Obama's Google+ Hangout demonstrates the potential for brands
January 27, 2012 by Martech Social
One of the key features of Google+ is the Hangout function. A Hangout is simply a video chat with up to 9 other selected people. This feature is similar to Facebook's Skype function but with more attendees. President Obama is the latest 'celebrity' to create a Google+ Hangout.
As we reported before (See previous blog post on the use of social media in the US elections here) Obama's team continue to be at the forefront of social media use. This example demonstrates the potential for a 'live' interaction between a key person and a selected audience which can be translated for brand use.
The Muppets, heavy on the promotional trail have also been using Hangouts to share details of their new film and provide us with some laughs along the way.
The opportunity for brands is to use Hangouts for invited special previews, discussions or to use them for customer support sessions. With the potential to expand from 2 participants to a total of 10 there is real scope to create an event or deliver personal service.
With the right strategy, a Google+ hangout also has the potential to deliver far more content and benefit than the hangout itself. Creating an event can be something that is promoted before, during and after the event. The ability to record these hangouts means you can also have content to share after the event.
Whilst we can't all achieve the press of Obama or Beckham (Video Below) but we can achieve greater value by planning and maximising the content generated.
Take a look at your organisation, what can you share in a Hangout? Do you have a resident expert who can answer questions, can you visually demonstrate a new product or can you invite fans to ask the questions.
Google has a dedicated channel of previous Hangouts so check these out (link: http://www.youtube.com/user/GoogleplusHangouts?feature=watch) for inspiration.