We know what we have isn’t perfect and doesn’t contain every aspect of Google’s plan. But what we do have makes a start, and allows others to contribute what they see and the spin off angles they see emerging; of course there are many.

In addition, we have taken the liberty of including things Google haven’t announced, like Google Bank, to inspire our financial services clients to take a view and decide on their position and relationship with Google. Friend, foe or opportunity to create new value added.

When you serve directors of listed public companies like Bob and I do, they require information and strategy easily digestible and direct to the point. This was our goal with this visual. Thus we created this one pager to capture the essence of what we saw as the journey Google is on to Go Social.

Google Social we believe is a 7 year journey from 2011 to 2018. It began with Google+ (plus) June 28th 2011, and it will conclude or mature in 2018 when the natural 7 year cycle of Social permeates society as we saw with Ecademy 1998-2005, Linkedin 2002-2009, Facebook 2004-2011 and currently Twitter 2006-2013.

Since every brand has to Go Social, every brand needs a map or a path. This Google World visual is that map or path because it inspires people to consider how their strategy fits in with Google and how Google’s strategy fits in with theirs, their rivals and the rest of the world.

Bob and I do hope this visual adds value to your thinking, your life and most importantly the social strategy for your brand in this scary new world we all find ourselves in. Let us know your thoughts.

Click image to view Google Infrastructure PDF

Download Google Infrastructure PDF

Marketing in the Moment #1 – Notice and Share – The task of when you notice something that is of interest you share it immediatly using the power of social media platforms or by sharing it on email to your team or your network.

Marketing in the Moment #2 – BLOG NOW – if strongly about something – the idea time to write a blog post so write it down as a blog post, whereever you are, even if its the jist, you passion and emotion of the moment will drive great content, even if you publish at a later date.

Marketing in the Moment #3 – Retweeting – A required skill for twitter usage and the most obvious ‘marketing in the moment activity’.

Do let me know if you have any other tips in this area, Bob Barker

“the mistake firms make is using these channels to try and sell stuff”

What a great ‘business tip for the age’ quote from the No:1 brand on Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare, well according to Howard Schultz quoted in a Sunday Times interview.

As for being No:1, he is probably right for Facebook at least, who use always using the statistic in their presentations that Starbucks has only 1 million people signed up on their website but 14 million on their Facebook site (UK statistics only).
Howard Shultz goes onto say that “these channels are not designed for that (selling stuff) but to add value and build trust. We understood that from day 1”.

Many businesses are just looking at social channels as another ONE WAY sales channel like email or direct mail, and forget these channels are about people communicating with each other “being social” a natural human need, where a 2 way dialogue is required.

That dialogue might lead to a sale for example; a community manager monitoring online conversations, adds value to someone looking for answers or products in a specific area, or a customer offers suggestions (mystarbucksidea of course) to a brand from improvements (because they can) and thereby building their loyalty towards that brand, or someone complaining or asking questions on Twitter and being responded to, making the consumer feel like they are being listened to, building that trust.

But the simple beauty of Schultz’s comment is that as the No:1 brand for coffee shops worldwide and the No:1 brand on social media, he is speaking with real “wake up and smell the coffee” authority.

By Bob Barker CEO Frontier

For a large part of marketing these days we don’t need massive campaign and programme spend any more as the people not only provide the content but in many cases they are the channel for that content to reach the market.

Some examples:

 1. Social Media Community Managers – people employed to listen to, respond to, be experts in a particular area or market you are focusing on. This function, totally people driven, using the free social platforms available and what is creating the inbound marketing to the firm.

 2. PR spokespeople – a function designed to assist the engagement of key company spokes people with media who will then amplify the message through their platform. Again pretty much depending on the quality, availability and ability of both senior or indeed any spokesperson one needs to put in front of the press

3. Company bloggers/the corporate blog – any people in the company who blog on the company site or indeed their own and build up their ‘social capital’ over time, people coming to them for advise and input because they are trusted.

 4. Content Creators – for white papers, books, video, for the website, articles, how to guides – all best generated by the people in the firm who are the experts or the loyal customers or partners who really like and can advocate what you do. This content if properly promoted within the social web and indexed for search of course, it will then lead to people being driven inbound to the website to download and start engaging in a dialogue with the firm.

So when traditionally one looks at people spend versus marketing programme/campaign spend for the overall marketing budgets (assuming one has spent time setting up the systems and platforms for individuals to be able to create and contribute) one had better have a good look at a bias towards the headcount, and how one rewards them for good work, or you might end up cutting the best channel for inbound marketing you have.