For the most part we all know Google has a new social networking service called  Google+ which allows you to share links, photos, updates and video chat with different groups of people. Google calls these groups “circles,” and you can create a circle for your family or your co-workers and share a link to only the people in a particular circle. Google+ has been compared to Facebook’s share feature and social metrics have been slowly influencing search engine algorithms. So the looming question is does the Google +1 function affect SEO rankings?

What we know is that the Google+1 button gives you a personalized search engine experience. The personalization allows you to search in Google and see results that are recommended by someone in your social circle either in Google+ or Twitter. You can connect your Twitter account with Google+, and if people you follow in Twitter have Google+ accounts their +1′s will show up in the results too.

Above is a Google search result for “SEO” when I’m signed into my google account. The third result is Seomoz shared by Rand Fishkin whom I follow on Google+ and Twitter. Below is the same search in Google but not signed into Google. The homepage for Seomoz doesn’t rank until the third page of the results (I’ll note that their interior pages ranked higher in the search).

Now the Google+1 had significantly improved the ranking here, but is Google+the only factor here resulting in the change? There’s speculation that Google uses something similar to Edgerank (which is what Facebook uses in their news feed). For example, Rand Fishkin is seen as having high influence in the topic of SEO, so the weight of his +1 share has more weight than if I were to share the same link. Nonetheless, as an SEO strategist, you don’t want to leave any opportunities behind to be ranked on the first page of a search result.

Overall, it’s too early to know for sure how Google+1′s will affect SEO in the long run. Right now the differences are rather subtle with a few surprises here and there. My advice isn’t to +1 your website along with a couple of friends then stop your SEO efforts, but to include it with your ongoing strategies such as creating great content, linkbuilding, and building a community around social media.

In 2009, Chevron Global Marketing launched a new campaign for Texaco with Techron gasoline. It was called “Tex Message,” and intended to depict the subject line of a text message at the top of ad executions. The campaign was supposed to connect with customers in a modern tone and style while still communicating the brand benefits of using the Texaco brand.

Unfortunately, the campaign fell short of its goal and eventually fizzled out. While in theory, referencing new technologies seemed like a smart move for Texaco, the campaign didn’t resound with consumers. The company used tried-and-true media – TV, radio, print, point of purchase materials, and out-of-home, to be exact – to reach a younger audience, but they missed the boat entirely by not leveraging social media, word of mouth and mobile marketing tactics. If it was the younger consumer they had in mind, why didn’t they actually use the new media platforms this target audience uses?

Texaco shows us that people will see right through you if you tack trends onto the same-old, same-old. Integrating new media is not achieved simply by referencing cultural trends. There’s just no point in trying to leverage new technologies like texting if your brand isn’t effectively participating in them. Texaco should have taken cues from Zippo and McDonalds – those are some brands that can integrate authentically.

About a year ago we began hearing some unsettling stories about our favorite fast food franchise, McDonalds. Specifically, that the chain was setting us back about 50 years by charging African-American customers an extra $1.50 as “an insurance policy due in part to a recent string of robberies.” Despite the fact that we eventually learned it was a hoax, this photo circulated the interwebs for a while. And then the whole thing just sort of died.

However, that wasn’t the last time this scandal would rear its ugly head.

About a week ago, this ridiculous meme began making the rounds again. Thistime, accompanied by the Twitter hashtag #SeriouslyMcDonalds. The whole thing seems to have died down now and McDonalds did respond from their official Twitter account, but the question remains – How does a brand keep a hoax like this from coming back?

As a brand, it’s important to surround yourself with a network of influencers and ambassadors. This way, at the first sign of trouble, you can reach out to them for support in squashing even the most vicious of rumors. While it’s imperative that you respond to your entire network “officially,” it’s equally important that you deploy your ambassadors as well.

Jonha over at I Just Did suggests controlling the bleeding with an alternate campaign – In this case, the use of the hashtag #SincerelyMcDonalds. An alternate campaign that you can get your ambassadors and other influential connections behind can go a long way. Especially when that alternate campaign focuses on the good you do as a brand.

As we’ve seen in the McDonalds case, no brand is safe from an Internet-based, viral hoax. However, all brands have the ability to protect themselves while keeping the integrity of the brand intact. In the end, a carefully crafted network of influencers and ambassadors and a well thought-out crisis communication plan can help save your brand online.

Act. Perform. Do. Move. Execute. Commit. Pursue. Participate.

At the end of the day, most brands are trying to accomplish these things. Most want their target consumers to act: to try a new product, buy the newest version, tell a friend. Whatever the case may be, it is forever the challenge of marketers to mold the actions of the audiences we market to. And by challenge, we really mean challenge. But there are a few things we’ve learned along the way that make it easier and more worthwhile to get our audiences to act.

Knowing Your Target Audience

Everyone knows this, right? WRONG. Sure, we might know the demographics of our target audience, but we’ve got to know more than just an abstract picture of their life and more of why and what makes them who they are.

The Environment

In an ideal marketing world, we could blast out one message that would subscribe to all people, everywhere. And for a while, the ad world prescribed to that. But its not a top down environment like that anymore. Brands can’t simply rely on traditional media along. Nor can they forego traditional aspects of traditional marketing in favor of jumping on the social media bandwagon. Each are important, but work best together, in a combination of “old” and “new.”

What You Say

It’s not just being in the right places, but saying the right things. You can know your target audience inside and out, place your ads in all the right places and still fall short of creating action within the target audience. This is where applying knowledge about the target audience really comes into play. Brands that understand their audiences and create campaigns with ad messages that really resonate with them are almost always successful. And if you can say the right thing to the right people in the right space, well, you just might be succesful, too.

Its a common debate among advertising professionals as to the degree of importance that the number of fans or followers attributes. While some claim its of the utmost importance, others like Ad Age say that maybe it isn’t the best measurement tool. But having influence online takes on an entirely new context when it comes to crisis communication. When a crisis strikes, what will matter more? How many followers acquired or how many of those followers are actually listening to what you’ve got to say?

Consider your crisis communication plan. Is social media involved? If it is, the great audience debate applies directly to you. You can have one fan or over a million, but acquiring an audience that trusts you should be your number one priority. If your audience isn’t listening to your message, you’ve lost the ability to leverage social media in times of trouble. While there is certainly power in numbers, the quality of your audience will set you apart in times of need.

So instead of focusing on numbers alone, we as marketers must seriously consider how we can foster an environment that will provide mutually beneficial relationships. The bigger the audience becomes, the most we’ve got to watch our responsibility with interacting and engaging with them in ways that are meaningful. Not only will this build conversation, but it will be easier to ask your audience to stand up for you should you ever need it.

Regardless of which side of the fence you land on, we all need to see that having an audience grows from a number of factors. Size is one of those factors, but not the only one. Take a moment to look ahead and see those “what if’s” – relying on that audience may one day make or break your brand.