Recently there was some mention Google is thinking of separating Google+ Hangouts from Google+. Many will see this as bad news for Google+, but I prefer to look at these reports move as awesome news for people who see the value of digital marketing.
There is no question Google+ will survive any change no matter what Google does. Anyone who thinks otherwise really doesn’t understand the change social media made when Google+ was launch.
The power of digital marketing moved away from being guided by professional social influencers to now be more consumer driven. This means the more effective methods of internet marketing are now based upon someone, place or thing being found by consumers.
The new social media, or social search as it is now called, superseded the methods of force feeding consumers product information through artificially inflated social influencers reviews.
The ‘Being Found’ method of marketing brought videos to the forefront. Google, with its more mature and forward thinking executive staff, saw the move towards video technology. Google moved into the interactive video world by developing Google+ Hangouts. This satisfied the consumer’s demand on validation by offering them an opportunity to as questions with the subject matter expert.
Then Google smartly purchased YouTube so the Hangouts could be aired and archived for consumer’s view. Google then made Google+’s content the place Google Searches for valued content which opened the doors for the videos being posted to be brought into the Search results.
BAM…Google took over social media and forced digital marketing to change forever.
So Where Will Google Take G+ HOA’s?
Since the curtain has yet to be opened on what Google is going to do with G+ HOA’s one can only speculate.
It COULD be:
- Google is going to divide up the G+ HOA product into a consumer version and a enterprise version. This would be a very smart and profitable move.
- Pulling G+ HOA’s into it’s own department will allow Google to focus on developing the ability to heighten it’s quality of HD visuals and audio so users can disconnect their usb webcams and headsets. This would allow for the use of more quality driven devises.
- Google is setting up the G+ HOA to be part of their growing interest in producing TV quality programs.
It is nearly certain Google will stay with Google+ HOA. There is far too much opportunity to mainstream interactive video creators for Google to not move forward with Google+ HOA’s. For those who learn the advantages of Google+ HOA now the benefits of that knowledge and experience will really payoff in the next stage of the Google+ HOA evolution. Just hang in there and let’s see what happens.
Let me know how I can help.
Interesting observations on the future of G+, Scot. However, you are mistaken in your timeline of Google’s video strategy. Google purchased YouTube in 2006, a full five years before the launch of Google+ as a social network. There are several advantages for marketers to be active on G+, even as the product itself begins to splinter, for no other reason than milking the Google-Juice G+ provides. That said, HOA need to be part of a marketer’s video strategy, not social media strategy going forward.