Something is missing.

There is valuable information to be gained by analyzing the difference between Google+ and Facebook; one has 800 Million users while the other has yet to gain popularity. If we can isolate what the difference is we may be able to apply it to our own marketing strategies.

I found a key difference between the two social networks that when examined provide clues of how to be successful in ones marketing.

Like many of the tech savvy, I tried out Google+. It offered a single point of log in for my email, social networking, calendar and the myriad of services I use through Google. This was quite appealing. Here I am weeks later, still using Facebook and paying little if no attention to my Google+ account. Why is that?


The purpose of social media is to connect people without a via. Even though a via will always exist, technically, (i.e. your computer, your phone, the network it travels on and so on) the perception of instant accessibility and exchange of information between friends and people, with censorship and corporate oversight, is what drives a social network.

Additionally the ability to create an effect on another drives a social network.

Google+ is missing this key factor. 

Go on Google+ and try to say hi to a friend on their "wall" or "profile". You can't. Try to say something funny and off the wall or try to post a video to their page to make them laugh. You can't. You can only comment on the things they have already posted about. You can comment on their comments but cannot comment on the person themselves or on anything you just happened to feel like saying.

People have gotten so accustomed to being able to go on someone else's page and say whatever they wanted to say or do on that page. It's not just about saying things on their own profiles. They want to say things on other people's profiles too. Google+ doesn't offer the same freedom. Thus something is missing and users go back to Facebook. 

Understanding this key factor of engagement in interpersonal relationships allows one to see that it applies to business to consumer relationships as well. If a business is to engage and be engaged by their consumers online, with the purpose of improving brand awareness and thus the bottom line, they must have a strategy and plan in place to accomplish this end. Google+ as it is currently set up does not allow for this instant interaction. Each business category i.e. hotels, small business, major corporations etc, will have it's own marketing budget and it's own successful way of obtaining engagement with customers and clients. A small business owner must find that unique way to use social media to their advantage.

I help my customers to accomplish this by studying who and what they are and who and what their customers are. It is not always obvious how to engage the small business with the customers in an online platform. Once one finds the right mix of online and offline marketing tools, they are able to deliver the right message at the right time and be the one that their customer (or potential customer) thinks of first.