Why Google Plus Still Endures: Unveiling Its Unique Value Proposition

While social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Meta dominate the personal interaction space, Google Plus (now known as Google My Business) has carved out a niche for itself in the business and local connectivity domain. This article explores the reasons why Google Plus still exists and thrives despite not being as popular as its peer platforms.

Identifying the Gap in Personalization

Google started with the ambition to compete with Facebook and Twitter in providing a social media platform for personal interactions. However, it soon recognized a gap in the market. While Google Search attracted billions of visitors each day, the personalization aspect, which is crucial for success, was not being met as effectively as by Facebook and Twitter.

Google’s strategy was to pivot and leverage its strengths in search and local connectivity to target small businesses. Instead of focusing on personal interactions, Google Plus (now Google My Business) positioned itself as a platform to help businesses connect with their audiences and showcase their brand through Google’s massive reach, local connectivity, and tools like maps, voice reviews, and more.

The 'Strictly Business' Approach

The strictly business-oriented approach of Google My Business is proving to be effective in meeting specific user requirements. For instance:

Users can find friend’s apartments, share experiences at stores, or even make voice calls for appointments, all within the Google platform. This approach stands in contrast to social media platforms that focus more on interpersonal interaction. While Facebook and Twitter are scaling up their business models, Google My Business provides a reliable and professional solution for both users and businesses.

Addressing User Needs for Personalization

Despite the platform’s success, there is room for improvement in terms of personalization. For users, the following improvements could be implemented:

Allow users to share or see reviews among friends or associates when making purchasing decisions or validating businesses. Currently, everything is public, but customers prefer personalized and trusted experiences. Enhance the in-store experience by enabling users to compare reviews and visualize products before making buying decisions. Continuously improve personalized search results, both in text, voice, and visual formats, based on user interactions, reviews, and experiences.

Optimizing for Businesses

For businesses, Google My Business offers several advantages, but there are also opportunities for improvement:

Create a CRM feature for businesses to connect with their visitors for marketing, remarketing, or retargeting through AdWords. This could be a valuable tool for businesses to maintain customer relationships and drive sales. Implement a more robust review management system to protect and validate businesses. This includes identifying and managing fake reviews, deliberate negative reviews, and paid reviews. Improve the response times from automated systems to provide a better user experience. The current bot-based resolution process often leads to delays and frustration, especially when users encounter issues that do not get resolved promptly.

Positioning in the Right Space

Google My Business has found its place in the market by focusing on the business needs of users and small businesses. By leveraging its strengths in search and local connectivity, it has established itself as a valuable tool for both users and businesses.

Additionally, Google My Business has avoided direct competition with other social media platforms, instead positioning itself as a professional and reliable solution. This strategy has helped it to continue growing and thriving.

Google My Business is here to stay because it fills a unique niche in the market. It caters to the business needs of users and small businesses, providing a valuable and professional solution that other social media platforms often overlook.

Google My Business continues to evolve and meet the needs of its users and businesses. By improving personalization and user experience, it can stay ahead of the curve and continue to grow in the competitive social media landscape.