Google+ Opens API to Social Media Management Systems

Last week, Google+ officially introduced brand pages to the welcome reception of businesses everywhere. Now, Google+ is now testing its API with six Social Media Management companies to test Google+ functionality as part of their integrated management tools. The initial round of SMMS companies include Vitrue, Context Optional, Hearsay Social, HootSuite, Involver, and Buddy Media. Customers will so have the ability to manage Google+ brand pages from the comfort of a centralized management dashboard rather than manually updating content directly on the fledgling social network.

There's a catch for the time being however. Each company has been granted a fixed number of slots to work with brands during this pilot phase. As tests progress, the opportunities will gradually expand.

The news broke while I was in Las Vegas speaking at the Vitrue client summit. While here, I asked Vitrue CEO Reggie Bradford for his thoughts, “Many of Google’s products are fundamental to the everyday, online lives of consumers, and seamlessly connected they can create a powerful social layer across the web. Think about the resources Google has to incorporate with Google+: search, gmail, YouTube and Android, to name a few.”

Bradford continued, “Smart brand marketers realize they need to engage where their consumers are today...and where they might be tomorrow. By adopting early and notable platforms, testing and learning, and then determining the best use against future goals, brands will be able to build even more relationships with their consumers.”

Although limited in scope, the Google+ API appears to not be limited in functionality. In Hootsuite's post, we get an idea of just how much Google is introducing during this initial phase.

Using Hootsuite, brands can

Manage circles in-dash with add/remove and edit functionality
Post public updates or to select circles
Search public posts and updates within your circles
Pop-up user profiles and company pages
See recent user activity without leaving the dashboard
See comments on posts and save to a stream
View users who +1, share and comment on posts
Measure results with five Google+ analytic modules in-dash

Google+ also feeds performance metrics to each system and are presented uniquely within each SMMS dashboard. While this program is new, it's clear that Google+ is taking business users seriously. The sooner Google+ rolls out the API to a greater array of brands, you can expect to see adoption and in turn, brand and consumer engagement, increase exponentially.