5 Insights Into Google+ Users' Demographics and Habits

August 3, 2011 By Heather Fletcher

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Marketers want to be where consumers are, but Google doesn't yet want companies participating in Google+. The social network now sees about 1.8 million visitors a week, according to Experian Hitwise. And, as many marketers already suspect, Chicago-based SEM firm Performics says a large-scale adoption of Google+ by consumers will influence real-time search.

What Can Marketers Do Now?
Until Google builds its promised Google+ business application, marketers who are adhering to the rules may have to wait and learn as much as they can about Google+ users through market research. That is, unless individuals with personal brands or within a company join as themselves—such as Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Ford's Scott Monty. [Google personnel actually called out Ford in a July 6 plus.google.com blog post explaining that a business application is being built. "It was kind of an awkward moment for us when we asked Ford for his (or was it her?) gender!" writes Christian Oestlien, listed on his Google+ profile as "The Google+ Project|Ads Guy."] Sterling Ledet, an Atlanta-based marketing and advertising communications trainer, adds that company representatives can work on blogs there now, so that they'll be "up to speed" when the brand can join.

More Google+ Demographics
Here's more insight Experian Hitwise provides about the Google+ users in the US, who weren't using mobile devices or third-party applications to sign in:

• While visits dropped off a bit during the week ending July 23 (1.79 million users vs. the 1.8 million who logged in during the week ending July 16, a 3 percent dip) members were still spending an average of more than five minutes on the site.
• The Google+ folks are mostly young men, a third of users are between 25 and 34 years old and 59 percent of all visitors are male, according to the July 23 findings.
• Google traffic feeds into Google+, with 59 percent of social networkers coming in "from other Google properties." During the week ending July 23, the bulk of that came from search, and much of the rest came from Gmail.
• More than 30 percent of visits during the week ending July 16 were from users with a VantageScore, or credit score, of between 800 and 900.
• Most Google+ users during the week ending July 16 hailed from Los Angeles, with New York and San Francisco ranking second and third.

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