Episode 8 -- Rebekah Radice : Facebook vs Google Plus

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Oh yeah, we know what that sound means. This is Social Buzz on Air. What is happening, everybody? I'm your host, Sebastian Rusk. As always, hey, welcome to the show. Really excited about my guest this week. This individual has is uh focused in my sandbox, if you will, of social media and moving the world forward by taking brands social. Came across an article she wrote a couple of weeks ago pertaining to Google Plus and Facebook. Two very, very popular subjects uh that have been taking place as of late with all the recent changes uh with Facebook. Seems like they're making changes almost every single day. But I'm really excited about what's happening at Google Plus. I say it's a different crowd. It's kind of like when when my when Facebook started to take over from the MySpace days, it just became a different crowd. And hey, let's just not get it twisted at all. This is a Google product. Now, not that they've been successful with every single product that they've done they've delivered. We won't talk about the Google Wave days. But this product, I believe, with the rapid rate that it has grown and it continues to grow, and they they continue to roll out new phases and the computer, the curiosity is continuing to increase and it's so integrated into everybody. That's the crazy part about it. If you have a Gmail account, you are by default associated with Google Plus. So uh my good friend Rebecca Radis is joining us on the show today. We're gonna discuss an article that she wrote a couple of weeks ago that helped you really better understand the who, what, why, and where of Google Plus in 2014 and moving forward. I continue to hear the Skype like sound. I think it's because of my uh uh because I haven't put it on maybe invisible or something. So if you hear a bunch of crazy noises that sounds like we're in outer space, that's that is just my Skype window. Rebecca wrote an article that was titled Google Plus Google Plus versus Facebook, why G G Plus, short for Google Plus, should dominate your 2014 marketing strategy. So I don't want to waste any more time. Let's get right down to it. Friends, will you help me? Welcome to the show, my friend Rebecca Raditz.

SPEAKER_01 2:17

Hey Sebastian, thanks so much for having me.

SPEAKER_00 2:20

Hey, thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to hang out with us here. Uh I really, really appreciate it. And it's so great to virtually meet you. Uh, I always talk about uh how crazy it is that we now meet people online first and then we meet them offline second. Uh eight years ago, that would have been creepy.

SPEAKER_01 2:40

So true. And it really is uh amazing the relationships we can establish how well you feel you know somebody before you ever meet them face to face.

SPEAKER_00 2:52

Now, but that's also a surprise sometimes too. I really, really see um uh I really do see that when I meet people um offline after I've met them first online. You would think that you're dealing with an absolute extrovert, but it tends to be quite the opposite, which is crazy. It's okay. I embrace whatever it takes to get you through the day, but it's just so I think it's a unique point of view seeing how people interact online and then actually meeting them in person, it being a whole different ballgame. It's kind of like um comedians. You know, if you've ever sat next to one on an airplane or something, you think the first thing that would happen is you would sit down and they would tell you a joke, but they are quite the introverted uh group.

SPEAKER_01 3:31

Yeah, and you know that's a great point. There was actually uh a really interesting article just a few weeks ago I read about how to survive online as an introvert. And uh it's interesting how many people I meet that truly are introverted. They have really struggled all their life with the face-to-face, the shaking of the hand, um, the networking in a traditional sense, yet this big booming personality comes out in their online persona. Um, so a fun way I think for people that might be a little bit shy, maybe a little bit more hesitant uh in those face-to-face scenarios to let their real personality shine online.

SPEAKER_00 4:15

I I totally agree with that. I absolutely agree with that. So um before we get into the article that uh you wrote a couple weeks ago, I want to make sure that all of our listeners can connect with you online. Uh, Rebecca's website is Rebecca. That's spelled R-E-B-E-K-A, very unique spelling. Excuse me. R-E-B-E-K-A-H. And then Radis is spelled R-A-D-I-C-E. So RebeccaRadis.com, you'll be able to connect with all of her social networks, and you'll be able to read her blog. And I'm gonna post the link to this article we're talking about right now on the social buzz on her fan page. We're gonna tweet it out and share it on Google Plus as well. So I'm sure you'll enjoy uh reading um the story that kind of conceptualized the idea for us to have this conversation uh today. So uh let's get right down to it. So, in the very beginning of the article, uh you what you did was want to uh create, and and I'm uh this was my perspective, you wanted to create um an additional conversation uh to what Mike Alton um uh had had initially ignited, as you say in the article, uh on the heated discussion of Google Plus and the community and the author of the article there. What was the initial thought process with that? What was the emotion that you connected to when you read Mike's uh Mike's post and viewed all of the uh heat, if you will?

SPEAKER_01 5:33

Well, great question. Um, so first of all, a gentleman named Ken Mueller had written an article, and that article was titled The Future of Facebook's Newsfeed, an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg. It's an excellent article. I linked to it in uh my post, so I would definitely suggest anybody that hasn't read that check it out. He talked all about just his perspective as a marketer on all of the changes you discussed, Sebastian, at the beginning that have been happening on Facebook that are uh extremely frustrating to say the least to marketers as a whole. So uh great article. But what happened was Mike Olton had taken this post, had shared it on Google Plus, and it turned into a whole new conversation once Ken Mueller commented on Mike's post. And Ken's comment was he felt that Google Plus was uh a very difficult place to have authentic conversations. He felt like it was very hard to engage people, uh, very hard to find business, very hard to really start to create a community. Um, this really ignited the entire conversation and what became my post, uh, as I think it ended up with over 150 comments of people discussing the differences between Facebook and Google Plus. Um, Ken, you know, came back and forth, and I think we might have changed his mind by the end. Um, but it was really interesting to see uh the conversation in and around this topic, what began as um just really a cry out to Mark Zuckerberg to stop making changes uh to the social network, um, completely transformed away from that and towards a conversation centered in and around Google Plus and using it for marketing purposes. So my idea was uh I I it was very, very heated, as you said, a very heated conversation. My idea was to extend that beyond the walls of Google Plus and let people have a very real conversation about, okay, guys, here's where we're at as marketers, as entrepreneurs, as business professionals, as people out there attempting to spread the word about our message or spread our message about our business. Um, how are you feeling about the changes that have transpired on Facebook? Uh, and how are you feeling about your ability to get your message out on Facebook versus your ability to uh spread that word across Google Plus? Um, so that was really the thought behind it, and it uh kind of took on a life of its own. The article definitely went viral, um, and there has just been enormous conversation in and around this topic, which excites me to no end. Uh, I have definitely become a Google Plus uh and Google evangelist and truly believe that if you are a business professional, if you're out there actively marketing your business uh online on a daily basis, you cannot avoid Google Plus.

SPEAKER_00 8:53

I couldn't agree with that more. So what was so uh first of all, I wonder if Zuckerberg read the article.

SPEAKER_01 9:00

I you know, I have no idea, but uh that's a great question. It would be yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 9:05

And so, so was was Ken number one, I don't know why they would want to be I don't I don't think that persuading them is very easy. Facebook, I mean. Um number two, um, you know, we let's just face it, you know, there Facebook is an advertising platform. And uh I think that's been the game plan from the get-go. It is a place where we can share our lives together and connect and interact with people, but you know, Facebook's model um is to drive in ad revenue. And I think that they've been creative with doing it. I just think that the you know, we continue to turn the corner here, and some of us don't want to walk around the corner, or some of us don't want to take the opposite way uh to go around the other corner, which would be like a Google Plus. So I think that it's it's interesting to challenge their thought process. The real question is, are they going to do something about it?

SPEAKER_01 9:53

You know, and my my guess would be no. You know, as you said, um Facebook's uh agenda is uh definitely focused on making money off of that platform. And obviously, you know, uh that is certainly their prerogative. Um we're playing within their sandbox, to use your words, and uh we have to abide by those rules. Would it be great if they listened, um if they stopped tweaking with the platform, as Ken said in that article? Absolutely. Um will it happen? Probably not. You know, just like anything else, Facebook has to continue to evolve. Um, they've got to continue to meet what they feel are the needs of their users. So I'm certain that they take our thoughts and our feelings and our feedback into consideration, but I highly doubt, just as any smart business professional is, uh, that they're making their decisions based off of, you know, an article like this or an article like Ken's. Um, you know, I think they're doing what's best, or at least what they feel is best in their own interests.

SPEAKER_00 11:03

Was that was that was that letter um to Zuckerberg about Facebook um maybe a maybe a subconscious or um uh underlying way to be able to um to really push Google Plus? Um do you think that that was part of Ken's Ken's thought process?

SPEAKER_01 11:23

No, actually, I think uh that was just something that whole conversation spawned once it had been posted on Google ⁇ . And what was interesting was Ken really doesn't feel at home on Google Plus. Uh you know, he just really did not feel as if uh he was able to make connections that were really viable for his business. So, you know, hopefully that has changed since this initial conversation was had. Um but he, you know, it it was just interesting to see. I I know there's a lot of conversation that's had with marketers that, you know, you cannot uh you can't find your your consumer, your target market, or those people you're look looking to connect with on Google. They're just not there. Um or you know, I hear a lot that it's a ghost town. There's just not enough people over there to make it make sense. Uh and to that I say phooey. You know, it's just ridiculous.

SPEAKER_00 12:23

Why why is that though? Because I I agree with that a little bit. Like I do have a community there, and I do have people that circle me, if you will, follow me, um, and I have connected with people there, and there is a small conversation going, but it's just that. It's definitely not a group discussion, it's more of a water cooler chat.

SPEAKER_01 12:42

I I think I think the size and the scope of your conversation is in direct proportion to the uh amount of time you put into the platform and the commitment you make to actually finding uh your community and your voice. Um, the big difference is, and there are significant differences between Facebook and Google Plus, um, but the people that are spending their time on Google Plus uh are a very different mentality. I think they're searching for different information. So for those people that are taking what they know to work over on Facebook and just trying to transition and translate that over to Google Plus, they're not finding success. And that's probably why they're frustrated. Um, it is a very, very different community of people. And so it does take time. It takes uh uh some significant effort to really find, I guess, your C legs, so to speak, over on Google Plus. Uh, and a lot of people just are not willing. They're not willing to put in the time, they're not willing to put in the effort. Um, and and so I I think there's there's part of that. Um, I think there's also a learning curve. So there's uh there's a struggle from a technology point of view of you know, where do I begin? How do I actually connect with people? How do I find people? And then how do I do this all easily without doubling my my social media workload during the day?

SPEAKER_00 14:11

Right, right, exactly. Facebook, Twitter, and our blog is enough work. What do you mean? Throw another, throw another platform in there. But again, we're we're we're we're making another interesting shift and adding something additional uh into the framework of a brand social media strategy. And it's it's it's going, I in my opinion, is going to start to become a no-brainer because again, like it says in the article here, Google Plus is Google. And that is where every what's what's a brand's number one uh desire is to show up on the first page of Google. I mean, that's just what every brand out there wants if they're looking to be able to market a product or service on there. I believe that Google Plus is going to be able to provide brands that opportunity, and it's going to be able to be at an accelerated rate because when what it's only a matter of time before Google starts rolling out their creative way to be able to implement the ad platform into Google Plus. But I think right now they're like, hey, listen, all we're doing is building a sandbox, throwing sand in it, giving you some toys to play with, helping you make some sand castles, and then, you know, one day you're gonna show up at the beach, and in order to get in that sandbox, it's gonna cost you something. But, you know, going from Facebook over to Google Plus, I think is like people switching from PC to Mac. You know, for a long time I had my arms folded. What do I need to do that for? I have a computer that's online that works, it's functional. You know, there's just something better about a Mac. And I haven't I actually late last year I made the switch over, but I remember how resistant I was and how much I really wanted to justify to myself going and doing it. And I think that's the mindset of most brands out there when making a decision on why do we need Google Plus. I tell them they need Google Plus because, again, like it says in the article here, Google Plus is Google. Um are you in line with that thought process?

SPEAKER_01 16:02

Oh, absolutely. Uh you know, and I'll I'll tell you a little secret, which you already know because you've read the article, but uh I am the first one to admit, Sebastian, I was not an early adopter of Google Plus. I was not out there uh beating the drum initially. In fact, I was one of those that you're talking about that was really resistant to change. Um, I was struggling to find the value. I was struggling to really connect the dots and understand the strength or the value behind the platform. And uh I have obviously shifted away from that just about as far as you can get. You know, it's a night and day situation, and that is only because um I really took the initiative to get out there and understand uh what what my my end consumer, what my target market, what they were looking for as far as content on Google Plus, and then trying to get inside their heads. So taking the persona of that person that I knew to be my consumer over on Facebook, uh and then really diving into okay, how are they using Google Plus to interact? How are they using Google Plus uh to connect with brands or businesses or with their friends, or are they connecting with their friends on Google Plus? So asking some of those tough questions that as marketers we we really need to know the answers to. Um and once I started to do that and spent more and more time uh interacting with them, uh paying attention to their conversations, seeing what they were talking about, um, and then giving that content to them on a consistent basis, I started to see my interaction just explode. I mean, just exponentially change in what was happening with you know, a post I had put up maybe just a few months previously, um, and and then what was happening once I really started to pay attention, those conversations being had over on Google Plus. So, you know, to that I would tell people if you are fighting change, which I mean, who amongst us doesn't? Right. Change change is uncomfortable. It's not fun normally. Um, but if you're willing to open yourself up to it and willing to take that step out, kind of that leap of faith, of I really believe, you know, in what we're talking about here, that yes, Google Plus is Google. Google is search. You know, and with all of the changes that have taken place with Hummingbird and Semantic Search and all of those hot topics in 2014, there is a really, really good reason for you as a business professional to take a hard look and maybe a second look uh at making that change and hopping on Google Plus.

SPEAKER_00 18:54

Absolutely. And uh it's like everything else. Everybody fears change and you fear the unknown, and everyone wants to cross their arms and dig their heels in, but eventually you'll be forced to do it. There's a there was a point in time that you know you didn't need a you didn't need a uh fax machine to do business. You know, there was a point in time that you didn't need a smartphone to be able to get through life. Now we live in a space where the average person is not more than three feet away from their cell phone, and I believe that this is just part of that same evolution process of these new platforms are gonna continue to evolve. I read an article last week. I don't know how accurate the prediction is, but it said by 2017 Facebook will have a lot will have lost 80% of its users. Do you believe that to be true?

SPEAKER_01 19:35

No, not at all. I read that same article, um, which another article that ignited a whole lot of conversation. Um, I think that's wishful thinking on a lot of people's part. I think Facebook will absolutely be around. Um, it's so important um to us, just on a personal level, you know, where I am still connecting with my family, my friends, all of those people I have connected with since you know junior high, high school, those conversations are still happening and I think will continue to happen on Facebook. Um I think as you know, marketers, you're talking about evolving and uh really figuring out what that next wave is, what that next step is. Um Facebook is gonna be the same thing. You know, it's it's that that whole theory of adapt or die. Um Facebook's gonna continue to evolve. We're gonna have to adapt. We're gonna have to figure out how to you know rework what we're doing on Facebook to get it out there in front of um our community. Or, you know, we we die a slow death, and maybe as marketers, we decide to hop off of Facebook and we make the move uh 100% over to Google Plus or to Twitter or wherever our uh our target audience is is hanging out. But no, I I absolutely disagree with that. I think Facebook is definitely here to stay. I think uh, you know, change is a hard thing. And for a lot of people that are just spending their time on Facebook for personal reasons, they're gonna continue to stick around. Um, there's just no reason for them to make that tough change that I think, you know, as uh social media marketing professionals or just anybody out there marketing their business, we're forced to make those tough decisions on a daily basis. Um, people, you know, just using the platform for personal reasons, not necessarily. Um so it, you know, it'll be interesting to see what does happen just in the sense of how is it around, how are marketers using it, and how effective will it continue to be from that perspective. Um, that remains to be seen. But, you know, as far as it going away altogether, I don't see it happening.

SPEAKER_00 21:54

Neither do I. I think that uh it's a it's a sleeping giant. We're just getting started. Um I think. Back to a I interviewed uh Gary V a couple of years ago when he wrote Thank You Economy, and he was here in Miami. And the last question I asked him was, Gary, what advice can you give skeptics? And his response was so brilliant. It was, I don't give a crap about those people. The longer that we can have all of this all to ourselves, he goes, in 2008, I would go speak at conferences, they'd be like, Gary, how do we get everybody to use Twitter? He's like, we don't. The longer that we have this all to ourselves, the longer that the people that get it or know they should uh that they get it and they need it, or they know that they they know that they need it and they know that they should get it. As long as that um circle of of of influence and people still get it, I think it's enough for um for people to um continue to grow and expand and spread the word. And eventually enough people are walking around the corner, people start heading that direction anyway. You're just forced to do it. Well, we're almost out of time, but before we go, Rebecca, if you're a solopreneur, if you're a small business, if you're a medium-sized business, if you're a Fortune 500 company with a marketing and advertising team, and you've been thinking about Google Plus, or maybe not thinking about it, you've been hearing about it, but haven't really done any justice regarding putting a plan together. What are three simple things that a brand can do to be able to get started on Google Plus?

SPEAKER_01 23:21

Well, first of all, uh it's building out your personal profile or your business page. That is just so important. And one step that most people don't take is taking the time to uh put the effort into a complete bio. So really express who you are, what you're all about, who those people are that you're passionate about serving, and then what needs do you solve? Um, how do you do that? What product, what service? Uh so really expressing all of that uh because Google is or Google Plus is Google, using your keywords, use those terms and phrases that people are typing into Google on a daily basis. Um, make sure you're using all of that verbiage within your profile there. So really be complete. That would be my number one. Uh, number two, get active. So start posting consistently. Uh, take content that is doing really well. Uh, maybe it's doing really well on your blog, just like this post we're talking about today, and pull that over uh to Google Plus and start a conversation. Ask questions around that, uh, give your feedback, just share some context around your content to get that conversation started. And then finally, a great place to find your community uh within Google Plus is right within communities. And communities are very similar to groups on Facebook, except I think far more powerful in their ability to connect you with the exact right people. So communities are are very simple to find when you log into Google Plus. Uh, you can actually just navigate to that tab and do a little search based off of uh your industry, your niche. Um, so be keyword specific. For me, it might be social media, social media marketing. It could be specific to your area. So Miami or San Francisco.

SPEAKER_00 25:24

One more keyword for you could have been Rockstar.

SPEAKER_01 25:26

Ha ha. I'll take it.

SPEAKER_00 25:27

Okay. Okay, continue. Sorry.

SPEAKER_01 25:30

No, no, no. I, you know, that that was pretty much my wrap-up is uh communities are uh they really were one of the best launching points for me uh to start to identify who are the influencers, who are people that are really making a splash, that uh have a lot of interaction and and and start to connect with them, start to share their content, start to interact and engage because just like any other social network, uh it's all about creating an experience. It's all about our ability to create that virtual space that really complements, accessorizes, and then expands what we're doing offline. So figure out how you can take your offline and transition that over onto Google Plus in a way that that connects with those right people and then allows them to get a deeper and better understanding of who you are and then obviously how your business can best serve them.

SPEAKER_00 26:28

You know, I could not have said it better, and I completely agree with everything you've given. Great, great advice for all of our listeners. Well, we know what that sound means. We are out of time. Rebecca, thanks so much for hanging out with us today. I really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01 26:43

Oh, thank you. It was great to be here.

SPEAKER_00 26:45

It was great to have you and come back soon, will you?

SPEAKER_01 26:48

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 26:49

Hey guys, make sure you connect with Rebecca online. Once again, you can follow her on Twitter. Rebecca's spelled R-E-B-E-K-A-H. Her last name is Radis, spelled R-A-D-I-C-E. You can go to Rebecca Radis.com, connect with her on all of her social platforms. Her content is awesome. And I'm not very, I'm not very um I'm not uh very very impressed on a on a uh on a normal basis because there's so much content out there. But the stuff that Rebecca's pushing out is uh is solid. I learn a ton from it. I have the ability to share it, and because of her content and because of the fact that she's on Twitter and she's active with social media and she is just in the mix, I had the opportunity to be able to meet her, connect with her, and make this happen. Well, I'm Sebastian Rusk signing off from our studios here at the lab Miami for Social Buzz on Air. We'll talk to you next time. Hey, I'm Sebastian Rusk signing off from our studio here in downtown Miami for Social Buzz on Air. We'll talk to you next time.