Google seeing the value of Social Media might just be what it takes to get SMBs on board.
Google is known for being a trend-setting company that’s usually ahead of tech trends. The company has hit almost all the bases right with mobile (Android), search, shopping, mail, and so on, but the one thing it just can’t seem to wrap its head around is this social media thing. Google has tried time and again to jump on the social media bandwagon but has failed repeatedly with attempts like Google Wave and Google Buzz. However, Google’s new CEO, Larry Page, is set to change that, whether his employees like it or not.
Page sent out a company-wide memo Friday that surely led to unanimous sighs coming from employees. These aren’t sighs of relief we’re talking about. The memo alerted Googlers that 25 percent of their annual bonus will now be based on the success or failure of Google’s social strategy this year.
Last fall, Google gave all of its employees a 10-percent raise, and a $1,000 bonus as a way to move away from bonuses that were being based on an annual company multiplier. Google had been giving bonuses where the amount was multiplied by a number that was based on the company’s performance overall. However, that’s all changing in 2011 depending on how well Google does in the social media market. The multiplier will be between 0.75 and 1.25 according to the results.