This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.
It wasn't that long ago that video calls were the stuff of science fiction. In Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Jetsons and David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest such technology was presented as fantastical yet plausible.
In 2013, we've all been conditioned to accept video calls as mundane, one of the many communication tools at your arsenal. The technology is still so new, though, that you may be wondering what the utility is. The question is especially topical with the rise of Google Plus. There are lots of reasons to get on Google Plus, but Google Hangouts offer a clear competitive advantage over Facebook. For some it may be the only reason to choose Google Plus.
Facebook currently offers video chat via a partnership with Skype, but only for one-on-one calls. In comparison, Google Hangouts lets up to 15 people converse at once and open up the viewing for as many people as you want. After that, you can save the chat onto YouTube.
Not surprisingly, Google is citing Hangouts in its small business pitches for Plus. "Lots of different businesses and consumers use Hangouts," says Gretchen Howard, global director of social solutions at Google. "It's technology, but it's not scary." In its webpage for Hangouts for Business, Google presents Hangouts as a way to conduct meetings with far-flung staffers and forge a deeper connection with consumers.
Real-world examples of small businesses using Hangouts aren't hard to find. BakeSpace, a Los Angeles-based a digital publishing platform for cooking enthusiasts, has been a Google Plus success story. More than 360,000 people have BakeSpace in their Circles on Google Plus. Comparatively, BakeSpace has just around 14,000 "Likes" on Facebook. Babette Pepaj, founder of BakeSpace, says that the brand had the luck to be featured as a suggestion in Google Plus's Food and Drink section. She also says she got tired of trying to figure out the algorithm for News Feed and of paying to advertise on Facebook.
BakeSpace has hosted about 40 Hangouts. A recent Hangout was a tutorial on cupcake decorating tips. Another featured Steven and OJ Williams, the founders of Chamelon Cold Brew Coffee. The Hangouts, which are easily found on the brand's YouTube channel or its Google Plus page, manage to humanize the brand as well. Another benefit, Pepaj says, is that since the video is shown live, users are not expecting a polished execution. "Creating video content for YouTube takes forever," she says. BakeSpace's Hangouts have drawn about 100 live attendees, on average. Pepaj says that may not sound like much, but "It's really hard to get people to tune in unless you're President Obama."
OtterBox, a company that makes smartphone cases, meanwhile, has only done one Hangout so far, but is planning at least six more. "We do a lot of videos and a lot of tech content because we do play so much in the mobile space," says Storm Tussey, social media lead for OtterBox.
Anita Campbell, CEO and editor-in-chief of Small Business Trends, recently wrote a column suggesting that businesses use Hangouts to conduct meetings, hold webinars, offer consulting services and even hold press conferences. Despite her advocacy, Campbell says she believes relatively few small businesses are using Hangouts. "It tends to be used more by tech insiders and online marketers," she says. Campbell says that one of the key features of Hangouts is the ability to view the proceedings even if you don't catch it live. "You can send out an email newsletter to say you're going to be having a Google Hangout and if you can't make it, we'll have this video," he says.
Another intangible benefit is just seeing your coworkers' faces. Marc A. Pitman, a.k.a "The Fundraising Coach," used a Hangout to meet with a product team behind a CD set called "100 Donors in 100 Days." Says Pitman, "I still haven't met everyone on the team, but after the Hangouts it feels like we have met."
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