We all remember the release of Google+ and how the success that it brought in didn’t seem to be quite as Google had expected. Well, apparently Google’s year old social network is doing quite well nowadays, based on the American Customer Satisfaction Index for July of 2012. Sure that’s exciting, but what’s more of a shock is how well Facebook did on the same list. It’s almost as if Facebook and Google+ are in one another’s expected spots in the list. Honestly, the ACSI was completely different from what I though it would be, expecting Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest to be topping the list as they’re all we here about.
However, the reality baffled me at first, making me understand the world of social media a bit more. Well, as we know, the perfect score in the ACSI would be a 100 percent satisfaction report, which almost never happens. Topping the list was Google+ at 78, which would be about a C+ in grade school. The only thing that the ACSI listed that has done as well as Google+ in the social media category was Wikipedia. However, if in your eyes Wikipedia is a social media website, then you need an explanation as to what social media is. That said, the next thing following Google+ is YouTube at 73, being another network run by Google. So, needless to say, Google is doing pretty well in the social networking world, making it a reliable source (as always) for advertising.
Now, speaking of advertising, we also have all heard of the Facebook advertising troubles in the recent past. Well, now it seems that Facebook has landed a spot as the least satisfying social network at 61 percent. Myspace sits below it with no recorded number, but Myspace should really no longer be considered for advertising or anything else really. Regardless, Facebook has the lowest satisfaction despite its popularity, and I have a good idea as to why that might be. Facebook has been around longer than LinkedIn (which is just above it on the ACSI), Twitter, and definitely Google+. Therefore, American consumers have had a lot of time to play around on Facebook and use all of its features, finding any tiny flaw that may exist within Facebook’s inner workings. Google+, however, is still a baby in social media and, from what I have heard, there are still many people who are hesitant to try it out. Furthermore, the simple fact is that Facebook has more users to ask about their satisfaction. Either way, it’s still an exciting fact that Google+ is doing so well amongst consumers.
With consumers loving Google+ so much, the new social media network is simply rooting itself as yet another piece of Google success. Advertisers have trusted Google significantly in the past, and this fact will just exemplify that trust, making Google one of the better marketing options. Google+ is still relatively new in comparison to its biggest competitor, but is seems so far, so good.
