What Would Google Do? Perhaps one of the most sought out questions to date...
Similarly to Google, Jeff Jarvis has successfully pervaded the internet world. With his BuzzMachine blog, creation of Entertainment Weekly, and multiple articles for The New York Daily News (just to name only a few of his innovative successes), Jarvis uses his journalistic skills to introduce his readers to the Google mindset.
Sure, we all know what Google is and how successful the company has grown. But do you really know how this Fortune 100 Company rose in the ranks to the top? Jarvis delves deep into Google’s mission statement, marketing techniques, and ideals on the future in an attempt to help us succeed in our own start-up businesses. Even though his advice makes sense, it’s easier said than done. Accomplishing even just a couple milestones that Google has achieved is noteworthy in itself.
I can honestly say that I judged this book by its cover and felt genuinely intrigued by the title. I mean, who wouldn’t want to read about Google and its multi-faceted corporation? And without fail, my preconceived notions deemed accurate and I feel excited and privileged to be able to share a piece of Jarvis’s insight. I really lucked out with this book.
What Would Google Do? outlines its topics into different categories and describes them in further detail with helpful sub points that were fascinating and informative with every turn of the page. With limited technical jargon to explain his easy-to-understand examples, Jarvis wrote a book that everyone in and out of the technical world can benefit from. After all, who isn’t affected by the web these days?
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The three main takeaway points that Jarvis makes are all packed with obvious points, but the level of success with which Google has perfected these techniques…wow. Find me a suitable rival and I will be more than impressed. For all of you aspiring to start your own business online, or any website at all for that matter, follow these “simple” guidelines:
1. When people are in control, they will be your best friend
2. The business model to success – digital, niche, and free
3. Advice for future start-ups: stay up-to-date
Let’s take a deeper look into each one:
1. When people are in control, they will be your best friend:
Give the people control.
There is a reason that Jarvis wrote about this in the first section of his book. Everyone wants to be in control, right? Right. Especially big companies who have operated with a top-down model for the past few decades. And of course, it’s worked so far. But times are currently changing, my fine, corporate friends.
With the dawn of the internet age, the World Wide Web allows “regular people” and “regular browsers” (like you and me) to form ourselves into organized groups, spread valuable information, and challenge the norms. In a nutshell: to take control.
However, if you don’t give people control, they will let it be known. One person, no matter where they are in the country and as long as they have internet access, can make or break a company. You’ll be surprised as to how impacting one negative comment can be. First it starts off with one, then that person can start a conversation, and the next thing you know, an online community has formed with the intent to take that company down.
Google would advise to listen and listen with open ears, never shying away from criticism.
Case in point: Jarvis vented about Dell’s products and customer service in a not-so-nice blog post. After people swarmed to Jarvis’s blog to show support, Dell scrambled for damage control. Luckily, Jarvis outlined tips that Dell should take for PR, and now they directly contact complaining customers and seek feedback on their ideas forum. And with that turn-around, rather than spreading bad PR, customers are continually impressed with Dell’s attention to detail and emphasis for customer satisfaction. For Dell, Jarvis could have caused its demise. Instead, he was mercifully the best thing that ever happened to them.
2. The business model to success – think digital, niche, and free:
Google has made very smart, calculated moves to reach the status it’s at today. But many people don’t realize that free is actually a business model. That’s right: FREE is a business model…and a successful one at that.
Jarvis begins this section of the book stating that Free is difficult to compete against. Who doesn’t like free? According to Google, a free marketplace is the most efficient one and money just makes things difficult for both the sellers and the customers. But the obvious goal for any business is to make money.
But Google’s model to make money requires no ownership of the assets, meaning that Google wants to be JUST a search engine. They believe that knowledge should be free online so Google can freely organize it to their advantage.
For example, putting old magazine content online for free instead of through subscriptions would enable Google search to send loads of traffic and ads, of course, to that site. Because nothing deters customers more than signing up and paying. As with Blogger and Gmail, Google keeps storage and accounts free, while the biggest advertisers come running to them because of its powerful search organization.
When Jarvis states “Atoms are a drag,” he starts to reprimand the importance of physical “stuff” and emphasizes the smart shift toward digits and clouds. For companies selling commerce, online transactions require little, if any, storage, no retail rent, no sales clerks, and discounts of purchases in bulk.
Companies, such as Amazon, found great success in digital content delivery through (free) reviews, recommendations, and branching from physical goods to digital music and video. Customers can trust and connect with other like-minded customers all the while boosting Amazon’s brand and mission – again, all for free. And with practically unlimited content ready to be purchased and resold, niches finally rival the mass market. Of course Harry Potter, The Dark Knight, and Avatar will prevail as mainstream content, but consumers will gladly pay for a hard-to-find book from the 1960’s. Look no further.
3. Advice for future start-ups: stay up-to-date
When Google preaches, start-ups should listen.
Join a network. The internet, and companies like Google, provide a powerful network that we can join. According to the brilliant formula, the more we search, the more we click, the more content Google can organize. The smarter Google gets, the better the search results become, and the more we want to use Google. Advertisers then flock to Google (or maybe your own) site because it’s just so darn attractive. Finding anything within seconds can’t get much faster – and 4.4 billion searches per month in 2008 is quite impressive to say the least.
Think distributed. Back in the good ‘ol days, companies expected customers to come to them. Marketing budgets focused on centralization. But Google thinks distributed and is visible wherever and however it can. Through the search boxes, nifty API’s, and range of content, Google is the company sought after without having to lift a finger (but that may actually be difficult when operating a keyboard). Google is not the end, but rather the means to directing customers to where they want to be without an inundation of ads on their simple home screen.
Make mistakes well. While most companies fire their employees for making mistakes, Google encourages its workers to challenge themselves because change is good. If a mistake is made, fix it well and fix it fast. There, no harm done. To return to the Dell example, if the customer service representatives had addressed Jarvis’s dilemma adequately, no damage would have been done. And the time span to respond and fix a problem must be instantaneous. If Amazon suffers from mailing issues, address the problem with the customers and track it down immediately. Fixing customer mistakes personally can even lead to a lifelong brand loyalty that could extend to friends, family members, and future generations. Learn the hard way, because life isn’t always easy.
Be honest and transparent. I have no doubt that the majority of the successful companies do not strive to create a manipulative or evil image. So why not embrace bluntness? Be direct, straightforward, and to the point – there is no incentive to read your blog or browse your website if you’re just feeding lies. With dozens of links to click on that page and millions of web pages to peruse, the attention span is quite limited. Especially for online websites, be open about your mission statement, position, “about us” section, and business relationships. Tell us your background, what have you got to lose? Secrets just push valuable eyes away. Google even launches different products before the finished versions in order to generate ideas from others in an open, collaborative way.
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In the latter half of the book, Jarvis also discusses how Google could implement their business strategies in different industries and essentially dominate the world. From utilities, to retail, to public welfare, Jarvis knows exactly how to tactfully approach the world Google-style and help these fields.
Would I recommend this book? Absolutely!
There aren’t many books out there that get audiences genuinely excited about business models. I’m so glad that I found this book, ironically on the recommendations list at Amazon.com. Who would have thought that that really works? What Would Google Do? is a delightful read that I am excited to share with anyone who will listen. Rather than resort to the Golden Rule, some of us can now just ask “What Would Google Do?” I’m pretty sure the results will still yield positive results.
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