Column: A quiet time with friends: Thank you, Google+

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Is Google+ the new Facebook?

It’s tough to say today, with the shiny new social network only a month old and running on a trial basis. Until further notice it’s an invite-only setup, with a limited number of users toeing the waters, figuring out sparks, streams and hangouts. My first impression is that Google+ offers a tidier, more streamlined Facebook-like destination with better video and chatting capabilities.

But whether or not it’s going to snuff out Facebook like the Mark Zuckerberg creation did to MySpace and instant messaging programs remains to be seen. Even if it isn’t Google+, I just hope the next generation of social networking is on its way.

I may sound like a grumpy Gen-Y veteran on a diner stool telling “I was there!” tales, but I’ve been with Facebook since the beginning. As a new college student in 2004, I was turned onto the website — then called The Facebook — where other students at my school had begun to sign up and communicate. At the time, a university email address was required to register. We were an elite bunch.

Back in those days, there were no photo galleries or tags, no silly groups, celebs or businesses. It was just us college students, together at a digital frat party, cracking jokes and poking each other.

Then the high schoolers were let in and things started to get uncomfortable. The place us coeds used to enjoy was now infiltrated by “little kids” — and it wasn’t even The Facebook anymore, thanks to that marketing turning point we all learned about in “The Social Network.”

Then the flood gates opened.

Everybody was soon able to sign up, no holds barred. Much like the trashy world of MySpace, an email address was the only ticket needed to get onto Facebook. Mom and Dad were soon there, peeping around at risqué party photos. Later, Grandma and Grandpa were logged on, leaving awkward wall posts and oversharing about the activity of their housepets. Heck, that smelly, annoying dude from work is there, too. Little cousins? They’re all at the party, and they’re watching your every move.

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Live Long and Market: Small Business Branding

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Marketing is the process of communicating your value to your public. Whether it’s a product or service, if what you offer has value and solves a problem, then you need to market it in a way that lets your target audience know just how important it is to their  lives.

If marketing is communication, then your brand is a part of the message. According to the American Marketing Association a brand is a “name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.” And everyone can afford to be distinctive (at least on some level) — distinctively simple, distinctively effective, etc.

You have to stand out to the right people (your target audience) for the right reasons (you solve their problem in a way that resonates with them).  In other words, your brand – your distinction – is the consistent message about what your product is and what it does. Your logo, your tagline, your key phrases, your service style and your customer service team all advance your brand. The more consistent and frequent the message, the more people hear you.

Who Loves Your Brand the Most?

In “How to Recognize and Reward Brand Advocacy,” Yvonne DiVita makes a distinction between your fans and brand advocates. She says, “Brand advocates do things like write a blog around your product, or tweet about you daily, and faithfully follow you on Facebook.” She says the brand advocate is more devoted than a fan and is “loyal to a fault – all without being asked or compensated.” Sounds like somebody you want on your team.

While marketing seems to come with a lot of terms that make it easy to slip into semantics, Yvonne’s key point resonates with me.  She encourages us to find your brand advocates, “understand them, reward them and measure their engagement.”  And she provides suggestions on how to get it done.

How Do You Advance Your Brand Online?

If you accept the role of marketing and the impact that branding can have, then you have the choice to advance your message in print as well as online.  In “The 6 Biggest Social Media Mistakes Brands Make,” Janet Thaeler discusses the common errors we all make, including the impersonal initial contact. Have you seen or done this before:

1. Person finds you (or you find person).
2. Person wants to connect with you (or you want to connect with person).
3. Person writes you some stiff email to “connect” (or you’re the one writing the “stiff” email).
4. Person gets disappointed as you wonder “who is this?” and naturally deflect the interaction (or vice versa).

It’s all in the greeting.

In order to make this conversation work you need a touchstone, a point of conversational contact, a reason to talk that’s a little bigger than just you. Janet says, “The initial contact with someone you hope to work with should be personable….To get a feel for what they are interested in and care about, read their blog and Twitter stream.” Her other five tips are helpful as well. But what if you swear that social media is not the thing for you….

How Do You Advance Your Brand Offline?

Maybe your clients aren’t online and just don’t use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. Maybe. In “5 Powerful Alternatives for Social Media Haters,” Ivana Taylor accepts your  hatred of social media (I say that in jest) and offers you solutions.

Ivana says, “The number-one benefit marketers found from using social media is brand and company exposure.” But if you discover that your target market doesn’t use social media, then she says “your best bet is to create your own community,” starting with building a list.

Your goal is to create a community, and your email list and email campaign are among the most effective ways to connect and advance that relationship. While I believe in social media, connecting by email is also a solid foundation for business – and laying a foundation always comes first. Ivana also gives advice on how to handle your blog and tips on how to engage your developing community.

In the spirit of Spock (yes, Star Trek) and spoken directly to your business: Live long and market.

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Live Long and Market: Small Business Branding

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