The demand for Google+ is fierce and to gain a foothold in would be a cap in the feather of any corporate, especially, considering the fact that Google+ is focusing on optimizing for individuals and has been deleting corporate accounts. According to CNet, “Ford Motor Company has established a corporate presence on Google+, securing a place in a test of how Google’s social network site will extend beyond individuals.”
The Ford Google+ site had 1,222 followers on Saturday morning and featured posts such as a photo caption contest, a question about what people would like to see out of Ford on Google+, and promotion of a live chat with Ford’s director of marketing communications–with a Google+ Video-chat hangout afterward.
(Screen Shot Credit: CNet news)
However, Google+ does not intend to deprive itself of corporate members, it plans to release the corporate version of Google+ later this year, but in the meantime is testing its ideas for how it should work.
It’s no surprise Google would want to add such a feature. Social networking is the hot topic today for businesses that are looking at new ways of boosting sales, promoting their brands and engaging with customers. Facebook pages and corporate Twitter accounts are a fixture of the social marketing world, and Google needs to match those if it wants a competitive offering.
Today, social media network Facebook is the dominant social network, and it’s gone as far as suggesting that Facebook pages could replace company Web sites. Though, that seems an unlikely outcome for many, there’s no doubt that a social network presence is increasingly common.
Google+ is in a mostly closed beta, though Google has fleetingly added an invitation button, and Google+ members can invite their contacts by sending them an e-mail from the service.
Through another partnership, Google Maps users can send navigation instructions to some Ford cars through the Ford Sync service.