Google+ Was Never a Facebook Competitor

The social web is a well reported topic within the media today, and for good reason. We are in a transitional change with how we communicate with each other online, how brands reach consumers and how organisations market to their audience. We are undoubtedly immersed in the technology age, and our lives, the way we interact with others, is changing totally.

The monumental success of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg's world leading social platform, has enticed brands, consumers, investors alike, and the world is continually awaiting for that 'next big thing'. A likely reason therefore that the majority of news stories, magazine articles and blog posts on Google's latest foray into the social web repeatedly draw up comparisons to Zuckerberg's global giant.

Brad Jordan is Head of Social at U.K.-based Receptional. He blogs at Brad Jordan and can be found on Twitter at @bradj.

Predicting the next big thing is often easier than some might think. You simply have to look at what is already out there, not at who's focusing on doing something different, but rather someone who's doing it better.

Take the iPod for example. Certainly not the first digital music player on the market, but Apple's cult status products have led the way in both design and function. Google was certainly not the first search engine. Remember the likes of Lycos, Hotbot and AltaVista? Google simply developed a product that was faster, cleaner, and easier to use than its rivals, and they now command a dominating portion of the search market.

Skype too was not the first online video chat service, but with successful brand building and fantastic integration with offline communication, it continues to be the world's favourite online audio/video communication tool.

Better Than Anyone Else

What each of these have in common was that they set out to do something better than anyone else, and combinations of that excitement Facebook created across the globe, possible lethargy experienced by current Facebook users, and perhaps close mindedness from reviewers has led to those inevitable comparisons between Google+ and Facebook as the world continues to watch, and wait for that next big thing.

What if from the outset, Google+ was never supposed to simply be a competitor to Facebook? What if Google wasn't bringing the fight to Palo Alto, swords drawn and ready to take them on. No no, Google's vision was much, much bigger than that, and it comes down to one thing. Advertising.

However, what if from the outset, Google+ was never supposed to simply be a competitor to Facebook? What if Google wasn't bringing the fight to Palo Alto, swords drawn and ready to take them on. No no, Google's vision was much, much bigger than that, and it comes down to one thing.

Advertising.

Google is built on advertising. 97% of their total revenues in fact, which from Q3 2010 to Q2 2011 totalled $33.3bn.

The key strength of Google's advertising platform is that it provides advertisers with the ability to market to an audience at the point when they are actively searching for something that the advertiser has to offer. However, in all of its might, the platform falls short in that, aside from the user's geographical location, Google knows relatively little about the person conducting the search. Facebook's huge revenues (estimated by PrivCo to hit $3.15bn in 2011) also come predominantly from their online advertising platform, just under 80%.

The monumental success of Facebook's ad platform is down to their ability to target a very precise audience. With filters such as age, gender, precise location, even their school or favourite TV programme, Facebook's ad platform  currently allows advertisers to target their exact demographic.

However, it too has its own shortcomings, in that whilst you have the ability to be incredibly targeted with your advertising, you are never reaching people at the point when they are looking for something. The strength of each platform is the other's downfall, and both organisations realise this. However, the search giant holds the upper hand as they are in a strong position to change this.