How to use Social CRM Strategy to Improve Product Marketing: Part III

In a market full of competitors, how do you make sure your brand stands out? A powerful social CRM strategy can be a great place to start, but how do you select the right approach? A number of success companies are leveraging Facebook and Twitter to drive social CRM strategy success, but a new entrant to the market is promising to take your product marketing to the next level. In the first two installments of this series on social CRM strategy, Facebook and Twitter have been examined for you. Now, Google+ is gaining much attention as Google tries once again to threaten Facebook’s dominance in this space. Is Google+ the winning formula?

The Social CRM Strategy in Google+

The latest entrant on the social CRM scene, Google+ promises to be a powerful platform that many expect will finally be Google’s ticket to success in the social media realm. The company believes that the current methods for online sharing are broken and Google+ offers a fix. While Facebook execs may be rolling their eyes, Google is aiming to take some of its market share by allowing companies to share specific groups with specific companies. Google also promises that its environment is more privatized and personalized than Facebook. Critics do cite a downfall in Google’s strategy, however, and that is its inability to truly understand relationships and interactions outside of the standard algorithm.

The Downside to Google+ as a Social CRM Strategy

The Google brand has been the key driver to the substantial media attention Google+ has received and while die-hard social media fans have rushed to sign on, the reality is this platform is still a baby. If you leverage Google+ as your primary social CRM strategy, you will limit your reach, at least in the short term. On the flip side, Google+ offers an innovative approach to groups and importing contacts that could help you quickly create a wide following, as long as those you reach out to are willing to become Google+ members. This could be considered a gamble as Google’s previous attempts at social media – Google Buzz and Google Wave – both fell flat.

Ford Finds Social CRM Strategy Success with Google+

The fact that Ford has opted to use Google+ at all may leave a few in the social CRM strategy space scratching their heads as the automaker has one of the most successful brand pages currently on Facebook. According to the company’s social media lead, however, Ford is approaching Google+ in a completely different way. The first sign – the company had to hack its own page for the launch as Google had yet to release Google+ for businesses. The biggest pull for Ford is the ability to leverage group video interaction that allows the company to group followers into circles and target their wants appropriately.

Social CRM Strategy: the Final Word

The reality is that it is too soon to tell if Google+ will be a significant threat to Facebook or even Twitter as a social CRM strategy. There are no success stories yet to report, but that likely won’t last. Companies are already leveraging this strategy to test the effectiveness of Google’s approach to groups. While this approach is reported to dwarf the group’s option offered by Facebook, don’t expect Facebook to sit back and let Google+ take any of its users. The good news is that as the social CRM strategy providers battle it out for dominance, you’ll have access to continuously improved tools for your social CRM strategy.