Google+ now welcomes retailers, brands and organizations. Unlike its main rival, Facebook, Google+ requires retailers to register to prevent counterfeit pages. Macy’s, which was one of the first to launch a page on Google+, gained more than 5,000 followers in just six hours.
This move gives retailers the chance to expand the reach of their Internet marketing service as it allows them to interact with customers. Customer interaction is a key element of many retailers’ marketing and brand-building campaigns.
On Google+, when a consumer clicks on the +1 button to follow a brand, he can put that brand in one of his Circles. A Circle is a tool that allows a member to classify his relationship groups based on his own criteria. Once a brand is added to a Circle, the retailer can interact with the consumer and even engage him via video chat. A new feature of Google’s social network is the Direct Connect which allows users to search for the Google+ pages of retailers as well as brands and even movies. Naturally, a user can add them to his Circles. To use Direct Connect, a user simply has to type +[brand/retailer/movie] and they’ll be taken to the Google+ page of their searched brand.
The registration process required by Google+ may prove to be a useful tool for merchants who want to protect their Internet marketing service efforts. For example, 1-800-Flowers on Facebook has several “counterfeit” pages such as “1-800-Flowers ruined my order” and “1-800-Flowers Stinks.”