By Alan Coleman on 30 Apr 2014
Ah Google+; the thing we love to hate.
Google released it back in June 2011 (I remember I was travelling Australia at the time, and used my last few dollars from my back-breaking strawberry picking job to buy an internet card so I could check it out in beta…remember, it was invite-only?). We all thought it was the bee’s knees at first, and I’m sure Facebook and Twitter were pooping their pants. But as we know, Google+’s shininess became rusty very quickly. Then came the suggestion that Google+ helps SEO. So for businesses who wanted to survive the various algorithmic updates, Google+ became something that us digital marketing peeps HAD to use. We had no choice. After that, we had Google Authorship, Google Publisher, and the option to include Google+ in our Google AdWords ads. Google+ is also connected to YouTube. It’s just EVERYWHERE. Sometimes, it feels like Google is chasing us into a corner and reducing us to a quivering mess in order to get us to use the medium…just like this cat has been by these bullying unicorns. Stupid unicorns
That said I actually like Google+. I just know most of you guys don’t. I’m playing to the audience. Building a Google+ page in Ireland is nothing short of challenging. It’s something you need to spend lots of time doing. You need great content, you need to engage with people and you need to KEEP AT IT. Sometimes it may feel like you’re running into a brick wall when people just WON’T FOLLOW YOU BACK (cheeky beggars!). Patience really is a virtue when it comes to the aul G+. It’s frustrating. We get it. But remember why you’re doing it. Keep at it. So that’s all well and good…adding 10 followers per month is a grand job. Or it was until Google released +Post ads.
+Post Ads: What are they?
+Post Ads are Google’s newest product. Simply put, they are like promoted posts on Facebook, only they appear in the greater Display Network (not on Google+). Confused? OK, check this out…
[embed]http://youtu.be/4yCUgx7H2zo[/embed]
Google+ has always said that that they would not become like Facebook, littering streams with ads - and it’s staying true to their word by releasing +Posts. +Posts keep advertisers happy while, at the same time, keeping their users satisfied too…and when it comes to Google these days, it seems to be all about user experience. It gives brands another way to promote their Google+ content, and Google+ users don’t have to see ads…well at least not on the social network!
In many ways, it’s another solid indication that Google is placing more and more emphasis on great content… …heard that somewhere before? Good. Thought so.
What are the aims of +Post ads?
Big deal. More ads. What’s ground-breaking there? Well, a lot actually. They aren’t like ordinary ads. These ads allow brands to interact with their audience through the Display Network. People can comment, +1 and share posts from the Display Network, which is then broadcast to that user's followers on Google+. According to Google, +Post ads: - Are a new way to get discovered - Turn content into conversations - Make the web your social stream - Amplify great content - Make brands more human - Make the internet more interesting The emphasis here is NOT about growing followers, but rather a way of conversing with a brand’s target audience. So anywho, as you can imagine, I got super excited. I absolutely adore social media advertising and the opportunity to get my midget size 4 feet into another platform had me foaming at the mouth.
BUT. There’s always a flaming BUT.
To qualify for +Post ads, you need to have a minimum of 1,000 followers. On that note, I’m off! Happy circle-building! Siobhán
