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Google+ It's Time To Make Your Move

Is Google+ going to be the right move for every business?

Of course not. That being said, your business must make a move into Google+ right now. Today. Please, don’t wait. Earlier this week, Google introduced Google+ Pages for business (more on that here: Google+ Pages: connect with all the things you care about). While some people hop on for the sole reason of being on every hot and new, bright shiny object, my immediate rush in is for reasons that may not seem so obvious at this point.

It’s a land grab, right?

Why not secure your brand as quickly as possible so others don’t do it? The best move is to be proactive? Yes. That’s part of the reasoning to secure your page as soon as possible, but it’s only a smaller fraction of the bigger equation.

Google permeates the Web.

Think of search, think of Gmail, think of Android, think of Google Reader and just keep on looking. While I’m not the first one to say this, it’s clear that whether or not Google+ lives on forever in its current incantation, it does look likely that Google sees this functionality as the underlying social layer that resides within all Google products and services. Now, if you’re afraid to deep dive on Google+ because you don’t think it can compete with Facebook in terms of viability as a stand-alone online social network, it’s still important to have your own piece of land on Google+. The fact is, that many millions of people are there and they’re talking, commenting, sharing and more. If they’re doing any (or all) of those activities about your brand, you’re not allowing yourself to have a platform to both listen and respond on.

Yes, this is more work.

Fragmentation and more channels is the new reality for Marketers, so whether or not Google+ becomes core to your marketing and communications activities, it’s still crucial to – at the very least – be present and be able to respond. At this point, worry less about Google+’s opportunity to trump Facebook and focus on the very basics. This won’t require a ton of time, effort or resources, but could come in handy should a customer service issue flare up or should you have a communications challenge that needs to be met.

Now, it’s your turn… are you in, out or sitting on the sidelines with Google+?

Mitch Joel

Mitch Joel lives at the intersection of technology, business transformation and consumer culture. He is the Executive Director of Next Era Institute, a strategic intelligence platform helping leaders understand the forces reshaping business, technology, culture and society. The Institute identifies which shifts matter, explores their wider significance and translates them into strategic direction and momentum. Mitch is also a globally recognized keynote speaker. He has delivered thousands of presentations across both B2B and B2C industries to organizations including Google, Walmart, LEGO, Shopify, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Unilever. Strategy Magazine has called him “one of North America’s leading visionaries.” Mitch built his career by working directly inside the waves of change that reshaped modern business. He founded and built a digital marketing agency that worked with some of the world’s largest brands and was later acquired by WPP, where he served as President of a firm operating in 25 countries with almost 3,000 employees. Mitch is the bestselling author of Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete, and the host of Thinking With Mitch Joel, one of the longest-running business podcasts in the world. His writing and commentary appear in outlets including Harvard Business Review, Fast Company and Inc. Magazine. He is a member of Dr. Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches and was named to the Thinkers50 Radar. Mitch also hosts Groove – The No Treble Podcast, documenting the oral history of electric bass players. Mitch is also Co-Founder of ThinkersOne, a platform that enables companies to bring personalized thought leadership from world-class experts into meetings, events and off-sites in focused 15-minute bursts.