Google+ Not Quite Ready for Small Businesses…Here’s What You Can Do While Waiting

As many anxiously anticipate what Google+ can do for social networking and what it will mean for the rest of the social networking crowd (Facebook and Twitter, are you watching?), numerous individuals are already signing up with businesses close on their heels. However, a recent article in the Los Angeles Times suggests that Google is not quite ready for businesses to sign on to this service.

In fact, by all accounts, it sounds as though businesses will get their own special service later this year as the brains behind Google are working fast and furiously to build out something unique and separate from the personal social networking. Not a bad idea as the current social networking channels often make it a challenge to figure out how to keep the personal from the professional on social networking pages. While Facebook allows users to set up business fan pages, these are still linked to personal profiles, making it difficult to present a separation for the small business owner who likes to create a social networking presence. Here’s hoping Google+ is Google’s real success story unlike its past attempts at social networking.

Other Professional Social Media Channels

In the meantime, small businesses still have a lot of ground to cover in the social networking arena from which to share their messages and interact with their target audiences and customer bases. In fact, there are dozens and dozens of sites to consider. Here are some of the big names and what you can do with them:

• LinkedIn: Known as a great professional networking site, more businesses now understand the need to create business profiles for their executives and staff to build business-to-business relationships, attract great talent, and generate new growth opportunities.
• YouTube: While this site is known for some hilarious and often controversial postings, more businesses are recognizing it as a way to put a multimedia spin on their business offering as they reach out to their audience. For example, a client now uses it to help their small business clients interact with other business experts for such services as CEO coaching, business coaching, one-to-one coaching, and advisory boards.
• 43 Things: This site offers businesses a way to share goals, objectives, and plans for your business with colleagues, peers, customers, and even investors. It is helping businesses network for a wider audience, fund new ideas, and generate publicity.

Your Social Networking Roadmap

How are you currently using social media and social networking? Do you need help in generating a plan? Leave your questions below and we would be happy to suggest ways in which you can take advantage of these and future social networking channels for greater business and brand exposure for your intended audience.