5 Star Reputation – Digital Experts for Independent Dealers

Google+ is Shutting Down, Save Your Dealership’s Data!

Earlier this year, Google announced that it would be shutting down its social media platform. Google+ will be closing its doors on April the 2nd so if your dealership uses it as a marketing channel, you’ll need to take action to save your data!

The platform has been around since 2011 and has acquired a dedicated following. To prepare its users for the closure, Google has created a way for them to save and transfer their data.

Why is Google+ Shutting Down?

There are a couple of reasons for Google+ shutting down, the first relates to the data breach that occurred last year. In March 2018, more than 500,000 accounts had their information shared without consent by developers.

This was before the new GDPR regulations were introduced and around the time that Facebook faced scrutiny because of the Cambridge Analytica data scandal. Google did not disclose the breach to customers for a number of months, and the company is still dealing with the backlash from this.

Secondly, the current user base of Google+ is relatively small in comparison to competitors. People were already on Facebook and Twitter before Google+ came along, so the platform struggled to entice new users.

While it has arguably gained a more passionate community by catering to niches, the platform is sparsely populated and cannot hope to compete with bigger social media sites, so this is another reason why it is closing down.

Saving Your Data

If your dealership has been using the platform as a marketing tool and you want to keep your data, it must be exported. To make this process easy and efficient, Google has created a service called Takeout.

Here is how to back up your data with Google Takeout:

  1. Go to https://takeout.google.com
  2. Log in with your Google Account credentials
  3. Choose the data that you want to save from the list
  4. Click ‘Next Step’
  5. Choose how to want to download your data, e.g. in a .zip file sent via email
  6. Click ‘Create Archive’
Google Takeout
What Next?

If you are concerned about the impact that the closure of Google+ will have on your business, try increasing your efforts with other social media platforms or embracing new ones!

Facebook has dominated the world of social media for a long time and it doesn’t look like the channel will be knocked off its throne any time soon. With more than 2 billion monthly active users and so many benefits for businesses, like targeting, advertising and Facebook Marketplace, this is the best platform for dealers to reach their target audience with marketing.

While Google+ didn’t take off, Instagram is becoming increasingly popular and is particularly important for putting promotional material in front of millennials.

For more advice about social media marketing, get in touch today on marketing@clickdealer.co.uk, 01782 478220 or via our contact page.



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