22 Dec Google Posts

If it ain’t broke, copy it and make it your own. That seems to be the mantra for major media outlets. Disney has removed its properties from Netflix in an effort to start its own online streaming platform. Facebook, and in turn Instagram, created a “stories” feature for short videos after seeing its success on Snapchat. Amazon is creating its own, well, everything. And now, Google is hoping to capitalize on the popularity of Facebook business pages with its own version, Google posts.

Google has long been involved in business management services. Google My Business allows business owners to list, manage, and market themselves online as potential customers search for their product. Having an accurate, informative listing for your company on the most popular search engine in the world certainly helps with business. Looking to join the best of both worlds, Google+ attempted to capitalize on the growing popularity of social business pages, allowing users to create networks and share content. Unfortunately for Google, the buzz never caught on. Now Google is making another effort to compete.

Utilizing the best features from various social platforms, Google Post users can create events, write text, upload videos and images, and monitor business analytics. Along with content creation, posts can also include call-to-action options that direct customers to relevant information with the click of a button. When consumers search for a business locally, more than half visit the businesses’ Facebook page to learn more information. Since this research often begins on Google search, Google Posts has the potential to capture this audience and keep them on their own platform.

Social media platforms frequently utilize similar tactics to attract and maintain an audience. Though the features often parallel, each platform adds their own twist, creating something different and uniquely valuable. Google Posts has an opportunity to use a familiar medium to capture a new audience and time will tell if it will resonate with business owners and their customers.