Google+ is the network that everyone is saying has died, and has become a ghost town of people that were interested for a day or two and then forgot all about it after that. Marketers around the country are convinced that Google+ will never reach the level of marketing potential that other social networks have, and that has caused for very little use of the new network by anyone other than the everyday internet user. However, is should dawn upon many marketers and brands out there that Google+ is still functioning quite well and remains a relevant name on the web, so it can’t be that useless, can it?
In fact, Google+ just recently announced a new feature that they are offering to their users called Communities. Google+ Communities are much like Facebook Groups, allowing users to become members of groups based on any given topic. For example, some of the Communities that already exist on the network are based around things like Running, Star Wars, Classical Music Enthusiasts, Go-To Parents Community, and even on well-known brand names like Call of Duty and Audi. With communities being created with brands as their only reason for coming together, there are clearly ways that brands can take advantage of Communities as marketing tools on Google+.
Here is how Google has described their new feature:
Gather together
Whether it’s for your family, your book club or people around the world who share your interests, communities give each of your different groups a home base.Have rich conversations
Post beautiful photos and videos, plan events or even have face-to-face discussions in a hangout. And stay connected on the go through the Google+ mobile app.Explore your interests
From foodies, to volunteer groups, to football fanatics, communities help you find people who are into the same things you are. Share news, ideas and passions with just the right people, or meet some new ones by joining public communities.
As for Google+ being a ghost town, that is not true either. At the same time that the network announced their new, potentially beneficial feature, the network announced that their user count has finally reached 500 million. Granted, that is only around half of what Facebook has, but it is definitely a step in the right direction toward showing the online community that Google+ is not and never has been the failure that people have chalked it up to be.
Of the 500 million users, 235 million are users that actively use Gmail IM, connect to other users through search, or use the +1 button, which still shows up all over the web and proves to be a viable way to measure popularity or clicks. Another 135 million users are only active on the network through the stream, much like the majority of Facebook’s user base with the News Feed.
It seems that Google+ has a lot more life than people have made it seem in the past few months. Of course there are marketers that see the potential of Google+ and use it, but those who don’t may see reason to reconsider.
