Earlier this year world’s largest marketing company rolled out its social media network competitor Google+.  Aimed to compete with Facebook and Twitter with dedication to providing a content driven effective platform for communication and lead generation.  Quickly the early adopters expressed strong interest and it wasn’t long before it reached 25 million users.  Where’s the value in Google+ for business though?  How does it differentiate from its competitors?

After its launch the Google giant made it quite clear that business pages will be arriving soon and advised brands not to create business entities using personal accounts.  One of the early eager adopters was the Ford Motor Company which has been known to push social media boundaries for the last few years.  While Facebook offers business fan pages to give brands the ability to market themselves uniquely, Google has something more refined and different in mind.

Expectations from Google+ Business Pages

On the surface the Google Business Pages appear to be no different than the regular G+ personal profile page.  Just take a look at the Ford Motor Company Google+ Business Page and you’ll see what I mean.  Marketers are always seeking new opportunities and channels to advertise on.  The current demand consists of business pages that deliver more than your average Facebook fan page does.  New features and options to reach your target audience and deliver your message clearer about your products or services.  Anyone that knows a thing or two about the Google giant will agree that their slogan should be “it’s what’s under the hood”.  Perhaps just what they’re cooking up with the upcoming Google+ business fan pages.  While there’s little to be known about business pages here is what we can expect in Google+ business pages.

1. Google Hangouts – while it’s not a new feature to brag about there’s a difference as to how it’s being used for personal or business use.  Arranging hangouts with prospects interested in your products or services can spark interest and create opportunities.  In Ford’s example stated above it connects with consumers interested in automotive which helps create leads and foot traffic.
2. Integration – reporting serves of great importance when monetizing and optimizing the performing of your Google+ business page.  The mighty giant has thought this out carefully and it won’t be long before you’ll be able to analyze the performance of your business page.  Visitor Activity, Geography, Content Performance, and more.  Full integration of G+ business page performance with your Google Analytics accounts.  How’s that for performance tracking?
3. Reporting – Google already has a powerful tracking/reporting tool known as Google Analytics.  Statistics from your G+ business page will be available for preview in addition to having the ability to create custom reports.  Just like web traffic activity analysis your Google Analytics account will provide data on visitor source, activity, and performance.
4. Look & Feel – don’t expect anything extraordinary here.  Google has been notorious about the plain look approach while focusing on internal functionality.  In most cases as it stands you may be unable to distinguish the difference between a personal and business Google+ profile.

Google+ is all about exposure, interaction, and feedback.  All about those serious about promoting themselves individually or their business.  Business pages will offer such functionality and more to given brands the ability to market themselves effectively.  As it stands the Ford Motor Company remains to be the only brand privileged for beta testing.  No official announcement has yet been made that states or provides information on the public availability of Google+ business pages.