Google+ has been around since June, and in that time its popularity seems to have fluctuated. For instance, the social network grabbed 20 million users in a matter of weeks, but at least
one report says that far fewer members were returning to the site.
That inconsistency could shift with the company’s latest announcement. Drum roll, please: Google+ is nearly ready for brands to join its once-brandless landscape.
At Ad Age’s Digital West conference last week, an employee from Google said the social network is “close to unveiling” business profiles. And, during an event for Social Media Week in Chicago last week, Google's Ryan Stonehouse said the business pages will likely roll out by November.
According to
Advertising Age,
“Google+ business profiles ... will permit companies to create pages and circles like those of an individual user of the social network.”
The announcement comes after Google+ has spent the last few months kicking brands off of its service, except for
Ford and
General Motors, which have had test accounts on Google+. Despite Google’s efforts,
Ad Age said it’s found numerous major brands that have set up shop surreptitiously on the social network, including
Burger King, Starbucks, Home Depot, Kraft salad dressing, Verizon Wireless, Snapple,
The Wall Street Journal, and Condé Nast.
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