Matt Cutts (The Google guru)  has recently just more or less made it clear that Facebook engagement and Twitter shares make little difference to your page rank, couple that with the startling statistics that only around 1/6^th of people will see your posts on your Facebook page now, since the new Facebook algorithm came into being, making it a lot harder for brands now to get people engaged on their Facebook business page. This was one of the reasons I have been telling my people to grow your Facebook group.

Facebook sees groups as a more targeted demographic, and later they can sell to bigger brands telling them they have all the niches stitched up in groups.  My own group for example; Web/IT Network Bangkok, here we have top techies in a geographical area, top selling opportunity for hardware and software companies in Bangkok!

 This is music to Google’s ears of course; as for too long their own Google plus social network has been the bashful little brother of Facebook, but he owns the football so to speak and no one is going to play unless he gets a kick! Think about it like this Google owns the biggest search engine, right, so they can twiddle their algorithms how they like, so why should they give higher rank on their search engine to a lot of Facebook likes, oh but they will for a lot of Google plus activity. So how is your Google plus business page?

Google  Maps

 You got to have a Google plus account to start a new map and now if you had two businesses under one account in maps, you are going to have to cull one, because Google only allows one business address now per account!  Google have started some cool hangouts (Like Facebook groups) to target demographics.

YouTube

For your social media strategy to be successful you need to have a YouTube account and at least a couple of videos, and there is no excuse anymore; you do not need to spend thousands on a corporate video by the top MTV executives! Some of the most compelling viral videos around are one guy and his smart phone, people love the reality-Gonzo style of homemade stuff, it’s very ‘social media’ ‘here I am’ I am a real person with a great product, no gimmicks just me! Powerful stuff!

This is a video we have done for an ERP software company and they cost a lot less than you think!

Recent statistics point to the fact that although YouTube and Google Plus are not massive for the numbers of people they send to your blog, but the clicks mean more, if your friend sends you a link to a video, they are pretty sure they know you well enough to know you will spend a few minutes of your time watching it. Google Plus click-thrus came out one of the top for engagement!

Netmedia Thailand | Social media engagement rates

Followed closely by Stumble upon and Digg which regular readers to my blogs will know how much I rate these sites for sending readers to my work.

So to wrap up get a couple of videos made even if it is just you walking round your office right now with your Smart Phone introducing the staff, people love that stuff! And how much is that going to cost?? Go back to Google plus check out your map and do it again if you have moved and get the little envelope sent to you by Google and verify your business properly!  Start a Google Hangout now if you like Blogging or you are still learning about how blogs can actually brand your business effectively and bring in genuine leads weekly like it does for me try my new hangout!

Start a Facebook group NOW, Facebook is going all out to grow these groups for you for free, my guess is; group admins(in other words the owners) will be told that Facebook will be advertising on the groups , whether they do it nicely and offer incentives or just muscle in and say :

“What, if you don’t like it leave the group”  is anyone’s guess, I hope they are cool about it but mark my words Facebook groups will become an advertisers playing field, if Facebook’s shareholders have anything to do with it!”

Blog consistently, share and reap the rewards of your hard work my friends

If you struggled with anything above, I am actually a social media consultant, yeah get me! And I sit down with nice people and explain the basics of what’s needed to get real people interested in what you do, then some people who are willing to do what it takes, actually pay me to sit next to them for a day and set everything up for them, a blog website, all the social media sites, a You Tube channel, and a dynamic  content marketing strategy  to get more business, to see if it’s right for you, contact Netmedia and you buy me a Mezzo Coffee in the first instance.