BUT there is no guarantee that all of them would succeed.
To start this brand new blog, 'Social media + Marketing', I would like to show you a youtube video that my friend and I made few years ago (2010), when we took the unit MKF3881: Electronic marketing at Monash University. The aim of the video is "to show how a specific online social media tool can be used by marketers to create customer value." In this case, we chose 'Google Buzz.'
'Google Buzz' was launched in February 2010, but then was discontinued in December 2011.
Obviously, there are many social media channels coming up from time to time... Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, you name it. However, there is no guarantee that every social media tools would succeed. When my friend and I made this video back in 2010, we discussed if Google Buzz would be able to compete with other social media tools like Facebook and Twitter. The answer is obvious now, 'NO.'
Why? Although social media is a trend, people would choose only a few channels to focus on, not go for every channels that the world will offer! Then, what is the criteria in choosing what channel to use?
1. FRIENDS: As the main purpose of social media is about connecting and creating interaction/conversation, there is no point having a Google Buzz account without friends or few friends, while most of their friends are on Facebook.
2. Point of Difference: If you cannot clearly differentiate yourself with others, no one would notice you. They would go for those that are well known in the industry. Talking about 'Brand', this does not apply to only social media aspects, but 'marketing' in general!
What about Google+ that was launched in June 2011?
In my opinion, Google+ is still not that active or 'social.' Facebook is still the number 1 in the industry.
Is Google+ goint to end up like Google Buzz in the future?
Feel free to discuss and share your opinion.
Credit:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Buzz
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google%2B
It is true that Google+ is not popular compared to Facebook. I totally agree with your point that friends play an important role to determine whether a social network site could become successful or not. As we all know that Facebook is so popular because many people using it! Good video btw =)
ReplyDeleteCheers, John
haha glad that you enjoy the video. If their friends are not there, people would go to some other sites that they could socialise more. but unlike Twitter, I have Twitter account, but don't really care if my friends are there or not because my purpose of using Twitter is to follow news and quotes.
DeleteI agree Google+ is not popular at all. At first, what it offers seem to be interesting. But once you need others to suggest and include you into the group, it is a bit annoying. This may be one of the reason why it is not being used widely.
ReplyDeleteI actually think that Google+ might end up like Google Buzz in the future.
Deletewell, why bother using so many social media sites if all of your friends are on Facebook.
About group on Google+, I'm not sure what it is for actually. but for facebook, people can also create their own group as well.
Welcome back to blogging! I remember that video! :)
ReplyDeleteGoogle Buzz is another piece of roadkill on the SM highway... it all looked so promising, but Google failed to implement it effectively. And it isn't their only failure. Google Wave followed soon after.
We'll see more victims along the way... it's not easy to reach critical mass in SM, as success requires a lot of people to sign up - a social network without connections isn't social at all.
I look forward to reading more of your work over the coming weeks.
Thank you for your comment. I hope that I will keep continue blogging after I finish this unit as well :)
DeleteI never heard of Google Wave before. But after you mentioned, it seems like Google's product is not always successful, isn't it? (never realised that)
I still remember that video from undergrad class! Anyhow, I have tried using Google+ just to check it out, see what it's like and also to use its Google+ Hang Out feature to talk with some of my friends that were on there as well. Now I don't use it anymore :S
ReplyDeletehaha. I love your video about how Redbull uses social media sites as well! :D
Deleteyeah, me too. Obviously, they seem to 'push' people to automatically have Google+ account once they have gmail. The problem is... regardless of more member signing-up, people don't actually use it. I guess Google+ is going to be another 'FAIL'
Google+ is definately struggling to get a lot of movement, especially in countries like Australia which are slow movers as far as social media goes. One thing that Google+ does benefit from though is that it isn't used purely as a social network by Google but also as an indicator of the quality of web pages. It is for this reason that Google prioritises websites that have many +1s as these are a sign to Google that this page is relevent and interesting. Because of this Google is unlikely in my opinion to drop it, despite their struggle to get mainstream uptake in the actual social media side of it.
ReplyDelete