The future of small business branding with social media

Google+ is one of the newest social media sites, and may prove to be a popular means of small business branding. Although the company hasn't yet set up a business profile service, getting acquainted with the site ahead of time will set you up to use it as a marketing tool down the road.

No businesses yet

Businesses have been attempting to create pages on Google+, despite the company's adamant policy of keeping the service limited to individuals for the time being. Google has claimed it will remove businesses pages that do make it through the sign up process – which has been introduced in stages – but certain companies seem to have made it through nonetheless.

"We have been watching Google+ take shape over the last week and we’ve seen some really great companies get involved," said Christian Olsten, Google+ product manager. "But frankly we know our product as it stands is not optimally suited to their needs."

The company's efforts to limit the product to individuals may not be a long-term commitment, but rather a way to slowly introduce the social media platform and work out the bugs before opening the gates to the thousands of businesses that will surely want a presence on the site.

"In fact," Olsten continued, "it was kind of an awkward moment for us when we asked Ford for his (or was it her?) gender!"

The exact date of the business profile introduction hasn't yet been set, but the company is already in the works of a test run with a few select "marketing partners," according to the company. Unless your small business is directly connected to Google, this won't be you – but you can take steps and examine the potential benefits to be prepared for the day you can introduce Google+ users to your brand.

Try it out

Consider starting an individual page with the service as a pilot run of its capabilities. You can get a better understanding of the differences between Google+ and Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other popular social media marketing tools, while exploring some of the new ideas such as the "circles" of friends and interests users create.

While you won't be able to introduce your business, you can certainly promote yourself and what you do via discussions and connections on your page. In addition to the threat of being deleted, trying to post a business page will mean you must redo your profile once the business service is introduced – or worse, face having a double presence on the site.

The main reason to explore the new service, beyond its expected popularity, is the possible benefit to your website's search engine optimization. Google+ users will be able to click the +1 button now found next to the search engine's results listings. If you run a Google search, you'll notice the button next to listed sites. By clicking on it, users can "recommend this page," which functions somewhat as a "like" comparable to Facebook recommendations, with one exception – Facebook isn't a search engine.

The company hasn't yet determined how the +1 button will figure into its search algorithm, but even a small effect on search results is worth seeking recommendations, especially if your business can grow a large social media presence and generate interest among users. The key to getting your website noticed is good SEO, and recommendations may one day be as important as keyword rankings and site content.

Consider exploring Google+, but don't make it your only social media campaign. Many highly focused sites, such as those oriented to businesses or specific industries, will provide your company with a more appropriate platform and network. If you haven't yet established a social business presence, however, start today – it's shaping up to be the future of marketing.

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