Maybe Google+ isn’t just for us tech geeks anymore. Unless, of course, you count the world’s top 100 brands as geeks.
Google officially launched Google+ Brand Pages on November 7, 2011. The excitement was high in certain circles (good one, right?). The digital marketing world for one, had a near conniption fit when Pages premiered.
But once initial excitement faded, Pages didn’t quite live up to expectations. For the first couple of months of their existence, the most popular Pages on the network were none other than the various entities of Google itself. And much like the excitement factor, interaction with brands started high but quickly petered out once the shiny object syndrome wore off, as it inevitably does.
And here we are about 4 and a half months into Google+ Pagedom. Was that enough time for brands to find their place on Google+? Perhaps it was. According to a recent study by Simply Measured, the world’s top 100 brands are beginning to make a nice little dent in the Google+-verse.
Big brands hop on board
First off the study shows that 62% of world’s top 100 brands now have an active Google+ Brand Page.
What does that mean? Let’s draw some comparisons. A report from Burson-Marsteller says that in 2011, 77% of Fortune 100 (a slightly different group) brands had Twitter accounts and 61% had Facebook pages. It looks like Google+ and Facebook have a pretty equal shares of the world’s top companies.
Circler explosion
Two months ago, the top 100 brands had a combined total of 300,000 Circlers. All things considered, that’s not terribly substantial. But a mere two months later that number is up to an astronomical 3.6 million Circlers.
These early adopters will certainly have a lead over those brands who have yet to hop on the Google+ bandwagon; they’ve already got thousands if not millions of Circlers and newcomers will be left playing a rough game of catch-up.
Top industries on Google+
The data shows that G+ is still living up to its reputation as the techie’s social network; the top industry by far (according to number of circlers) is electronics and Internet services comes in at number three.
We are seeing a bit more variety though – beverages, apparel, restaurants and luxury are all making major headway on Google+.
Page Engagement by Post Type
Much like Facebook, Google+ lends itself to interactive content, so it comes as no surprise that photos are the most popular form of engagement on G+, followed by articles and then video.
Top 10 brands on Google+
And last but not least, the list you came for: the top ten brands on Google+, based on number of Circlers.
These are are some of the world’s best known brands so it’s no surprise that they’ve got a significant following on the newest social platform. But when it comes down to it, regardless of your brand, social engagement is about giving people content that they’ll actually want to dig into.
It might not work as smoothly as Google suggests below in a super weird promo video starring a Google+ devotee who crafts handmade axes. But if the world’s top brands and Joe Axmaker can make real connections on Google+, I would bet that with the right content, you and your business can, too.
Is your brand using Google+ effectively? Let us know so we can add you to our Circles. Are you still debating the social media plunge? Overcome your digital doubts and become a social executive for your brand with a little help from lonelybrand.
