Are You Ready For the Marriage of Google and Twitter?
Location-based marketers have the most to gain from Google's new relationship with Twitter, especially given the popularity of Google Now.
Location-based marketers have the most to gain from Google's new relationship with Twitter, especially given the popularity of Google Now.
Getting access to the pulse of the world through a renowned UGC platform such as Twitter is a dream come true for Google. The competitive advantage will help them steal market share from Apple, which leads to big dollars. How Google plans to utilize this new source of information, is the ultimate question.
Don’t think about how their previous relationship was designed, a lot has changed in four years. The biggest difference is the proliferation of Google Now. The popularity and development of Google Now was primarily caused by Apple and its ability to market Siri as a tool you can’t live without. Google Now is designed to provide information you need at the swipe of your finger, and Twitter’s most revolutionary characteristic is providing news faster than anyone thought was possible. Sounds like a marriage made in digital heaven.
For marketers, the question is how can we capitalize on this new opportunity? If your thoughts are driving you towards increasing your participation in Twitter as a brand, that can help but that might not necessarily be the answer. Twitter users don’t readily accept marketing and let’s be honest, there aren’t many brands they want to be in a conversational relationship with. What you should be doing is being unique and increasing your PR and creative advertising. Brands gain traction on Twitter when they stand out. But be careful, it doesn’t matter if it’s negative or positive.
Geographical marketers may benefit the most as Google Now is a tool that many rely on for directions and local information. Local promotions may generate buzz on Twitter and be automatically shown to users that are within that geographical region. We might also see paid alerts shown in Google Now through Twitter advertising.
Local marketing will now have a channel to drive business when customers aren’t necessarily searching for them or have the intent to consume their product or service. Other channels exist but with the precision of mobile and the data that Google has on its users, this can be more effective than previous formats.
As national or global brand marketers, we should also be excited though. Google will finally have access to data that can reward us for our creative efforts. Viral marketing can have an immediate impact on traffic in a manner that wasn’t possible without this partnership. Creating great content regularly on your website, through social media and through paid marketing channels can now impact your visibility on Google. Integrating your marketing message throughout your company, customers and brand advocates will deliver immediate and measurable impact that wasn’t previously possible.
With this, I say OK to Google and Twitter’s new relationship.