Google+ and the Risks of Reliance

Google Plus (G+) is dead.

As of 2019-04-02, Google Plus will close all personal accounts.  Business accounts will shut down shortly after.  The distinction really isn’t that distinct for a lot of users, since they used “personal” accounts to promote their businesses.

Eggs, Meet Basket

Financial advisors will tell you to “diversify your portfolio”.  Security advisors will tell you to “spread the risk”.  Grandma just said “don’t put all your eggs in one basket”.

Google is a company with a lot of powerful tools and amazing products.  I advise my clients to use them, and use them fully.  The closing of Google Plus, however, is a reminder that there are risks in relying on others when it comes to business.  Putting too much reliance on a single resource becomes an Achilles’ Heel.  Those who relied heavily on G+ to connect with their customers are now scrambling to find another tool.

The same can happen with Twitter or Facebook.  It can also happen with your local radio station, TV station, newspaper, or coffee shop.

Narrow, Not Singular

A key piece of advice I give to clients (which was given to me) is to keep your marketing “narrow”.  Don’t throw your money at every opportunity that arises, it waters down your message and costs you more investment for a smaller return.  The best plan is to choose three avenues through which to present your message, and then work them until they give you the results you want.

While having too many avenues is bad, so is having too few.  Relying on just one–or even two–outlets for delivering your message puts you at the mercy of third parties.  Like Google Plus.

Google Plus is dead; Facebook is under scrutiny and changing its advertising and content policies; Twitter is banning people based on nebulous terms.  If you’re relying on any one of these platforms as a primary source of interaction with your customers, you may be in for some unpleasant surprises.

I started posting Redleaf content to G+ just before I heard the announcement of the closure.  I’ll be reposting those articles here.

Build a Map

Even a basic marketing plan can help you avoid traps and over-reliance on single resources.  Marketing plans don’t have to be complex, detailed, or rigid. They can be a simple map showing where you want to go, the different ways to get there, and what to avoid.

If you’re interested in learning more about building a marketing plan, contact me.

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