Nouveaux médias, nouveau marketing !

My first startup & Google services - (part 1/3)

Internet marketing, web analytics, new medias, social medias, conversion and advertising: here’s a lot of process who need lots of monitoring and collaborating tools to build relevant projects and profitable business. In this article, I will present you all you can save or win by using Google range of services, from RSS monitoring to docs sharing, the Mountain View company offers for “free” a large range of solutions. But over knowing which one for which need, another way to combine them with RSS and embedding of quick links, Google Apps might become a more powerful integrated solution for your business, and for sure one important key of your success.
The mainpoints of these keys in 3 words :

• “free”
• mobility
• integration

FREE - Let’s talk about this “free” philosophy.

The only obligation you will have to give to get all services is one Google account, for free. Free means that all implicit information that Google can take from all the data that you will put into their services will be property of Google, either to help you when integrating them into other services (ex: “mapplets” into Google Map to bring data from Picasaweb photo service on maps), or either to help Google bringing you more effective advertising corresponding (that’s the part some could interpret like privacy control, or others the liberal vision from a social Internet, the opinion is not the subject of this article, but is one actual important web economy polemic).

 

Free means however lots of good thing for someone new in freelance or web business : Free licences and open-source applications (with opening of Google OpenSocial gate. Indeed the hardware and software is a heavy cost for business beginners, more than thinkware ! With all office applications offered by Google Docs, cost of each working post get like free for licences : a Linux based computer (ex: Ubuntu Live with no installation needed, just a USB Key or external drive) working on Docs spreadsheets or documents or presentations get as productive as any other Windows based, and as compatible, Google Docs offers export in any standard format : .PDF, DOC, .XLS, .PPT, OpenOffice, RTF and more !

MOBILITY - Working with one account everywhere with everything.

Mobility might not been invented by Google but is really redefined when using all online services. Log in your Google account and open your online office everywhere, that’s the way mobility should be for every of us, for every worker. Beginning with emails online storage, adding some of your actual documents on Google Docs servers and keep in touch with your business when entering the Google Agenda, that’s a part of the Google way of life !

INTEGRATION - Using all the power from 2.0 services.

Everyone using Google services for a while has maybe seen new gadgets or new functions coming up during the last year, that’s the integration from all the services between themselves, from contacts address book you will be able to use within all other services to the geo-localisation from Google map and the agenda entries, Google is trying to bring the Google world the more ergonomic possible, with new ideas every days. People who develop theses new innovations are really involved and conscious of today’s e-marketers needs, looks like integrated solutions for all our needs and more !

Google services Vs standard software:

For all users and especially marketers and freelance agents, all the Google services are very interesting tools for replacing standards offline solutions.

Here are some of the barriers from standard offline applications :

 

• Need to be frequently updated with new paying version. New technologies or protocol become real-time embed with Google development.
• Standalone software means most of the time to work alone, application are not necessary developed in an integrated/linked way with other one, developed by competitor companies. Adding third-party plug-ins have also costs for the users.
• Mobility and liberty restriction, user need to travel and word with their equipment, risk of damage or loosing the data.

The First Step : Google AppsThe Google Apps is the ultimate panel to take advantages of each separately application into an integrated version that you will be able to control with your own domain, finish with @gmail.com for external communication, let’s come into @yourdomain.com and get more professional with your public relations! The Google Apps panel is offered into 3 version : free, premier and education. All solution are offered into the standard free one, so only companies who needs more support, migration and third-party application will enjoy to get premier account.Installation and first steps may be done in 1 hour, Google Apps use the CAME who bring availability from different application ready-to-use !
Web marketers are multitask and multimedia, that means office applications are a minimum. Business needs agenda and communication tools, Webdesign and creative uses photo albums to share drafts, Web analytics needs monitoring and publishing applications, … let’s see all the solutions from Google services :

• Mirosoft Office killer : Google Docs (equivalent Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Acrobat Distiller in PDF)
• Outlook with 2.0 code : Google Agenda, Google Notebook, Google Reader, Google Map
• Email and supervision : Gmail
• Photos and draft publishing: Picasa (equivalent Photoshop Album, iPhoto, …) + PicasaWeb (web publishing gate)
• Web tools : Google Analytics, Feedburner,
• Advertising, monetising : Google AdSense, AdWords
• Publishing : Blogger, YouTube, Orkut… and more ! Look on http://www.google.com/intl/en/options/

Read the next parts of the article :

My first startup & Google services - working efficient (part 2/3)

My first startup & Google services - the dark side (part 3/3)