An interesting article at PC World describes how Google+ business listings could benefit small businesses.
In short, Google+ business profiles don’t exist yet – at least outside of a testing phase.
However, you can apply for a business listing during their testing phase (and Google’s Beta testing periods are famous for being incredibly long… and public.)
So what, you say? In short, the business profiles are most likely somehow going to be incorporated into real time search. Remember when Twitter feeds would show up at the top of Google results? Well, those were removed on July 4th, when Google’s contract with Twitter expired. The rumor (and reasonable explanation) is that Google is going to replace these Twitter feeds with their own feeds from people and businesses on Google+.
I talk with my clients all the time about the need for smart marketing plans that make money – not just doing social media because it’s widely accepted as something you must do just for the sake of doing it. While it’s still unclear exactly how business listings on Google+ will work – if these business listings tie into real time search results, we’re talking the wild west out here.
While I am optimistic about the business profile side, I am opting out of creating a personal profile on Google+ . Doesn’t Google collect enough personal data already? Facebook has gone to great lengths to address the privacy concerns and requests from their users – and this is something Google has a shaky history with.
For now, I’m happy with Facebook. My business is cautiously optimistic about Google+.
