Facebook unveiled Graph Search last week amid a flurry of hype: offering the possibility to discover new information, people, and places that relate to your interests.

Many saw Facebook’s move into social search as an attempt to steal some of Google’s thunder and attempt to conquer the world of search. Some have even predicted that Graph Search will spell the end of Google’s own social network, Google Plus, and be the final nail in Google’s attempt to try and challenge Facebook’s dominance as a social network.

While Facebook’s Graph Search function certainly looks impressive from what we’ve seen so far, it doesn’t necessarily mean the end for Google Plus.

With an estimated 2.7 billion “Likes” and 300 million photos uploaded on Facebook every day, Graph Search could be a game changer for brands on Facebook, particularly for those in the retail or food sector.

Graph Search allows users to discover places based on their friends’ likes and recommendations, allowing you to filter down by location. This means that brands with physical locations can reap the benefits of Graph Search by incentivising check-ins and Likes.

It’s clear that there is an overlap between Graph Search and Google Plus’ offering, but the fundamental difference between the two hasn’t changed. Every company wants to rank on the first page of Google, and Facebook’s new offering doesn’t change anything in that regard.

The core benefit of Google Plus is that it indexes posts and includes them in its search rankings. The more +1’s a post receives, the higher it will rise in Google’s rankings. The same applies with web articles and local places, as those stories or places your friends have shared or reviewed will appear further up the rankings.

Social search is only going to get bigger this year. Google may have laid down the gauntlet with Search plus Your Word last year, but Facebook has stormed right back, muscling in on Google’s turf with Graph Search.

What do you think – how successful will Facebook Graph Search be? Can it steal the search momentum away from Google Plus?

Attribution

dolphinsdock, Google Plus – Plus Icon. Shared under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

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Whether you’re planning your tactical social media campaign or reengineering your business for the social consumer, social media research is invaluable in setting benchmarks.  They help you manage expectations, isolate priorities and best of all, define KPIs that set the evaluation bar.

But there is a dearth of UK and European focused research resources.  Apart from econsultancy’s marvellous internet stats compendium, it can be quite difficult to find individual studies without scouring Google for days!

So to make it easy, below are highlights of the latest social media research, with links to original studies. Better still, they are in 140 characters or less,  and very tweetable, if you fancy sharing a few insights.

1. During 2011 there were 228 billion UK Internet visits to websites and 28 billion hours spent online
Source: Experian Hitwise Dec 2011 http://bit.ly/uMRrri
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2. 87% of UK businesses will invest more in social media in 2012
Source: Royal Bank Of Scotland (RBS), Dec 2011. Reported in The Scotsman http://bit.ly/th7heE
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3. Almost two thirds (64%) of companies say they are now beyond the experimental phase compared to 54% a year ago
Source: econsultancy Nov 2011 http://bit.ly/to9Je7
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4. Only 48% of UK companies use social media, compared to 72% in the US and 83% in China
Source: KPMG, May 2011 http://bit.ly/sD194p
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5. Only 6% of business owners are monitoring social media to better understand their customers
Source: Sage UK Dec 2011 http://bit.ly/w0hXfS
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6. 60% of organisations have not yet implemented internal social media training and governance models
Source: econsultancy Nov 2011 http://bit.ly/to9Je7
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7. 25% of marketers regard social signals as ‘very important’ for search rankings, but 57% think it will be important in 3 years
Source: Quarterly Digital Intelligence Briefing Dec 2011 http://bit.ly/umrYAO
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8. 43% of UK women agreed that they often find out about new breaking stories first via social networks; compared to 27% of men
Source: Ofcom Dec 2011 http://bit.ly/sIjKCm
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And on the media front….

9. MySpace slips out of top 10 of leading social networks in UK
Source: Metro http://bit.ly/rGT5Pa
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10. 60% of UK online population now use Facebook more than once a day
Source: YouGov Dec 2011 http://bit.ly/uAhCm3
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11. 71% with a social networking profile visit a networking sites at least once a day; 20% visit 5 times a day or more
Source: Ofcom Dec 2011 http://bit.ly/sIjKCm
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12. The Daily Mail and the Guardian websites are the most popular newspaper websites in Europe
Source: Ofcom Dec 2011 http://bit.ly/sIjKCm
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13. 2.6m people joined the top 20 Facebook retail pages in the last 6 months
Source: eDigitalResearch Dec 2011 http://bit.ly/uLhLwH
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And just because…

14. Nearly half (47 per cent) of teenage smartphone users admitted using or answering their handset in the bathroom or toilet
Source: Ofcom Dec 2010 http://bit.ly/sbkdwd
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If you would like to keep up with the latest social media research and stats then please do follow us on twitter
Follow @iftweeter

 
 
Images with thanks to:
Image: jannoon028 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image: Nutdanai Apikhomboonwaroot / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Before hastily setting up a Google+ page for your business, you need to step back and consider whether there is any value in joining the early adopters. We pulled together 4 points to help you evaluate whether it is worth your company embracing Google+:

The promised land?

1.  Objective – Are you targeting your Google+ to generate awareness and buzz about your company? Or do you want to generate engagement and build upon relationships with customers? Google+ is in its infancy and audience demographics are unclear, there’s scant information about how active these profiles are. You’ll need to bear this in mind when contemplating what your objective is.

2.  Time and resources – Your time is important so you need to evaluate whether it’s worth launching a page and the continual maintenance and monitoring of that page. Content is also key. The page requires rich content to be shared and engaged with. As Google+ prevents competitions or promotions, it’s perhaps best to use content from assets that you already have.

3. How will Google+ fit in with your other branded web estates? – Do you really need to include it in your marketing mix? Will it play a large part in your online marketing ecosystem or are you just securing a simple branded profile? Perhaps wait and see what happens in the next couple of weeks, and then, venture into investing resource.

4.  Outcome – So far the main benefit is that Google+ has connected social with search. For those who participate in this opportunity it is likely that your page rankings will get a boost. And for those who do not, we anticipate that you may lose rankings or be displaced amongst your competitors who have a Google+ presence.

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Since Google’s  announcement, there has been an enthusiastic response to Google+ branded pages. Generally the

applause has been loud and energetic, with over 600 news articles and innumerable blog posts. The positive response has proved interesting. After all, previously there has been some less than flattering rumours about the newly launched network. Whilst attracting over 40m users, there have been intimations that 83% of them are now inactive. Data analysis has even suggested that the only activity is being led by geeky, early adopter males! The truth is that no one really knows who is using the service and how. And that means we need to look a bit closer at what value a brand can expect from investing in the network.

The Google+ value to your brand

So let’s get to the nub of the issue for marketers: is investing in a branded page going to generate the ‘relationships’ that Google promises in its launch blog post. More importantly, is it going to enable relevant and sustained relationships that add value to the brand. Google+ launched with some key brand pages, so we thought we would take a snapshot of the results just 48 hours in.

Google+ numbers first

This first analysis simply looks at numbers of followers and +1s (recommendations). Yes, this is a blunt measurement. But this is early days and further analysis would be just speculation. And after all, a branded page needs to reach critical mass to maximise the value from engagement. In the table below we examine the launch brands and highlight the top ten for followers and +1 numbers. The Muppets page leads the way. Not surprising, as there is likely to be a strong emotional connection to the brand. Generally though, the results are not bad for two days exposure, but not great either for such an enormously well covered launch and such high profile brand. Many brands may still do better in Facebook when it comes to acquisition.

Where is the inspiring content?

Google makes it clear that the key benefit to marketers is the ability to build relationships. And part of brands building relationships, is to give consumers value through content.  I was hoping for rich, engaging, inspiring stuff – in other words, lots of social objects that would motivate me into a relationship with a brand.

Maybe great content will come in time as Google and brands find their feet.  However, without the facility to run promotions and competitions [Google doesn’t allow it on its pages], brands are going to need to be inventive to capture the attention of the public as more pages launch.

Relationship building aside, content that inspires recommendations is going to be crucial.  Google promises to incorporate the results from +1s into search and bring faster ways of connecting to brands through its search engine (with the ‘+’ search feature).

Our intention is to benchmark brand pages over the coming months – ultimately we need to evaluate the business benefits in search, engagement and advocacy that will justify the investment.

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Google+ has really got the social media world excited. Twenty-five million users in 6 weeks, makes the growth of similar social networks like Facebook and Twitter look positively stunted in comparison. And the blogosphere is just as fired up – a quick Google blog search for Google+ returns more than 10 million results!

When Google+ launched, every marketeer worth his salt wondered what the network would do about brands; and companies across the globe started chomping at the bit to be the first to interact with the consumer communities on Google+. That privilege has gone to Ford Motor Company, which has managed to gain a corporate identity on the new social network, despite Google closing down all other brand pages. Google says it’s working on a suitable brand solution, but we’ll all have to sit tight until then.

Looking at the Ford page, it’s difficult to find any differences to established Facebook pages. It comes complete with a profile picture in the top right corner, smaller pictures at the top of the page and its ‘wall’ underneath. People can +1 things (akin to Facebook’s ‘Like’) and comment underneath.

While the aesthetics might be similar, there are a number of features we’re keen to start trialling and we’re excited to see what Google has in store for branded profiles. With the network looking set to spice up the social media marketing mix in the not too distant future, we take a look at what brands and businesses could be doing with Google+ in the coming months:

1) Hangouts

Customer service is one of the key areas we encourage our clients to explore and consider for their social media strategies and the Hangouts feature of Google+ could potentially revolutionise online customer service. The likes of Vodafone and ASOS are doing a great job on Facebook and Twitter already; and a number of companies offer instant chat via their websites. But, Hangouts could provide brands with the opportunity to chat to customers directly via video chat, making the whole experience more personal and friendly.

From a PR perspective, Hangouts offer some great opportunities, such as video roundtables with key influencers, and live customer events. This feature will get creative juices flowing as brands think of ways to engage with consumers using this new medium.

2) Search

As a search engine, it’s obvious to point out that Google’s strength lies in search. Google has already temporarily stopped its real time search function with assumptions that it will be restored with results from Google+.

Users can also +1 things, equivalent to a ‘Like’, and this will determine a website’s social value. This could potentially mean that the more +1′s a website has, the higher up it features in the rankings, affecting the SEO tactics we’ve become accustomed to. Google+’s Circles feature can also affect the way we search online, as recommendations from people in our circles, i.e. our trusted sources like friends and family, can feature in search results.  Social search is also beginning to affect the way businesses look at SEO. As well as +1′s, Facebook ‘Likes’ and re-tweets on Twitter can influence what we look for online. As this evolves, the customer experience has never been more important. You need to ensure you give the best experience possible to help encourage social recommendations.

We’re also keen to see the insights provided by Google+.  Facebook Insights are great but can be limited when it comes to identifying key influencers. And there are a number of Twitter apps and tools that give us good information but not all in one place. Monitoring and listening play a crucial role in informing your social media strategy so with Google’s background in analytics, we’re hopeful Google+ insights will provide the information brands need.

Time will tell if Google+ lives up to the buzz it has already created in the social media world. It may take time to become mainstream but, if and when it does, it’ll definitely make its mark on social media marketing.

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On revisiting the video interview from SES it strikes me that social search is a complex issue that goes beyond the technology.

It is much more than key words, phrases. Much more than Google +1; Bing and Facebook integration; or even trying to work around the new Panda algorithms. It is, as we frequently tell clients, about storytelling.

But there is a problem with storytelling. It is not a natural fit for companies. Brands are engineered to communicate via promotion and broadcast.

Storytelling needs companies to dig deeper into their brand values. Often weaving and creating a story that isn’t just centred on marketing and PR. For example a tech company might look for subject matter expertise amongst its engineers, or a retailer might look for insights and nuggets from its packing and delivery divisions.

Storytelling requires cross company integration, a clear understanding of audience behaviours and motivations (not just a summary of the chatter) and a common objective that you are in social media for the long haul.

Ultimately the effort is worth this investment: because stories told well will be shared. And social search is all about sharing.

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Search is a hot topic at the moment. With innovations in mobile and local search and the impact of real time mentions and social media, the competition for the much sought over front page position is hotting up. For some, the temptation may be to take advantage of one (some) of the many free press release distributors in the hope of creating  a few of those juicy Google links –

Here’s why we don’t think they should jump in, without looking deeper…

Death by association:

Your content might be good, but there’s no saying what it might be next to.  Scanning the headlines on a couple of the leading free press release sites shows that “Innovative Bilingual Program Builds Bright Future for YCIS Beijing Students” is next to “New Website Scores You On How “Do-able” You Are” and “Sceneric relaunches Frasers Autographs on hybris”  precedes  “Inspired or expired meat! Can cancer make you feel horny?” With little say in what your content will sit alongside – both in terms of other stories and links –  the reputational risk is definitely worth considering.

But press release pages are for journalists and not consumers, right?

Well, yes. It could be argued that journalists are accustomed to sifting through press releases to identify the relevant stories; however, what you’re paying for in traditional press release distribution sites – direction, focus, proactive targeting – is lost when you take out the price. As Daryl Willcox from DWP Publishing said in an Econsultancy interview last year: “You get what you pay for with free press release distribution services. Enough said.”

So, free press release sites aren’t great at taking a story to the right person, but what about generating online links?

An SEO strategy?

As one of the determinants of page ranking, the promise of online links might be enough, on its own, to tempt businesses towards free press releases. There are few flaws in this thinking. For a start, not all the free press release sites that we reviewed permitted live links, and the majority did not permit anchor text. And then, the risk to reputation that we were talking about earlier? With some recent noise around the quality of Google’s search and the consequent demotion of low quality, spammy sites, a link is not always an asset.

This extract from the Google blog illustrates the point:

“As “pure webspam” has decreased over time, attention has shifted instead to “content farms,” which are sites with shallow or low-quality content. In 2010, we launched two major algorithmic changes focused on low-quality sites. Nonetheless, we hear the feedback from the web loud and clear: people are asking for even stronger action on content farms and sites that consist primarily of spammy or low-quality content.”

Recommendations

Google’s emphasis on relevance is the key, we think, to both effective online content strategies and getting a news story out. The internet may have opened up the media, but some of the old rules still apply:

• Targeted approach: Invest time in identifying, targeting and developing relationships with appropriate online influencers. Individually pitching your news angle to the top people you’ve identified within your market is more likely to result in coverage and any links will be more valuable due to the relevant content they’re associated with.

• Content strategies: Having high quality content online is more likely to generate natural linkage and encourage share-ability.  Ensure that content is well optimised for search so that news is discoverable and will appear in any relevant online searches.

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What does a consumer see when they type your brand into a search engine?

And where else are people searching for your brand?

As the net becomes more attuned to social conversations, the line between social and search is becoming increasingly blurred. Conversations on social media platforms are informing search engine enquiries. Content generated on the social web is appearing on search engine results page. And that’s before we’ve even considered the mechanics of personalised search or what happens when a users’ social graph is pulled into the search engine algorithm, as highlighted in the recent changes to Google’s social search function.

There’s little doubt that search is getting social– but what are the implications for brands?

There are three main components of social search in 2011: the technical algorithm; influence and recommendations; and what is actually being said.

Key Phrases and Links (the technical algorithm):

Owning the first page of the search results is no longer a given for brands. Increasingly, blog posts, forum comments and even Twitter mentions are being pulled into the search results and changing what users see when they search online.

So, monitor online conversation to identify potential risks and stem any online negativity before it reaches the search engines.

• Analyse social mentions to understand consumer language and ensure that your keyword strategy is effective.
• Distribute well search optimised (and tagged) content across a range of social media platforms and ensure that keyword strategies inform all communications.

Triggers and currency (recommendations and influence):

The ease with which opinions are published and shared on the social web has meant that the content online is increasingly subjective. Personal opinion is as valued as product information; and, similarly, the sharing, commenting on and liking of brand related content is providing a new kind of social advocacy.

• Ensure your brand can be shared and discussed by providing content that can be easily distributed across the social platforms your audience visits.
• Leverage the power of peer influence by making reviews and recommendations shareable; and, where possible, containing them within owned media.

Real Time (conversation):

The inclusion of real time mentions in search engine results means that enquiries now provoke a wider range of brand related mentions, including customer services, advertising strategies, CSR campaigns and recruitment. These can all impact on people’s perception of a brand and the purchase decisions they consequently make.

• Ongoing monitoring will identify risks and support reputation management of your brand.
• Real time can have long term impacts: build strong customer relations and embed social media across business functions to help keep this legacy positive.

Related articles

• Google Launches A More Social Search (hubspot.com)
• Google Looks For Better Social Search As Rivals Ramp Up (gigaom.com)

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