6 Things Marketers Should Know About Google+- Click here http://bit.ly/rqdD8x for full article

6 Things Marketers Should Know About Google+- Click here http://bit.ly/rqdD8x for full article 

Google+ (read as "Google Plus") is a new social networking site from Google. It aims to compete with market leader Facebook by providing better privacy, allowing users to share more selectively through a feature called "Circles," and to have group video chats called "Hangouts." Here are six things marketers need to know about this new social network.

1. Rapid Expansion

Google+ is still in its "beta" phase, meaning it is only available to a small group of people for initial testing. However, in its second week of launch, Google+ expanded from 1.5 million users to 7.5 million, and increase of about 350%. Businesses looking to reach a broad sample of consumers should keep an eye on Google+ growth as the project rolls out into full release.

2. Limited Release Building Buzz

Currently, accessing Google+ requires being added by someone who is already a part of the website. This means that consumers who join are already part of someone's network, making them more likely to remain with the site and continue using it. It has the allure of an exclusive club -- because no one can just sign up for Google+ on a whim, invitations are coveted.

3. Circles

Users group their friends into "Circles," and the members of each circle are known only the user. When something is shared on Google+, users must select which Circles or individuals with whom to share. This is a paradigm shift from Facebook, where all content is shared publicly even when it is directed at just one user.

4. Hangout

Google+ is offering users the unique ability to have group video chats, functionality that is missing from competitors' services. Skype and Facebook signed a deal to provide online video chat on Facebook, but currently no major provider offers group chat. Users can watch YouTube videos together simultaneously, which could have lucrative marketing applications if tied into social media campaigns, such as watching an advertisement in exchange for entry into a contest.

5. Google AdSense

Google has made a fortune by targeting advertisements at users based on their search histories. Facebook pioneered the use of user-generated data to tailor advertisements in social media, but Google+ has the search algorithms in AdSense to make great improvements. With a large amount of user data flowing into AdSense, it is hard to imagine Google+ would not see huge increases in click-through and conversion rates.

6. More Privacy

One of the biggest selling points for Google+ is its privacy features, which allow users greater control over what they share and with whom they share it. This could make marketing more difficult than on Facebook, where creating a targeted advertising campaign is easier and more incorporated into site functionality. However, if better educated and higher income consumers start streaming away from Facebook looking for more privacy and selectivity, it may be more lucrative to find new marketing strategies on Google+ than to target the audience that remains at Facebook.