Google made many announcements yesterday at their Google I/O conference in San Francisco, one of which was about a Google+ redesign! These updates will create a responsive design that will change depending on screen size, or can be automatically customized by the click of a user’s mouse button. We already know that the beauty of many Google products is in their simplicity; it seems that Google will continue in its minimalist path with its new platform updates. As we already see on many other social networks, starting on Twitter, and now Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, etc., the hashtag will start making an [...]

Google announced yesterday that Google users will have their Gmail, Google+, and Google Drive storage combined into 15 GB of unified cloud storage.  The purpose of creating a unified storage system is to make it more seamless to share and upload files between the 3 Google platforms. While this is not exactly an increase in space – Gmail originally provided 10GB of space while Google+ and Google Drive shared a combined 5GB – it allows you to allocate the space more freely by determining exactly what you would like to use the space for. We’ve mentioned before in one of [...]

In this technology ridden world, it is an expectation that companies of all sizes and industries have well-developed inbound marketing tactics, including highly engaging Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, and Pinterest pages. Gone are the days of customers having to step foot in a store front to interact with a brand. Social media front runner, Nordstrom, is one of the smart and savvy companies who has hired experienced staff to specifically manage its social networking platforms.  Clearly, this is a marketing strategy to stick to. Check out the infographic below to see what other social internet retailers are on top of [...]

  Online video streaming is evolving, and your business can benefit. Google recently released Hangouts On Air to the public, its newest addition to Google+ that had previously been limited to a select group of companies. Hangouts On Air offers instant and free live video broadcasting to an unlimited number of viewers. This easy to use application can help you connect to potential and existing customers on various levels. Cool, right? Here are a few ways that your business can take advantage of this free software. Instantly broadcast through Google+, YouTube, or your own website. Hangouts On Air offers live video broadcasting through Google+, YouTube, [...]

Just after Google released Google+ Hangouts On Air, OoVoo (a multi-user video chat service) announced that it would be integrating with Facebook to allow free live video chats through an application on the site. Although Facebook will not be purchasing OoVoo as it did Instagram, it may be a good idea. OoVoo will certainly give Facebook an advantage in the video chat arena, as it has already stood successfully on its own.     There are various similarities and differences between the OoVoo app and Google+ Hangouts On Air. Unlike Google’s Hangouts, the OoVoo will be available on all smartphones. Also, [...]

The techie world was abuzz yesterday after the latest Google rollout. With very little fanfare and one random reference to the Loch Ness Monster, Google introduced Google Drive, its new storage and sharing platform. Google Drive lets you store, search, and share all of your files, including larger image and video files. Once uploaded, you can search these files by keyword, type, or owner, even files that you scanned from hard copy. Its not an entirely new concept; programs like Dropbox and SkyDrive also offer vast online storage options. However, Google Drive’s seamless integration with other Google services and its [...]

Let’s be honest, there are a lot of reason to love fashion retailer H&M. Awesome clothes… even better prices… hundreds of store locations… and they’re even good at social media! With Google+ on the rise as a business and social media engagement tool, H&M’s Google+ page provides a great model for successfully utilizing Google Plus for business.   Google+ For Business: What H&M Does Well H&M does a great job of keeping its Google+ page very visual. Instead of overwhelming the viewer with text, they provide a string of images designed to tell a specific story, with a link to a longer article in [...]

  Recently, there’s been a lot of talk about using Google Plus for business. In fact, we are hosting a webinar at 4pm tomorrow on that very topic! Don’t worry, you can stillsign up for this “How To Use Google Plus For Business” webinar. Don’t worry if you can’t make it, video recordings will be available. For today, we will focus on one particularly business-savvy Google+ feature: Google+ hangouts. Basically, Google plus hangouts allow you to video chat with multiple people at the same time, simulating a real-life hangout or meeting. Using your individual Google+ account, you can see which of your [...]

In the ever-evolving world that is online marketing, there are always new social media sites being created.  Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin are by far the most popular, but how can you tell which other sites are worth trying? Well, we know of one that has been gaining huge popularity and importance in online marketing, Google+. First off, what is Google+? Google+ (pronounced “Google Plus”) is a social networking site where you can post content and connect with others.  What makes it different from Facebook or any other site, is how you can organize your connections (into “Circles”) to better share information with the people [...]

  You’ve likely heard that Google+ launched their Google+ Business pages the other day.  If you prefer to read instructions on how to create the page for your business, take a look at this 5 step tutorial from Hubspot. If you’re more of a visual learner (like moi), we hope you find this video tutorial to be helpful! Be sure to add OttoPilot Media on Google+ to your circles on inbound marketing! [Note: please excuse the brief motorcycle noise and the faint dog whine at certain points in the video.  It's a beautiful fall day in Charlottesville and we have our big [...]