Google+ brand pages are here, starting with Pepsi, Toyota, The Muppets and several more well-known entities. Direct Connect lets users find Google+ brands from Google.com.
Google
(NASDAQ:GOOG) filled a glaring hole in its young social network by rolling out
brand pages to help companies, celebrities and others tout themselves on
Google+.
Google+ Pages,
which follow the Facebook Pages scheme that helped so many brands skyrocket to
stardom on the world's largest social network, launched Nov. 7. Pepsi, Toyota,
Macy's and The Muppets are some of the 20 companies or brands that have signed
on to launch special business-oriented Web pages vetted by Google.
Google+
launched June 28 to limited field-testing for individuals only. Several brands,
such as The Muppets, tried to set up Web pages for the new network, but Google
shut them down because it didn't have the mechanisms in place to verify brands
were what they claimed to be.
Even after
Google rolled out to public beta testing, Google+ had no brand capabilities.
That is a big gap at a time when businesses are using Facebook, Twitter and
other social-media services to reach new and existing customers and lure them
via deals.
Going forward,
users can find brand pages they like; they will be designated by
this square logo next to their brand profile
name, and elect to follow those pages. Users will also be able to easily share
Google+ Pages they like with those who follow them.
"This
means we can now hang out live with the local bike shop, or discuss our
wardrobe with a favorite clothing line, or follow a band on tour,"
said Google+ Senior Vice President of Engineering Vic
Gundotra in a blog post.
"Google+
pages give life to everything we find in the real world. And by adding them to
circles, we can create lasting bonds with the pages (and people) that matter
most. For businesses and brands, Google+ pages help you connect with the
customers and fans who love you."
Gundotra,
who alluded to the imminence of brand pages at the Web 2.0
Summit Oct. 19, also introduced Direct Connect from Google search, a
tool that will let users search for a brand's Google + profile by typing in an
entry such as "+Pepsi" in the Google search box. Google will whisk
those users directly to the brand's profile page, where the user can add the
brand to their Google+ crowd.
Gundotra
cautioned that Direct Connect only works for a limited number of pages (+Google,
+Pepsi and +Toyota), but more are on the way. Moreover, Google+ pages are now
included in search results on Google.com. Google, which has created brand pages
for its Google Maps, Google Places, Gmail, YouTube, Catalogs and other products,
includes brand pages for the following:
-
All
American Rejects
-
Anderson
Cooper 360
-
Angry
Birds
-
Barcelona
Football Club
-
Burberry
-
Dallas
Cowboys
-
Good
Morning America
-
H&M
-
Macy's
-
Modelland
-
The
Muppets
-
Pepsi
-
Phoenix
Suns
-
Save
the Children
-
Special
Report with Bret Baier
-
Toyota
-
Train
-
WWE
-
X
Games
-
Zen
Bikes
Finally,
Google is making it easier for brands to get
their
pages up and running here.
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