Google + For Contractors

I have been playing around with Google+ For a couple of months now and I really think there is an opportunity for contractors to improve their marketing and website presence both online and off. You see, unlike Facebook, which is a destination, Google is everywhere, especially when it comes to running your business.

• Gmail
• Calender
• Checkout
• Picasa
• Images search
• YouTube
• News
• Docs

The list goes on and on and Facebook is…just Facebook

Google said they have 90 million users on the Google+ network, a far cry from the 800 million on Facebook. But the difference here is that Google can cast a huge net to real in new users. In fact, Google is requiring a plus page on any new sign-ups, which will piss some off, but where are you going to go for free email, docs, calender, video…Yahoo? I don’t think so.

My personal use of Google+

I use Facebook for both personal and business. As a matter of fact, FB doesn’t really allow me to create a distinction. Sure if I had a business name instead of my own name, there would be a better line of demarcation, but the fact that I can’t have a business page without having a personal page to me, always made FB a tool I had to use, not want to use.

Google+ on the other hand, let’s me decide right up front how I want to interact with people by adding them to groups or “circles” of people that have the same interests. I also get about 10-15 recommendations everyday in my Gmail folder suggesting people that legitimately make sense for me to add to circles. And people on the Google+ network seem to be a bit more willing to allow you into their circles than they would friend or like you on Facebook.

And here is where it is going to get interesting

Google is launching personal search, which will have a social media component tying together the searcher’s social graph as well as local (Places) and general search. You can read more about the personalized search here.

If you want to know more, and I think Google+ is the only real competitor to Facebook in the near future, so you might as well jump on board, you can read Chris Brogan’s new book, aptly named Google+ for Business. Check it out here(aff link).