It was only a matter of time before Google worked ads into (or out of) the growing Google+ network, and it looks like that time is arriving. Yesterday, Google announced testing of a new system, Post Ads, that will allow advertisers to use the Google Display Network to show content from Google+ as ads.
The new format was announced by Google product manager Eran Arkin in a Google+ post, who explained that the system allows a brand to use a bit of their public Google+ content, whether it’s a photo, a video, or a hangout, and turn it into an interactive display ad that can show anywhere in the Display Network.
Social Advertising Done Right
For a change, I think Google has got the right idea. Perhaps they’ve learned from Facebook and Twitters (largely unappreciated) advertising models.
The +Post ads won’t show inside of GooglePlus. No cluttering up your interface with advertising, no distraction from the purpose of the platform. Instead, if you create great content, you can use that content as an ad outside of the social network itself.
The ad itself looks like a Google+ post, and clicking on the call to action expands the ad into a full page light-box that expands over the screen.
Once expanded, it’s an interactive extension of the actual post. Viewers can +1, comment and re-share the content, (if they’re logged in I assume).
Moving Forward In G+
Google+ is already seeing considerable growth, and now that an account is a requirement for Youtube comments, that’s probably going to increase noticeably. It was only a matter of time before they began monetising, but as I already said, this is probably the best way to do it without compromising the platform itself.
With this sort of advertising, I have no doubt that more businesses will be trying out Google+ and specifically, trying to create content specifically for advertising purposes.
Still In Testing
The +Post ad system is still in beta, with only a few companies so far trying it out, notably Toyota USA and Cadbury UK. No word on how long it will test for, but the official announcement post did say that these ads are seeing expansion rates 50% higher than the industry average for rich media ads.
It’s going to be an interesting near future for online advertising, and maybe a big boost (on the business side) for Google+ too.