Google+ content will now surface more prominently in Google web search results as the +1 button is now a factor in Google’s search algorithm. Google+ users who are logged-in will now see Google+ content among the normal search results, and also see featured Google+ profiles and pages, much like Facebook’s sponsored stories and ads.

While Google+ recently reached 62 million users, it’s believed activity and engagement has been slow to pick up since the platform launched in June 2011. However, the new search features can create a great scenario for Google+ to help boost the number of active users and amount of engagement.

Google+ brand pages were introduced in November 2011, but now, brands have more incentive to be active on Google+ as more engagement can help boost their Google search results. But to have more engagement, brands need their consumers to be active on the platform. This gives brands reason to promote Google+ to their consumers. As more brands promote Google+, there is likely to be much more buzz about the social network, which could lead to more users and activity.

So what does this all mean? With more than 800 million active users, Facebook still seems to have the advantage, at least from a numbers perspective. But will marketers jump on the opportunity to boost search results by driving consumers to Google+? Will we see brands shift from “Like us on Facebook” to “Add us to your circles?” And if brands shift focus, will the consumers follow suit? It will be interesting to see how this situation develops, and how it, or if, it will affect our social media habits.

A New York Times article outlines the importance of developing a better definition of “public relations” and underlines strategies behind creating the new definition. Redefining PR will help other industries better understand what public relations professionals do for a living.

According to a section of PRSA’s website, there was an unprecedented response and interest in its “Public Relations Defined” initiative during the initial public submission phase.

So much so that PRSA’s Definition of Public Relations Task Force is taking additional time to examine the collected data. PRSA’s 12 global partners  have also been given more time to offer feedback.

Three candidate definitions will be displayed in early- to mid-January on PRSA’s website for the public to vote for their favorite.

PRSA officials plan to announce the results of the votes and the new definition of public relations in late-January.

New brand pages will allow advertisers to customize page headers to include its logo and tagline prominently.

Brands can highlight their best content by controlling the message visitors see when they first come to the brand’s profile page by the brand’s ability to continuously promote a tweet to the top of the page’s timeline.

The “promoted tweet feature” on pages will also allow visitors to instantly see the photo or video content linked from a tweet.

Among launch partners for the new program are Disney, General Electric, JetBlue, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Paramount Pictures and Nike.

Company Facebook pages are widely considered to be the secondary branded destination outside of company websites. Twitter’s brand page launch could be seen as a way of challenging Facebook and a similar launch by Google+ last month.

In addition to the brand page launch, Twitter also announced a major site redesign.

The Coca-Cola Company

The world witnessed the power of branding, thanks to the Coca-Cola Company, once again. Didn’t it learn its lesson with New Coke?

It was 26 years ago when the world’s largest beverage company changed its tried-and-true recipe, only to face epic consumer fallout. After only three weeks, the company scrapped New Coke and re-introduced Classic Coke.

Lesson Learned: Don’t mess with our Coke!

But how they soon forget.

This time, it wasn’t the recipe Coke changed; it was the color of the can—from red to white. Sounds innocent enough, right? Especially hearing it was part of a campaign to protect the Arctic habitats of polar bears.

But the change was met with consumer backlash, again. Not to the magnitude of New Coke, but enough to cause Coke execs to replace the white cans with the familiar red ones.  Coke lovers had several complaints:

1)      “The white can resembles Diet Coke.”—OK. I get that. Diet Coke die-hards felt duped when they bought one thing but got another.

2)      “It tastes different.”—This one’s interesting and underscores the power of branding and visuals. The recipe is the same, but sometimes our brains override our taste buds.

3)      “I want my can to be red.”—Enough said.

The execs at Coke listened because they realized they had a brand to protect.  Great brands create relationships and forge emotional connections.  And it all boils down to the simple fact that companies don’t own their brands, consumers do.

Coke is one of the most recognized brands in the world and it’s extremely lucky to have very loyal and very passionate consumers. Now listen to them. They’re screaming at you, loud and clear:  we love our Coke.. but only when it’s the real thing.

Lesson Learned 2.0

Image: winnond / FreeDigitalPhotos.net (http://bit.ly/FDP_winnond)

So far this month, online sales have increased by 15 percent over November 2010, and no doubt retailers are hoping the trend continues on Cyber Monday. Last year, for the first time Cyber Monday was the busiest online shopping day of the year. More and more people are turning to the Web to find holiday gifts, and turning to technology to help them find the best deals.

Former Executive Director of Shop.org, Scott Silverman, shared on TechCrunch he sees a correlation between the growth of social media, particularly Facebook, and the importance of Cyber Monday. Not only do social networks allow for consumers to share great finds, but for retailers to reach their customers where they are. The 25 U.S. retailers with the most Facebook fans, have a combined 259 million fans. According to Shop.org, “29 percent of consumers will check out a retailer’s Facebook page as part of their online holiday shopping this year.”

In addition to Facebook, the growing blogging community is a huge resource for consumers. Many blogs sharing deals, not just for Cyber Monday but year-round, are run – and read – by arguably a top targeted demographic for retailers – moms. Many Mom and Savings blogs have a dedicated following that checks the sites frequently to help save their families money. Plentiful by the hundreds, if not thousands, popular savings blogs like the following use Facebook, Twitter and e-newsletters to spread the word: Common Sense with Money, Coupon Cravings, Deal Seeking Mom, Hip2Save, Money Saving Mom Southern Savers and The Thrifty Mama (just to name a few). Some have even developed smartphone apps to help their readers locate deals, including Saving Cents with Sense.

There are numerous other mobile and tablet apps to help people find Cyber Monday deals, as Mint.com shares in its Life blog. Among others, there’s RedLaser, owned by eBay, which “has seen scans go up 50 percent over the past year,” according to SeekingAlpha. Another, ShopKick, rewards consumers just for visiting a store, trying on clothes and scanning barcodes. Apps like DealNews and CheapDeals101 bring sales to the consumer by aggregating them for one-tap shopping.

Whether surfing the Web for the best deals Cyber Monday, or shopping online any other time, make sure to keep it safe by following taking necessary precautions to keep your purchases protected.

Bloggers sit front row at a D&G show. Photo: WWD. From Fashionista article.

Brands love blog hits.  And bloggers love brands.

But are the editorial lines getting a bit blurry?

Will blogs continue to be a trusted resource for consumers?

Take a look at this recent story on Fashionista.com.

You be the judge.

Whether it is recipes or recreation, fashion or football, home décor or homepages, that piques your interest, the site indulges with limitless opportunities to “pin” images to customizable boards that can be viewed and repinned by other users.

While all sorts of conclusions can be drawn about why Pinterest has taken off, it is the visual nature of the site that is worth noting.

As Mashable describes it, “the browser experience is ideal for the small attention spans of web readers — almost no text, almost all pictures.”

Almost no text? Almost all pictures?

For PR professionals who have built their businesses and reputations on wordsmithing, that notion is a little scary. However, the trend toward visual communication is here to stay, and our business is changing accordingly.

To be successful, everything from the basic press release to internal communications needs to be brief and supported by strong imagery. Words must be impactful but sparse.

And if it’s virtual, it better be visual.

Whether Pinterest is the web’s Next Big Thing remains to be seen. However, the site does pinpoint an important fact: visual elements are an increasingly vital part of delivering your message and defining your brand. Pinning down the right images to complement carefully crafted words will be worth the investment of time and creativity.

Timeline is basically a revamped profile format that allows you to customize what’s visible from your Facebook history.  Thus, older items don’t have to disappear when you create new actions. You will also be able to highlight certain actions, so they stand out in your timeline.

It’s no secret Zuckerberg believes in a “web where the default is social.” Timeline will allow users even more chances to share information and experiences of all kinds with their friends.

Timeline has been in beta since Sept. 22, and although it was originally scheduled for public release at the end of September, the current ‘go-live’ date is Oct. 21. We’d like to give you a little preview of what your new Facebook profile will look like.

1. Cover: The first thing people will see on your Timeline. It’s a panoramic, original portrait that represents who you are. For some examples, Mashable has highlighted 10 creative Timeline Design Covers. Your profile photo will still be visible in the bottom left corner of the Cover.
2. Scrollbar: On the right side of the timeline, the scrollbar allows users to quickly locate a specific time in someone’s life and view Facebook activity during that period.
3. Shortcuts: This includes the entire user’s “anchor” information, such as bio info, friends, photo albums, “Likes,” apps, notes and more in one central place.
4. Updates: Facebook still asks “What’s on your mind?,” but now you can detail specific life events in different categories, including Work and Education; Family and Relationships; Living; Health and Wellness; and Milestones and Experiences.
   • You can even back date events and milestones. Some events are pre-set, like getting a tattoo, having a child or adopting a pet, but you can also create a custom life event or milestone.
   • Let’s say you got a pet. You can include its name, type of animal, breed, location, date, story, a photo, and also tag who you were with when you got it.
5. Activity Log: A ticker of sorts, this highlights your recent Facebook actions; whether your write on a wall, comment on a photo, update a job, add a life event, friend someone new, “Like” something or perform some other activity. Which brings us to…
6. Applications: With Timeline, the notorious “Like” button will have to share its page space with new verbs. Users will also have the option to “read,” “watch,” “listen to,” “cook,” or “high five” something, among a myriad of other actions. These actions can come from various company applications, such as the increasingly popular, Spotify music sharing service.

In Timeline, applications will be a primary way for companies to better integrate their brands with Facebook users. Businesses will be able to offer more opportunities for their fans to share their products, information, services, etc., in more creative ways.

Originally a site to help college students to connect, Facebook is ever evolving and becoming more business and marketing friendly. Organizations with a social media presence will need to keep up with the new Facebook interface, but as each organization is unique, it’s imperative to evaluate and strategize to ensure the best return on engagement.

www.apple.com

Steve Jobs kept it simple – from the iPhone’s singular button, to his signature black turtleneck and, finally, Apple’s tribute the day after he died. Getting started with a new Mac is simple – no configuring, just turn it on and go. Apple stores are clean in design with the same layout in every city and all employees dressed in the same colored shirt. Even his interviews were simple and focused on products, leaving his private life, private.  In all, his technology reflected society’s need for a simple way of life.

We mourn the loss of this great innovator but are grateful for the legacy of his beautiful designs and technology, making our lives easier and simpler each day.

But when it comes to using social media, it’s better to think smart and make wise choices before moving too quickly. Think more about the strategy, and less about the tools. Doing so will help your social media plan be more successful, and will be a better use of dollars spent.  Here are a few helpful questions to ask yourself as you develop your strategy:

What is your objective? Is it simply to obtain as many followers as possible, or do you genuinely want to start a dialogue between you and your audience? Social media strategies work best when the user is fully committed to spending time engaging those who take an interest. If you’re taking the time to listen and interact, you’ll reap the rewards.

Where is your audience? This is an important question, because you can have a blog, Facebook and Twitter account set up and active, but if your audience isn’t there, then it’s a waste of your time. Do they respond better to texts? How about email? If you can figure out which form of communication is best for your audience, it will go a long way.

Does the company encourage a social culture? In other words, if you set up a Twitter account for the company, will every Tweet need to go through three rounds of legal approval, plus approval by the CEO? Perhaps social media tools like Facebook and Twitter may not be the best way to communicate your message. A blog might be a more effective tool.

Above all, keeping your company’s mission and vision in line with your social media strategy is sure to be a winning combination. So take a deep breath, pour yourself a cup of coffee and do some thinking. Your company will thank you.