Is Google Plus Walking Dead? Meh…

FIR B2BPaul Gillin and Allan Schoenberg host the FIR B2B podcast. In this episode:

News & Trends

Launching a commodities exchange to serve all of Europe isn’t like doing the same thing in the U.S. Allan explains.

Is Google Plus really walking dead as TechCrunch recently declared? And does it matter? Our moderators agree that Google Plus has value for search visibility but many of its features aren’t really that groundbreaking. Google’s unwillingness to open the platform was an issue. Several of the more successful features will probably survive in other forms, but whether Google Plus itself remains as a product is probably not meaningful to most B2B companies.

Just four days after the TechCrunch story about Google Plus appeared, a research study reported that Google has overtaken Facebook as an authentication method on B2B sites. That’s interesting, but what value does it have? 

Social Media Examiner has a terrific article about how to use the new LinkedIn publishing platform as a container for long-form content. The article removes many concerns about the positioning of the platform vs. a company blog. Bottom line: LinkedIn can be a complementary platform to a company blog for reaching a broader audience. That does raise governance issues, however, since posts to the LinkedIn platform are tied to the author, not to the company.

A discussion in the B2B Marketing Group on LinkedIn asked for suggestions on “the most ridiculous marketing buzzword of 2013.” There were some great responses: “influencers,” “need tunnel,” “partner,” innovation” and “disruption” are among them. One buzzword that irritates Paul the most is “content,” a term that reduces thoughtful insight to a commodity.

B2B media industry revenues grew more strongly in 2013 than in any of the previous five years. This is important because B2B buying is an important leading indicator of economic growth.  A surprising statistic is the continued strength of events, which make up 45% of B2B media industry revenues. Events continue to be critical to the relationship-building that underlies B2B commerce.


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About Your Hosts

Paul GillinPaul Gillin is a veteran technology journalist and a thought leader in new media. Since 2005, he has advised marketers and business executives on strategies to optimize their use of social media and online channels to reach buyers cost-effectively. He is the author or co-author of five books, including Social Marketing to the Business Customer (2011), the first book devoted entirely to B2B social media marketing. He is also a social media trainer and coach at Profitecture, a training firm for B2B companies and their channel partners.

Allan SchoenbergAllan Schoenberg is based in London and responsible for managing the international media relations, issues management and brand communications for CME Group, the world’s leading and most diverse financial marketplace. He was instrumental in launching the company’s social media activity in 2007 and continues to lead its social strategy and online community engagement. He has more than 20 years of experience in B2B communications, including his work for Accenture, Edelman Worldwide and Fleishman Hillard.

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Posted by Paul Gillin on 05/04 at 03:24 PM

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