Never thought I’d be dishing out advice to Google. They have made a few hundred billion more than us, but sometimes you’re too close to something to see the changes it needs. So here’s my advice to the folks over at Google. Google+ should be converted to a business focused social media site. They should shift from competing with facebook to dominating LinkedIn. There are many factors that lead me to this conclusion:
1. The core functionality is too similar to Facebook to differentiate and steal share for individuals. It’s pretty clear Google isn’t going to make a dent in facebook.
2. LinkedIn, the dominant social site for business, could be taken on and conquered by Google. LinkedIn is just mediocre making it vulnerable.
3. The structure of Google+ fits businesses well. You can use circles to group different clients, employees, vendors, prospects, etc…
4. Features like free video chat are fantastic for business use. They’ll just need to stop calling it a hangout.
5. Google is already a major tool and/or consideration for many businesses (adwords, SEO, Google docs, analytics, gmail, etc…). Businesses are already spending time in their Google accounts.
Google could make the switch today and immediately begin pulling share from LinkedIn. The pivot wouldn’t require an overhaul or major function shifts. The change would primarily be around positioning. I think this is a simple decision when you weigh the facts. What do you think?
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