and the fear that Leveson was out to get the tabloids, did seem to steer away from the objective of the inquiry. They understood that what happened was illegal, but I am not sure that the defence was strong enough; especially as one line of defence was “good journalism at times breaks all these [moral] codes, and breaks the law maybe in a small way.”

Leveson concluded that the seminar had “achieved what I hoped it would achieve”, giving the viewpoints needed to help shape its direction further. I know that there was an array of perspectives, but I am not sure that the focus on the point of ethics was made clear enough. I am looking forward to the next instalment which will take place on Wednesday 12th October 2011, but I do hope the fundamental value of genuine journalism is remembered in order to ‘shape’ the future of media standards.

Steve Jobs, genuine innovator, visionary, entrepreneur

As the flowers and messages gather at the #Apple flagship store in #Covent Garden near our offices, we cannot let the day go past without noting the sad passing of this creative man who changed and shaped our world forever.   You may not have agreed with everything he said and did but no one can deny that he made a huge impact on our world.

 Barack Obama summed him up best: Steve was among the greatest of American innovators, brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it.’

Some of the most notable articles of today:

#Businessweek says “Steve Jobs departs a world he helped transform. Jobs was a total original. He was somehow able to blend iconoclasm, rock-and-roll, and chic industrial design with the nerd sciences, as well as the unseemly profit motive of the corporation.”

#Venturebeat highlighted ten important products Steve Jobs has brought to the world

Moco News – a tribute in links and quotes including “For those of us lucky enough to get to work with Steve, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.”—Bill Gates

And finally some of Steve Jobs own most memorable quotes – an inspiration

“Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?” – Macstories.net.

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful … that’s what matters to me.” – Wall Street Journal 1993, shared by UK Guardian.

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” – Stanford University commencement address, 1995

Facing the challenges of social media: managing the crisis

Everyone talks about the great opportunities that social media offers to engage with customers in new ways. But, there’s another side to the story that’s less appealing.

Recent research shows the social media crises are on the rise and it seems businesses are unprepared. The good news is that 76% of the crises examined in the report could have been prevented had the brand been prepared to respond. According to the same research the top three reasons for the crises were lack of internal social media education, absence of professional staff to monitor and handle social media issues and lack of an emergency plan.

These results clearly demonstrate that despite the buzz around social media brands are not confident about using the medium when it comes to crisis situations. So how can businesses get the most out of social media and ensure they can effectively handle a potential crisis?

Taking social media seriously is maybe the most important advice to be given when it comes to managing social media crisis. Underestimating the power of the medium can have damaging consequences for the business.  Monitoring social media regularly and developing an effective strategy that enables companies to deliver a consistent message across all communication channels is a necessary step in reducing the potential damage of such an event.

Having dedicated staff to handle social media issues is also a good way to ensure that your business will be better prepared to react effectively in an emergency situation. Another important step to consider is using the social media channel to choose the direction of your social media strategy in a crisis situation. Monitoring the reaction of your target audience for example could provide organisations with useful tips on how public opinion is changing and help them select the most appropriate course of action.