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Just when we've managed to get all our marketing channels in place (Google Places as the new yellow pages, Facebook Business Pages as our new referral engine and Twitter to keep the word out on the street about our brand) Google goes and spoils it all by creating another Social Network we've got to keep our eye on.

We've already added the Google Plus Social icon to this site in anticipation of Googel+. If you've not heard about Google's new Social Media offering, Google Plus Project, over the last week or so, then you've probably been hiding under the proverbial rock.

It's all over the web and definitely the topic of conversation for all the tech geeks and journalists out there right now.

To bring you up to speed and give you the opportunity to decide to spend more time looking into the possible benefits for your business, I thought I'd post some links to 10 of the most interesting views from top online authorities.

10 Must Read Articles On Google Plus

AllFacebook: The Google Plus Feature Facebook Should Fear

Mashable: What MySpace’s Tom Anderson Thinks of Google+

Mashable: Google Launches Google+ To Battle Facebook [PICS]

Chris Brogan: The Google Plus 50

Techcrunch: When Google Circles Collide

Radar Oreilly: Brief Thoughts On Google Plus

ZDNet: Google+ IS for enterprise

Why yo momma won’t use Google+ (and why that thrills me to no end)

SocialMediaToday: Google Plus (Google+): The Painful Realization

Wired: Inside Google+ — How the Search Giant Plans to Go Social

Want To Learn More About Google Plus?

Here's Google's official playlist for Google Plus, 11 videos to feast your eyes on:
YouTube - Google + Project Playlist

So, what are your thoughts on Google Plus and can you see your business benefitting from it in 2011 - Add your comments below.

Google Places is one of the fastest growing free marketing tools being offered by Google today and it's all set up for local business owners. Imagine if the Yellow Pages just chose 7 businesses like yours and then hid the rest away, what kind of impact would this have on your sales?

What is it all about?  Google Places is linked to Google Maps, its aim being to have a web page for each and every location listed on Google Maps.  This way, when Internet browsers search for a type of business or service in their area, their Google search returns will yield listings of all applicable Google Places, as well as place identifiers on the coinciding Google map.  This is a powerful advertising tool for businesses – like the yellow pages on steroids.

Currently, there are over fifty million verified places on Google Maps, but only four million businesses have claimed their Places page.  If you have not yet claimed your Google Places listing, here are three reasons why you need to do it today:

You can customize your Google Places page to your business, and in real-time.  In addition to listing your business’s basic information, including hours of operation, product/service offerings, photos, videos, service areas and more, you can also provide real-time updates for your customers via Google’s online Local Business Center.  Never before has it been easier for you, the business owner, to communicate with such a large audience with just a few taps on the keyboard.

Google will show your business on page 1 of the search results.  Google has about 500 categories it has deemed to be local in nature, therefore, when someone does a search for things like 'dry cleaners ipswich', they will show up to seven Google Places results right there on the front page. And as we know, it's the first page where 80% of all searches start and end.

Provide smart phone users with address and contact details they can instantly click to call you.  If people use their phones to search it's usually because they are ready to buy, and if your details don't show when they do, your competitors' details are. Want to really be on the cutting edge of techno marketing?  Get yourself a QR code for your Google Places page and then put the same code on business cards and other marketing materials.  This will enable customers to scan the code with their smart phones in order to be taken directly to your business’s Google Places page.

As you can see, there are many benefits to claiming your Google Places page listing, and they are free!  You don’t have to be a business phenom to understand how great a deal that is.  If you want to truly optimize your Google Places page and get on the fast track to advertising in this techno-centric market, contact Flowe.  We can be reached by phone, on 01394 286263, or email: info@flowe.co.uk