Case-Shiller Index Reported December 2011

December 27th, 2011

The latest Case-Shiller Index was published on Tuesday, December 27, 2011. As always, the index reports on data 60 days in arrears. Therefore, the index reports Metro Atlanta home values for October 2011. So what does the latest index show and what does that mean for home values in metro Atlanta? Before we provide the answer, we want to make two caveats. First, the Case-Shiller index of home values is very different from average sale prices or median homes prices which only reflect what was actually sold in the market. If lower priced homes are selling more, then the average sales price will show a lower value than what market value may be for higher priced properties. According to SmartNumbers, almost 50% of 2011 closed sales are under $100,000 and the normal distribution would be in the 10-15% range. That skews the average sales price and median price lower. The median price is simply the home sales price in the middle of the properties selected. The Case-Shiller Index reports on repeat properties sold and other factors which are generally better indicators of home values. Second, this index reflects the average home values for all of Metro Atlanta. Remember, people do not buy houses in America or even in metro Atlanta. They buy a specific property on a street in a local community. Real estate is local and every market is different. There are some local communities that have held their values reasonably well and others that may continue to decline. Your local Prudential Georgia Realty agent can help you understand the specific metrics in your local market. However, the Case-Shiller Index is a good general indication on what is happening in our market.

Now for the news…. The October index shows a 4.98% decrease in homes values from September 2011 which is a surprisingly large drop – again. The last two months show a combined 10.91% drop. The Case-Shiller Index is a “rolling average” which means that trailing results can slightly change the results for the past few months. The current index reflects values similar to home values in the fall of 1998. But remember, our values are not down as much as many other metro areas. In a recent report we published, there are 13 other areas with larger drops in value than Metro Atlanta. We have several more years of foreclosures and short sales to process before we begin to show sustained increases in home values. The September index is 91.21 which is 4.98% down from last month and 11.70% down from September of 2010. Click on the link below to open the Excel spreadsheet that shows the details of the latest index.

Case-Shiller-Index-Atlanta-October-2011-Index-Reported-December-2011

The peak of our market was July of 2007 according to the Case-Shiller index. Since July of 2007, our homes values have slipped 33.16%. With the winter months ahead, we would expect further drops. If you average the Case Shiller Index for the past 12 months, we are down 26.26% from the peak. We believe it is more effective to use the ”average of the past 12 months” or “trailing 12 months” as an indicator instead of reacting to a specific month. Click to view the graph of the latest Case-Shiller results from 2010 and 2011.

If you look back further at home values, you can see that we had the bubble in homes values but are actually below the normal trend line. Of course, this is caused by an oversupply of short sales and foreclosures. As we work through this inventory and return to a more normal mix of resales and new homes, home values will rise.

The big factors to watch will be the pace of short sales and foreclosures entering the market and mortgage rates. Your local Prudential Georgia Realty agent can show you the specific trends in your local area for foreclosures, short sales and notices of default. Recently, we have seen mortgage rates dip back to historic lows again. The Fed has announced that interest rates will be frozen through the middle of 2013. They have also implemented Operation Twist which is a program intended to keep 30-year rates low. But mortgage rates are impacted by more factors than just interest rates. There are major legislative issues and other economic factors that could cause mortgage rates to rise. For example, the proposed legislation for QRM (Qualified Residential Mortgages) will require mortgage companies to hold back 5% in capital reserves for every loan. That is expected to be funded by higher mortgage rates. Analysts also predict the eventual demise of more exotic loan types like ARMs and interest-only loans. We will more likely see plain vanilla mortgages of 10, 20 and 30 years with a 20% down payment. This is all part of the financial reform legislation. Right now, there is an incredible window of opportunity to buy the home of your dreams and set a future mortgage rate that we will not likely see again in our lifetimes.

Remember, you will not know the bottom of the market until it is already passed. We believe that we are seeing the bottom of the market for Metro Atlanta now. Future demand for our housing is strong. A report from the Atlanta Regional Commission forecasts 3 million new residents in the next 30 years. Our conclusion is that we are seeing the bottom of homes values this winter for Metro Atlanta but expect a slow recovery. We expect to see annual home values slowly increase over time with a few bumps along the way. In 2013 or 2014, we expect to see a seller’s market return with higher than normal appreciation for a few years. Contact us to learn more about future predictions and how that impacts your decisions.

If you look at the average annual Case-Shiller index for each year, here is how homes purchased in recent years would compare to the current index:

Homes Bought in 2000 – Loss of 11.65%
Homes Bought in 2001 – Loss of 16.33%
Homes Bought in 2002 – Loss of 19.43%
Homes Bought in 2003 – Loss of 21.97%
Homes Bought in 2004 – Loss of 24.63%
Homes Bought in 2005 – Loss of 28.24%
Homes Bought in 2006 – Loss of 31.52%
Homes Bought in 2007 – Loss of 31.96%
Homes Bought in 2008 – Loss of 25.63%
Homes Bought in 2009 – Loss of 15.86%
Homes Bought in 2010 – Loss of 13.76%

Yes, we are slowly climbing our way out of this unprecedented housing crisis – but we are not there yet. So where will home values go from here? The key factors that will impact our home values include the following:

Demand From Buyers (We expect demand to finish 2011 with over 75,000 homes purchased – a 25% increase from 2010.)
Mortgage Rates/ Credit Availability (Average mortgage rates in the past 50 years were 8%. We expect to see historically low mortgage rates this winter and the 1st half of 2012. We expect to see rates rising during 2nd half of 2012 and 2013. In a few years, we expect to see rates 1-2% higher.)
Supply/ Inventory Levels (We expect inventory to remain at slightly low levels with a heavy mix of short sales and foreclosures for the next two years.)
Competition from Short Sales/ Foreclosures (We expect to see significant numbers of short sales & foreclosures for the next two years. We predict that short sales and foreclosures will be approximately 50-60% of the transactions in 2012. However, we do not expect a flood of foreclosures that drives the overall inventory too high. Banks are not likely to harm their own values.)

You and your agent should be carefully watching the trends for short sales and foreclosures. Yes, we will continue to see some ups and downs along the way, but home values will rise again. In a few years, short sales and foreclosures will return to normal levels. The new homes inventory will remain low. That means we will see an undersupply of homes for sale and values will begin to rise. In 5 or 10 years, many will look back and regret not buying their dream home when they had the chance! Check back for our next posts with the latest facts and insight that can make you money!

By ATLScoop | No Comments » |

Tags: Atlanta foreclosures, Atlanta homes values, Atlanta new homes, Atlanta real estate, atlanta real estate market report, Atlanta short sales, Case-Shiller Index Atlanta, Prudential Georgia Realty
Posted in Case-Shiller Index |

Case-Shiller Index Reported November 2011

November 29th, 2011

The latest Case-Shiller Index was published on Tuesday, November 29, 2011. As always, the index reports on data 60 days in arrears. Therefore, the index reports Metro Atlanta home values for September 2011. So what does the latest index show and what does that mean for home values in metro Atlanta?

Before we provide the answer, we want to make two caveats. First, the Case-Shiller index of home values is very different from average sale prices or median homes prices which only reflect what was actually sold in the market. If lower priced homes are selling more, then the average sales price will show a lower value than what market value may be for higher priced properties. According to SmartNumbers, almost 50% of 2011 closed sales are under $100,000 and the normal distribution would be in the 10-15% range. That skews the average sales price and median price lower. The median price is simply the home sales price in the middle of the properties selected. The Case-Shiller Index reports on repeat properties sold and other factors which are generally better indicators of home values. Second, this index reflects the average home values for all of Metro Atlanta. Remember, people do not buy houses in America or even in metro Atlanta. They buy a specific property on a street in a local community. Real estate is local and every market is different. There are some local communities that have held their values reasonably well and others that may continue to decline. Your local Prudential Georgia Realty agent can help you understand the specific metrics in your local market. However, the Case-Shiller Index is a good general indication on what is happening in our market.

Now for the news…. The July index shows a 5.93% decrease in homes values from August 2011 which is a surprisingly large drop. In fact, this is the largest month-to-month drop in recent years. The Case-Shiller Index is a “rolling average” which means that trailing results can slightly change the results for the past few months. The current index reflects values similar to home values in May of 1999. But remember, our values are not down as much as many other metro areas. In a recent report we published, there are 13 other areas with larger drops in value than Metro Atlanta. We have several more years of foreclosures and short sales to process before we begin to show sustained increases in home values. The September index is 95.99 which is 5.93% down from last month and 9.78% down from September of 2010. Click on the link below to open the Excel spreadsheet that shows the details of the latest index.

Case-Shiller-Index-Atlanta-September-2011-Index-Reported-November-2011

The peak of our market was July of 2007 according to the Case-Shiller index. Since July of 2007, our homes values have slipped 29.66%. The December 2010 results were the previous bottom at 26.68% from the peak – so we have fallen 2.98% past those levels. With the winter months ahead, we would expect further drops. If you average the Case Shiller Index for the past 12 months, we are down 25.4% from the peak. We believe it is more effective to use the ”average of the past 12 months” or “trailing 12 months” as an indicator instead of reacting to a specific month. Click to view the graph of the latest Case-Shiller results from 2010 and 2011.

Remember, you will not know the bottom of the market until it is already passed. We believe that we are seeing the bottom of the market for Metro Atlanta now. Future demand for our housing is strong. A report from the Atlanta Regional Commission forecasts 3 million new residents in the next 30 years. Our conclusion is that we are seeing the bottom of homes values for Metro Atlanta but expect a slow recovery. We expect to see annual home values slowly increase over time with a few bumps along the way. In 2013 or 2014, we expect to see a seller’s market return with higher than normal appreciation for a few years. Contact us to learn more about future predictions and how that impacts your decisions.

If you look at the average annual Case-Shiller index for each year, here is how homes purchased in recent years would compare to the current index:

Homes Bought in 2000 – Loss of 7.01%
Homes Bought in 2001 – Loss of 11.95%
Homes Bought in 2002 – Loss of 15.21%
Homes Bought in 2003 – Loss of 17.88%
Homes Bought in 2004 – Loss of 20.68%
Homes Bought in 2005 – Loss of 24.48%
Homes Bought in 2006 – Loss of 27.93%
Homes Bought in 2007 – Loss of 28.39%
Homes Bought in 2008 – Loss of 21.73%
Homes Bought in 2009 – Loss of 11.45%
Homes Bought in 2010 – Loss of 9.24%

Demand From Buyers (We expect demand to finish 2011 with over 75,000 homes purchased – a 25% increase from 2010.)
Mortgage Rates/ Credit Availability (Average mortgage rates in the past 50 years were 8%. We expect to see historically low mortgage rates this fall and winter but expect to see rates rising during 2012 and 2013. In a few years, we expect to see rates 1-2% higher.)
Supply/ Inventory Levels (We expect inventory to remain at slightly low levels with a heavy mix of short sales and foreclosures for the next two years.)
Competition from Short Sales/ Foreclosures (We expect to see significant numbers of short sales & foreclosures for the next two years. We predict that short sales and foreclosures will be approximately 60% of the transactions in 2011. However, we do not expect a flood of foreclosures that drives the overall inventory too high. Banks are not likely to harm their own values.)

You and your agent should be carefully watching the trends for short sales and foreclosures. Yes, we will continue to see some ups and downs along the way, but home values will rise again. In a few years, short sales and foreclosures will return to normal levels. The new homes inventory will remain low. That means we will see an undersupply of homes for sale and values will begin to rise. In 5 or 10 years, many will look back and regret not buying their dream home when they had the chance! Check back for our next posts with the latest facts and insight that can make you money!

By ATLScoop | No Comments » |

Tags: Atlanta foreclosures, Atlanta homes, Atlanta homes values, Atlanta new homes, Atlanta real estate, atlanta real estate market report, Case-Shiller Index Atlanta, Prudential Georgia Realty
Posted in Case-Shiller Index |

Atlanta Case-Shiller Index Reported October 2011

October 25th, 2011

The latest Case-Shiller Index was published on Tuesday, October 25, 2011. As always, the index reports on data 60 days in arrears. Therefore, the index reports Metro Atlanta home values for August 2011. So what does the latest index show and what does that mean for home values in metro Atlanta?

Now for the news…. The July index shows a 2.4% decrease in homes values from July 2011 which continues to reflect the more normal seasonality of the stronger spring and summer market. The Case-Shiller Index is a “rolling average” which means that trailing results can slightly change the past results. This update shows slight positive gains in January and February, a small decline in March and strong gains in April, May, June and July. The current index reflects values similar to home values in April of 2000. But we are returning to a more normal seasonal pattern which tends to see home values rise in the spring and summer months with drops in the fall and winter. But remember our values remain significantly down compared to peak levels. We have several more years of foreclosures and short sales to process before we begin to show sustained increases in home values. The July index is 102.04 which is 2.4% down from last month and 6.34% down from August of 2010. Click on the link below to open the Excel spreadsheet that shows the details of the latest index.

Atlanta-Case-Shiller-Index-August-Index-Reported-October-2011

The peak of our market was July of 2007 according to the Case-Shiller index. Since July of 2007, our homes values have slipped 25.23%. The December results appear to be our bottom for recent years and showed values down 26.68% from the peak – so we are up 1.45% from those lower levels. If you average the Case Shiller Index for the past 12 months, we are down 24.67% from the peak. We believe it is more effective to use the ”average of the past 12 months” or “trailing 12 months” as an indicator instead of reacting to a specific month. Click to view the graph of the latest Case-Shiller results from 2010 and 2011.

Remember, you will not know the bottom of the market until it is already passed. We believe that we have seen the bottom of the market for Metro Atlanta now. Future demand for our housing is strong. A report from the Atlanta Regional Commission forecasts 3 million new residents in the next 30 years. Our conclusion is that we are seeing the bottom of homes values for Metro Atlanta but do not expect a robust recovery. We expect to see annual home values slowly increase over time with a few bumps along the way. In approximately 2013, we expect to see a seller’s market return with higher than normal appreciation for a few years. Contact us to learn more about future predictions and how that impacts your decisions.

If you look at the average annual Case-Shiller index for each year, here is how homes purchased in recent years would compare to the current index:

Homes Bought in 2000 – Loss of 1.15%
Homes Bought in 2001 – Loss of 6.40%
Homes Bought in 2002 – Loss of 9.87%
Homes Bought in 2003 – Loss of 12.71%
Homes Bought in 2004 – Loss of 15.68%
Homes Bought in 2005 – Loss of 19.72%
Homes Bought in 2006 – Loss of 23.39%
Homes Bought in 2007 – Loss of 23.88%
Homes Bought in 2008 – Loss of 16.80%
Homes Bought in 2009 – Loss of 5.87%
Homes Bought in 2010 – Loss of 3.52%

Demand From Buyers (We expect demand to finish 2011 with over 75,000 homes purchased – a 25% increase from 2010.)
Mortgage Rates/ Credit Availability (Average mortgage rates in the past 50 years were 8%. We expect to see historically low mortgage rates this fall and winter but expect to see rates rising during 2012 and 2013. In a few years, we expect to see rates 1-2% higher.)
Supply/ Inventory Levels (We expect inventory to remain at slightly low levels with a heavy mix of short sales and foreclosures for the next two years.)
Competition from Short Sales/ Foreclosures (We expect to see significant numbers of short sales & foreclosures for the next two years. We predict that short sales and foreclosures will be approximately 60% of the transactions in 2011. However, we do not expect a flood of foreclosures that drives the overall inventory too high. Banks are not likely to harm their own values.)

You and your agent should be carefully watching the trends for short sales and foreclosures. Yes, we will continue to see some ups and downs along the way, but home values will rise again. In a few years, short sales and foreclosures will return to normal levels. The new homes inventory will remain low. That means we will see an undersupply of homes for sale and values will begin to rise. In 5 or 10 years, many will look back and regret not buying their dream home when they had the chance! Check back for our next posts with the latest facts and insight that can make you money!

By ATLScoop | No Comments » |

Tags: Atlanta foreclosures, Atlanta homes values, Atlanta new homes, Atlanta real estate, Atlanta short sales, Case-Shiller Index Atlanta, Prudential Georgia Realty
Posted in Case-Shiller Index |

Atlanta Case-Shiller Index Reported September 2011

September 27th, 2011

The latest Case-Shiller Index was published on Tuesday, September 27, 2011. As always, the index reports on data 60 days in arrears. Therefore, the index reports Metro Atlanta home values for July 2011. So what does the latest index show and what does that mean for home values in metro Atlanta?

Before we provide the answer, we want to make two caveats. First, the Case-Shiller index of home values is very different from average sale prices or median homes prices which only reflect what was actually sold in the market. If lower priced homes are selling more, then the average sales price will show a lower value than what market value may be for higher priced properties. According to SmartNumbers, almost 50% of 2011 closed sales are under $100,000 and the normal distribution would be in the 10-15% range. That skews the average sales price and median price lower. The median price is simply the home sales price in the middle of the properties selected. The Case-Shiller Index reports on repeat properties sold and other factors which are generally better indicators of home values. Second, this index reflects the average home values for all of Metro Atlanta. Remember, people do not buy houses in America or even in metro Atlanta. They buy a specific property on a street in a local community. Real estate is local and every market is different. There are some local communities that have held their values reasonably well and others that may continue to decline. Your local Prudential Georgia Realty agent can help you understand the specific metrics in your local market. However, the Case-Shiller Index is a good general indication on what is happening in our market.

Now for the news…. The July index shows a .22% increase in homes values from June 2011 which continues to reflect the normal seasonality of the stronger spring and summer market. The Case-Shiller Index is a “rolling average” which means that trailing results can slightly change the past results. This update shows slight positive gains in January and February, a small decline in March and strong gains in April, May and June. The current index reflects values similar to home values in June of 2000. But we are returning to a more normal seasonal pattern which tends to see home values rise in the spring and summer months with drops in the fall and winter. But remember our values remain significantly down compared to peak levels. We have several more years of foreclosures and short sales to process before we begin to show sustained increases in home values. The July index is 104.55 which is .22% up from last month but still 4.97% down from July of 2010. Click on the link below to open the Excel spreadsheet that shows the details of the latest index.

Case-Shiller-Index-Atlanta-July-2011-Index-Reported-September-2011

The peak of our market was July of 2007 according to the Case-Shiller index. Since July of 2007, our homes values have slipped 23.39%. The December results appear to be our bottom for recent years and showed values down 26.68% from the peak – so we are up 3.29% from those lower levels. If you average the Case Shiller Index for the past 12 months, we are down 24.22% from the peak. We believe it is more effective to use the ”average of the past 12 months” or “trailing 12 months” as an indicator instead of reacting to a specific month. Click to view the graph of the latest Case-Shiller results from 2010 and 2011.

Remember, you will not know the bottom of the market until it is already passed. We believe that we are seeing the bottom of the market for Metro Atlanta now. Future demand for our housing is strong. A report from the Atlanta Regional Commission forecasts 3 million new residents in the next 30 years. Our conclusion is that we are seeing the bottom of homes values for Metro Atlanta but do not expect a robust recovery. We expect to see annual home values slowly increase over time with a few bumps along the way. In approximately 2013, we expect to see a seller’s market return with higher than normal appreciation for a few years. Contact us to learn more about future predictions and how that impacts your decisions.

If you look at the average annual Case-Shiller index for each year, here is how homes purchased in recent years would compare to the current index:

Homes Bought in 2000 – Gain of 1.28%

Homes Bought in 2001 – Loss of 4.09%

Homes Bought in 2002 – Loss of 7.65%

Homes Bought in 2003 – Loss of 10.56%

Homes Bought in 2004 – Loss of 13.60%

Homes Bought in 2005 – Loss of 17.75%

Homes Bought in 2006 – Loss of 21.50%

Homes Bought in 2007 – Loss of 22.01%

Homes Bought in 2008 – Loss of 14.75%

Homes Bought in 2009 – Loss of 3.55%

Homes Bought in 2010 – Loss of 1.15%

Yes, we are slowly climbing our way out of this unprecedented housing crisis – but we are not there yet. So where will home values go from here? The key factors that will impact our home values include the following:

Demand From Buyers (We expect demand to slightly improve for 2011 with over 60,000 homes purchased.)

Mortgage Rates/ Credit Availability (Average mortgage rates in the past 50 years were 8%. We expect to see historically low mortgage rates this summer but expect to see rates rising during the later part of 2011 and into 2012. In a few years, we expect to see rates 1-2% higher.)

Supply/ Inventory Levels (We expect inventory to remain at slightly low to normal levels with a heavier mix of short sales and foreclosures for the next two years.)

Competition from Short Sales/ Foreclosures (We expect to see significant numbers of short sales & foreclosures for the next two years. Analysts predict that short sales and foreclosures will be approximately 60% of the transactions in 2011. However, we do not expect a flood of foreclosures that drives the overall inventory too high. Banks are not likely to harm their own values.)

You and your agent should be carefully watching the trends for short sales and foreclosures. Yes, we will continue to see some ups and downs along the way, but home values will rise again. In a few years, short sales and foreclosures will return to normal levels. The new homes inventory will remain low. That means we will see an undersupply of homes for sale and values will begin to rise. In 5 or 10 years, many will look back and regret not buying their dream home when they had the chance! Check back for our next posts with the latest facts and insight that can make you money!

By ATLScoop | No Comments » |

Tags: Atlanta foreclosures, Atlanta homes, Atlanta homes values, Atlanta new homes, Atlanta real estate, atlanta real estate agents, atlanta real estate market report, Case-Shiller Index Atlanta
Posted in Case-Shiller Index |

Video Titling for Search Results

Producing the world’s best video doesn’t mean a whole lot if people aren’t watching. Granted, if you’re incredibly talented and lucky, you may come up with something so irresistible it spreads virally by social media, sharing, and word of mouth. If not, something called key words are probably your best bet.

Keywords, or better yet, key phrases, are the tools people use to dig up what they’re searching for on the Internet. For video producers, the best place to start using them is in the title of your video. A lot of people phrase their search in the form of a question. For example, a query like ”How-To Paint a House” might produce a truckload of responses about everything from what type of paint to use to what kind of brushes and scrapers work best. But if you’re in the business of selling paint sprayers, combining the question with a specific answer such as “How To Paint a House With a Paint Sprayer”would really narrow your focus—and make finding you a lot easier for customers specifically looking of a paint sprayer.

Other examples of self-serving video titles might include “How to Lose Weight by Fasting,” ”How to Learn Cross Stitching Online,” or “Cutting Vacation Costs with Time Shares.” Remember, it’s all about narrowing the focus. The easier you make someone’s search to find your product, the better it is—for them, and for you.

Stephen Schweickart is the co-founder of VScreen.

For more information on this topic, visit VScreen’s site at http://www.vscreen.com/video101.html

Google+: Why It Makes Sense for E-Marketers

(eM+C)—Google+ is the latest player on the social media scene. With 40 million-plus users, the social media network has carved out a niche for itself. Like they do via Twitter and Facebook, consumers are sharing content, engaging with new contacts and building communities on Google+.

Businesses, however, are still sitting at the red light as Google+ remains closed to business-specific pages. That’s expected to change soon as the platform continues to evolve.

Yet businesses shouldn’t wait for the floodgates to open. Now is the time to turn your attention to how an investment in Google+ might make sense for your social media strategy. While the exact benefits still need to play out, the beta community is revealing some early takeaways aligned with the demand among e-marketers.

Consumers are already there
Acquiring over 40 million members in four months is something the social network can boast. That’s made even more impressive by the fact it encompasses Google+’s early days of invite-only membership. The +1 sharing feature has 1 billion news stories, blogs and other types of content shared across the web per day. These numbers are right on par with Twitter and Facebook.

More will follow … even if they don’t know it
Further growth will come from among the 200 million people logged onto the family of Google services—Google Mail, Google News and Google Places. All of these pages contain a universal toolbar which Google+ sits on, making it easy for users to set up a profile, link to connections, receive notifications and access content. Simply put, Google+ will almost always be on and is just one click away.

A forum for targeted content
Circles, arguably one of the most popular features on Google+, makes perfect sense for businesses. It rejects a one-size-fits-all strategy that can scare off consumers. Users can sort their connections into bucketed lists any way they’d like to control who sees what information they’re sharing. Businesses undoubtedly will gain the same ability to segment customers or prospects, helping them to share relevant content to specific audiences. Facebook is already following suit, adding similar features in the past month.

Live video chat
Many businesses are identifying “hangouts” as a viable resource for customer service. Users can video chat via Google+ to keep abreast of the lives of friends and family. Businesses are expected to adopt that model with their customers, using the feature for anything from user forums to one-on-one support to mass service requests. Video chat could also be used for web conferencing with key business partners or customers, given the recently added Google Docs and sketchpad features.

More SEO runway
Google+ is backed by the most powerful name in search engine optimization — Google. This means that any content on Google+ will likely receive preferential treatment within the Google engines, potentially providing an easier and more effective way to reach prospects without undergoing costly and resource-intensive SEO strategies. This is especially huge for smaller businesses which are traditionally buried in the engines by larger competitors.

A way to measure ROI
Most social media platforms have been dinged for their inability to provide businesses with concrete return on investment figures. That’s likely changing with Google+ and its integration with Google Analytics. The social network will offer customer insight into who, where and why consumers are reading your information. Talk about invaluable intelligence.

Putting all these potential benefits aside, there are several considerations on the other end of the spectrum, including whether usage will sustain its upward swing. Google+ possesses enough firepower to draw people away from Facebook and Twitter, but will it prove to be a channel through which consumers prefer to engage with businesses?

While debating and testing continues, businesses can use this time as an opportunity to lay the foundation on how they can use Google+ to their advantage. It’s the early adopters who will set the standard and break away from the competition.

Jeff Revoy is chief product, marketing and strategy officer for iContact, an email and social media marketing provider for small and midsized companies.