May 3rd, 2010 by Susie

It is always very difficult to assess how things will turn out in the sphere of social media marketing. There can sometimes be a tendency to get over-excited about new developments in the social media and to get disillusioned when reality does not match up with the expectations. However, some developments develop momentum and generate possibilities which nobody thought possible. When something new emerges, it is crucial to pay close attention so that strategies can be adjusted if and when necessary.

Google Buzz is one relatively new development and its progress will be monitored with care. Google is not a new player in the social media, but Google Buzz is something which is fairly new to the scene. Google already has relations with Twitter and owns Orkut, to mention some of its pre-existing engagement with social media, but clearly hopes that Google Buzz will have an additional impact. To tentatively look at its chances it is necessary to examine what Google Buzz aspires to be.

The service is about bringing together the social media content of users in one location. Google apparently feels the need to compete with social networking media rivals like Facebook. Google Buzz is a facility which enables information sharing. The information can consist of news stories, videos, photos and handy sites. Diverse types of social activity can thus be brought together in a convenient manner. From a technical perspective, it is worthy of note that Google Buzz is connected with Google Mail. It is difficult to tell if Google Buzz will ‘catch on’ as much will depend on how users perceive its performance in relation to that of other social media and so its benefits for search engine optimization are yet to be realised.

It has been suggested that Google Buzz will one day be fitted into Google’s search results. Whether this would work well from a user perspective seems uncertain. However, in the world of social media marketing such a step could have revolutionary implications. Google Buzz results would be containing personal data from friends and colleagues, but this data would be merged with the ordinary content of the search engine results pages. The net could become a more personalised thing for users, but the possible consequences for online firms could be more radical. For example, positive consumer feedback could be exploited much more effectively if there are connections between the major social networking media.

Using elements of social media is already a great way of boosting the visibility of an online firm. However, experience has shown that a certain degree of caution can mean that potential pitfalls are not blundered in to. If Google Buzz does progress, and if it does develop in the direction some people predict, it could make a significant impact on the sector. Consumers who are happy with goods or services often share their experiences already; the task is to enable this to work as an efficient boost to a business.

Of course, not all consumers will be contented with what is offered to them. If Google Buzz does become more important it could be necessary for online firms to seek assistance with their internet reputation management.

Link to us

If you want to link to this blog, copy and paste the following HTML code to your website.