When Google+ was released on June 28, 2011, one question was at the forefront of every social media aficionado’s mind: has Facebook finally met its match? But as the social networking service approaches its first birthday with 170 million-plus users, it seems that the question merits more than a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. And through countless arguments as to whether Google+ is or is not a “Ghost Town,” one thing has become apparent: these two social network giants have amassed very different followings.
When it comes to personally connecting with old friends and scattered family members, Facebook is still the reigning champion – and probably still your best bet if you want all your friends to “like” that new photo of your two year old. Celebrities, too, seem to have more luck on Facebook pages (check out this article’s comparison of Lady Gaga’s success on each site). But our comparison of the two networks in January uncovered an interesting trend that still appears to hold true: many business pages (and particularly those that relate to technology) are thriving on Google+ – in some cases even more so than on their corresponding Facebook pages. Google+ seems to have attracted a smaller but highly tech-savvy crowd, and the conversation reflects as much.
So what do you need to know as a B2B marketer? At least at this point, Google+ is no Facebook, but that doesn’t mean you should dismiss it as a marketing tool. While Google+ doesn’t have (and may never have) the numbers that Facebook has in terms of users and engagement, the type of engagement that occurs in the Google+ setting may actually make it a choice outlet for your marketing messages.
Need some help keeping the two straight? Pardot’s Matt Wesson put together the following infographic, highlighting some of the key differences between Google+ and Facebook pages and sharing a few tips on formulating a marketing strategy for each.
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Molly – great info. Who did this infographic for you??? We’d like to find someone to help us create similar art for different concepts.
Thanks Robb! We started doing them in-house about four months ago. If you look at our more recent ones (within the past quarter or two), you can see that the tone changed and the quality went up. It’s just a lot easier if you have someone who really gets your brand and space doing them.
Thanks for the feedback, Robb! I appreciate it.
I love when you guys do these!!!! Thank you very much, I needed some wall paper for my office.
My marketing department hates me because I make them print it out on the plotter printer.
Keep it up!
Thanks so much for the feedback, Jonathan! We’re really glad you enjoy them and we’ve got a few more on the way – so save some room on the wall of your office
Really nice infographic… it would have been even better if you had include twitter and pinterest in the comparison. Hope to see such one in future. Thanks
Thanks, Arijit! We always appreciate ideas for new content. Maybe we’ll make a general social marketing infographic next time and include a variety of different outlets. Glad you enjoyed this one!
Thank you for posting this article and for the great infographic.
Hey Molly,
Thanks for the awesome infographic. I have posted it on http://dntrade.com.au and http://whichsocialmedia.com with a credit back to http://Pardot.com
Cheers for the great info!
Nik