7 Reasons Why Businesses Should Take Google+ Seriously

Google+ mania is growing strong and has added more than 20 million users in a record time. With so many users already circling around, it won’t be too long before Google+ comes out with business pages. Brands, especially in India, have just begun to understand the significance of social media and marketing managers have gingerly started loosening their pockets for it (especially on Facebook)

Lot of investments are being made in hiring agencies, acquiring fans, etc. and now they see a dawn of new social media giant. Amidst all this, I wouldn’t be surprised if some might question the sense of establishing a solid presence on Google+ and investing resources there, especially when the ROI from such social mediums is not clear. But I have noticed that Google+ would be a sensible investment in coming months and there are 7 good reasons as of now to take it seriously.

Search Engine benefit:Would it make sense to pet a cow and not milk it? If a search engine giant has launched a social network then it would be obviously having some plans to strongly integrate social and search. Google’s efforts to make search more social aren’t new and with no access to Facebook and end of deal with Twitter, Google+ just makes up for Google by being a homemade sauce. In fact, we can already see a glimpse of it here

Its Indexed:If the aim is to make search more social then indexing it seems obvious. Just type site:plus.google.com “name”. If its public then you shall see it.

Gmail: Email is the backbone of online communications. Gmail has millions of users worldwide and Google+ naturally shares a strong integration with it.

Brand Pages: They may not exists as of now but it’s a matter of time and they shall be rolled out, probably by the end of this year.

Google owns Web and Mobile:Google has its wings spread all over the web. Social networking is all about sharing-stories, pics, videos, etc and Google has on its plate – Blogger, Picasa, YouTube, and even the most popular mobile OS Android. These already boast of millions of users and make the job easier for Google+.

Google Offers: Google Offers partners with businesses to offer users the best deals in their place. Though in its beta phase, it surely holds great potential. Google+ will help strengthen Google Offers by adding the social element to it. It might be something like Facebook Deals

20 Million already: 3 weeks down and Google+ has already garnered more than 20 million users worldwide. Its growth rate is much more than that of Facebook, foursquare and Twitter. 852, 780, 730: Number of days to reach 10mm users by Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and 16: Number of days it took Google+ to reach 10mn.

its seems Google+ is certainly going to give Facebook a tough time in days to come.

Somesh Khandalkar is an avid blogger and loves to write on social media. You can read more on him and find his posts here http://isomesh.posterous.com/

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Fiverr.com helps build businesses $5 at a time

What would you do for five bucks?

Mail someone a postcard from Las Vegas perhaps? Create some decals or crochet a small toy? Recommend someone else’s Facebook page? Provide some fashion advice or outline tourist tips for your city?

Those are some of the current and often-zany pitches on Fiverr.com, an online marketplace that claims to make available 500,000 services offered by individuals and businesses in 200 countries.

Transactions, or “gigs,” are set at a fixed $5 price, though people can negotiate multiple orders. Business services, such as logo creation, are among the most popular.

Russ Walton, a 41-year-old broadcast professional who lives in Prescott, offers short voiceovers through Fiverr for the $5 fee, payable through PayPal.

He has done voiceovers for business websites, videos for personal YouTube clips and even a few short narrations for broadcast stations. Some are serious commercial messages, while others involve comedy or character voices.

“I do absolutely everything,” Walton said, adding that his order flow through Fiverr varies from roughly five a day to none a week.

At $5 each, “I usually limit each gig to a 15- or 30-second voiceover,” he said.

Walton uses whatever script a client provides and does the work in his home studio, transmitting the final product to customers.

He provides each client with a few different versions but tries to limit his effort to 10 or 15 minutes of total work.

“If you spend too much time on a gig, the danger is that you could wind up working for $1 an hour,” he said.

Fiverr requires registration, but it is free. Transactions must be conducted according to rules set by Fiverr that outline buyer and seller responsibilities.

Potential buyers can post requests for products or services.

Google, Amazon, Craigslist and various other websites offer competing online marketplaces.

One way to think of Fiverr is as a way to try out a service or product on a low-cost basis.

One drawback, Walton said, is that it can “fool some people into thinking $5 is my regular rate and what everyone in my business charges.”

On gigs that require more time and effort, Walton said he had successfully negotiated bigger deals with customers.

He sometimes directs potential clients to his own website, Jackofallpipes.com.

Walton has found Fiverr to be a great place to find potential contacts.

“It’s a fantastic marketing site, especially in this economy where folks can use every dollar they can get,” he said.

“And it provides wonderful exposure.”

Walton said he hadn’t yet bought anything on Fiverr, and he voiced some frustration over the low fee.

“I’m waiting for Fiverr to launch a ‘hundred-er’ site,” he quipped, “so I can charge a little more.”

Reach the reporter at russ.wiles@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8616.

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