Source: Mashable

- Steven Neville

Like most successful social media strategies, yours probably incorporates a team of talented individuals. However, your team may not always be in the office. And while email and phone are great communication options to keep in touch with individuals out-and-about, they may not always be as instantaneous as you would like.  Which is why more and more teams are utilizing third-party platforms, like Hootsuite and others, that have the capacity to allow team members to share ideas directly on social media.

But there exists a highly underutilized conversation option on Facebook, that has been around since the beginning of the social media site’s inception: Facebook Groups.

The Facebook Groups platform was the original Facebook Pages, but has consequently taken a backseat to the latter as the Pages platform has far surpassed groups in the areas of offering insights, engaging with fans and members, and overall in pretty much everything except communicating with other members of your team.

But that doesn’t mean Facebook Groups has stopped evolving as a platform. In fact, it’s only got better. Problem is, no one has really cared to check it out lately. But you should, if you haven’t already. Nowadays in groups, you can share documents, photos, videos and polls. Pretty much everything you would need to quickly communicate a message with a team member, school partner, or anyone else you are collaborating on a project with.

And, as has always been, you can make your group secret. Meaning, only you and your project members can see the group, the discussion, and the sharing. And the awesome part is, if you are on Facebook and the group is secret, you still get instant notification of a team member comment or post, just like you would for a comment or like on your own personal profile.

I have personally been using groups since I can remember, and have worked on a number of big projects with Groups as our main communications platform. It may not come as a huge surprise, but people respond faster to posts and comments on Facebook than they do an email or a phone call.

Groups may not be the flashiest program around, in fact, compared to most communications platforms, like Dropbox and Basecamp, the platform seems rather archaic. But it gets the job done, and people respond to it. And in the end, that’s really what counts.

The post The Best Kept Communications Secret on Facebook appeared first on Social Media Consultations | 317-523-9875.

Photo Source: upwordsem.com

Most Twitter users are familiar with the term “RT,” or retweet, but a more rarely used terminology seen on Twitter is the “MT,” or modified tweet.

An MT is used during a tweet when a user RT’s your tweet but changes it slightly, most likely to shorten the message, but sometimes to edit the language for profanity or to present a more clear message to their particular audience. Either way, it’s seen as as courtesy to the user you RT to use the MT option when changing someone’s tweet.

When you RT someone, you are sharing their content and name. The changes you make to their tweet may not be huge, but nonetheless, you are altering their content and making it not entirely theirs anymore. Using the MT option let’s the original poster know you acknowledge you have made a change, and also tells your audience that the original post has been edited. It may seem like a simple, and perhaps innocuous task, but people appreciate the fact that you acknowledge you have edited their content.

To change an RT to an MT is simple. When you edit the original poster’s content, simply erase the RT in front of their @name and replace it with MT. It’s fast, easy, and the polite thing to do. Take the time to navigate social media using best practices and courtesy, it adds to your professional image and shows others you know what you’re doing on Twitter.

Still need help? We offer simple, quick, and effective phone consultations. Simply fill out the form below and we will contact you within 24 hours of receipt:

The post Twitter Tip: What Does “MT” Mean And When/Why Is It Used? appeared first on Social Media Consultations | 317-523-9875.

You can’t put toothpaste back in the tube. – Unknown

-Steve Neville

By now, the utter tragedy of what has happened with Amy’s Baking Company (ABC), out of Scottsdale, Arizona, has made it to your eyes or ears. For those who need a quick recap, ABC was featured on the popular TV show, Kitchen Nightmares, and the downright odd behavior of the two owners, Samy and Amy Bouzaglo, quickly gained them notoriety on the Internet.

The “trolls” of the Internet, per usual, responded with blasting the Bouzaglos on Reddit and Facebook about their behavior; which included reselling bought bakery items as “homemade baked goods,” and paying their servers hourly wages and pocketing the tips for themselves.

The “trolling” was pretty nasty, even for trolling, but like all trolling, it eventually goes away. The trolls would’ve moved on to another issue, but the Bouzaglos took the bait and went to attacking the trolls (never do this), posting increasingly bizarre threats over a period of a few days on their Facebook page (now deleted).

And then it came, after all the chaos that occurred on their Facebook page…the “we were hacked” comment. And the response from the public, as Gob Bluth would say , was:

Photo via Etsy.com

It’s not ABC’s fault for using that excuse, it’s almost a time honored tradition on social media to cover up your mistakes with “we here hacked.” Problem is, “we’ve been hacked” has been used, and then exposed as false, so many times that no one believes it anymore.

The public has been on social media for awhile now, and this isn’t their first “we’ve been hacked” rodeo. They have seen companies, like Jeep and AP, get hacked, and they know the difference between slip-ups and dedicated hack attacks. In ABC’s case, they have also had a history of verbal abuse towards their customers and the reactions they made were no different than comments they have made before.

For instance, here’s a comment made by ABC in October, in response to Yelpers, when the company was not “being hacked.”

Clearly, there’s a pattern of horrible customer service and outrageousness with ABC, and it is silly to assume the public hasn’t researched this, blogged about it, or read it on, well, Reddit.

As human beings with access to Internet connections, companies have to assume that their audience is not ignorant. As witnesses to a history of meltdowns on social media and mistakes of the keyboard made daily, we, the audience, can read between the lines and discern the difference between a mistake and an attack. You, as a company, must give your audience the credit they deserve.

Bottom line is, unless you were really hacked, saying you were will just fall on deaf ears nowadays. The majority of social media users have grown up around technology their whole life, they’re no strangers to Facebook and Twitter, and you shouldn’t treat them as “noobs.” Or, at least, do so at your own peril.

I asked PR expert, Ben Risinger, on what some of the downfalls of claiming you were hacked were, and his response was this:

“In today’s world, you cannot just come out and say ‘I was hacked.’ The vast majority of the public knows you are lying and you just make things worse. Own up to your mistakes and be transparent.”

So, in his opinion, what is the proper response to a mistake on social media?

“The right move would be to send an apology tweet and not try to deceive your fans. The latest stats say almost 90% of Americans are on some type of social media network. Your public knows better now.”

And I would have to agree, 100%. Hopefully, this tragedy with ABC will be a learning experience for companies on social media. Using “we were hacked,” is over…it’s dead. It’s an excuse that has been beaten into the ground through overuse and has no place in social media anymore. If you make a mistake, just own it, take responsibility and take your lumps. Then, move on.

Nowadays, it’s really your only option.

The post Don’t Say You Were “Hacked” On Social Media appeared first on Social Media Consultations | 317-523-9875.

- Steve Neville

Social media is your own personal story. It is your chance to engage your audience. Your chance to mesmerize potential customers with your words, and spark an interest in your product or brand. It is not, contrary to popular belief, your own free billboard.

While I was browsing some of my friend’s business pages on Facebook, I noticed that most of them understood the need to tell and sell their story, but none of them knew how to tell it. They are people of business, after all, not writers.

Not to say they can’t write. If you asked them to look out a window and tell you what they saw, they could do that. But if you asked a skillful writer what they saw out that same window, it would be a whole different story. A writer dedicated to their craft understands their job is to illustrate the intricacies of normality, and they do so by recognizing the importance of everything.

But what a good writer and a good salesperson need to understand is that they are really not that different. Stepping into an infomercial and selling knives with a pitch that leaves people feeling that they need this product is no different from crafting your words in a novel in a manner that leaves people feeling they need to turn the page. In both professions, sales and writing, your job is that of “the great communicator.”

So where do sales professionals go wrong with storytelling in social media? Simple, they undervalue the importance of the basics of telling a story.

Like any good story, you introduce the characters early. Far too often I see business pages introduce the word “I” to their page, without ever introducing who “I” is. Well, hello “I,” I am Steve, I am following your page but I do not believe we have met. Are you the social media manager? Are you an employee? The owner? Who is this “I” that you are trying to relate to me. In any good story, we feel more attached to it when we have a connection with the characters. The same principle applies in social media.

You must also remember to be interesting. If the story isn’t interesting, then no one will listen. This is where the art of crafting the story comes into play. In the hands of a good writer, or a good salesperson, anything can be interesting. Yes, anything. It is your job, as the storyteller, to understand the audience and find the angle that would be appealing to your audience.

If you own a fishing company and are coming out with a new hook, for instance, then it is also your job to find “the hook” for your pitch. Does this new hook help catch more fish? If so, why? Is it durable? Is it dependable? What, in essence, makes it a “must have” item for someone who likes to fish?

In other words, don’t introduce the fishing hook. Introduce an interesting solution to a problem your audience has. When you establish yourself as the problem solver, all the sudden, the hook becomes a means to satisfying conclusion, not another silly product.

Finally, recognize the necessity of the arc. In writing, if your story goes nowhere then eventually your audience goes somewhere else. In social media, this applies to your posting. If you just post to post, like you feel the need to say something but you really have no rhyme nor reason to it, eventually, your audience will begin to wonder what the point to your page is.

If you are a business, then you must certainly have goals for your company, right? Of course. Well then, create similar goals for your social media campaign. Have an endgame, and plan an interesting story that builds a captive audience. Highlight a problem, then solve it. Invite customers into your day-to-day life through personal posts, then show them how they can become part of your company’s family. Incorporate employees like an author would their characters, and have them enrich your company’s story. Most importantly, have a start and a finish to your plan. Let the audience have the satisfaction of an ending.

Sales and writing are crafts. Understand this, appreciate this, and recognize the necessity of storytelling for social media sales. Your audience is on social media not to be sold on a product, but to be sold on your story. Becoming a storyteller brings the audience to your page, engages them in conversation, and builds interest in what you are as a company.

After all, if they believe in you, they will believe in your product or service.

The post Success In Social Media: The Art Of Storytelling appeared first on Social Media Consultations | 317-523-9875.

RSVP on the Facebook event page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/155166321320122/

In a nutshell: Saturday, May 11, DoItIndy and Intelligent Designs Media are hosting an amazing party. Cover charge is $5, but proceeds benefit a local charity. In addition, everyone gets one complimentary beverage, either a soda or a free beer from the first ever tapping of Indiana City Beer. We are also giving away tons of prizes, including a chance to throw the first pitch at an Indy Indians game, and a free night’s stay at the Hilton Garden Inn in Indy. For more information than that, please, read on:

If you had plans for May 11, cancel them. If you do not have any plans for that date and are looking for something to do in Indianapolis, you’re in luck. Because Intelligent Designs Media and our friends over at DoItIndy are hosting the best party in Indianapolis that night at the Front Page Sports Bar, from 7-11 p.m.

About the party:

There’s a cover charge, $5, but let us tell you what you’re getting for that price:

-A measly $5 gets you entry. Duh.

-Plus, an exclusive entry ticket for a bunch of awesome giveaways for the night.

Case closed. You’re in, right?

-The door charge also scores you a free complimentary beverage. Either a soda if you’re driving, or a FIRST EVER tapping of the newest craft beer in Indianapolis, from our friends at the Indiana City Brewing Co.

-Your admission price also gets you a chance to check out local Magician, Taylor Martin, and two live performances from MG and the Gas City 3 and DoItIndy’s house band, the Audio Hitmen!

That easily covers $5, we could just pack it up there, right?

-Thanks, Ron! Yep, there is more. Proceeds from the simple $5 cover charge will also go to Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, a local charity dedicated to preserving the beauty of Indianapolis through recycling and community projects around the city.

Seriously, all that for just $5. Plus, an opportunity to meet and greet with the great guys at DoItIndy and hang out with friends in the beautiful and historic Mass Ave District. If you ever needed an excuse to come and see what Downtown Indianapolis has to offer, this is it.

We hope to see you all on May 11, from 7-11 p.m., at the Front Page for an evening of friends, fun, entertainment, and giving back to your community.

If you plan on coming, be sure to RSVP on the official Facebook Page of the patio party: https://www.facebook.com/events/155166321320122/

Interested in sponsorships or providing more awesome giveaways to get your business’ name out there? Contact: Steve@intelligentdesignsmedia.com

The post DoItIndy Presents: The DoItIndy Summer Patio Series appeared first on Social Media Consultations | 317-523-9875.

-Steve Neville

One of the fun things we do here at Intelligent Designs Media is find those awesome songs in commercials that get stuck in our heads. It’s quite cathartic, actually, to find them and be able to enjoy their full awesomeness.

Take this new one, heard in the Microsoft commercial for their new-look Outlook email. You were probably looking for the Microsoft commercial music with the piano in it, yes? Well, since there are no lyrics, this one was tougher, but here it is:

Artist: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

Song: “Can’t hold us”

The post On The Fringe: Song In The New Microsoft Outlook Commercial appeared first on Social Media Consultations | 317-523-9875.

Note: Our write-ups are usually posted Friday, however, given the circumstances of events taking place yesterday, we decided to hold off. 

On Thursday Ben and Steve were joined by a special guest, Rachel Rubenstein (@rachelrubes), to discuss an event that had taken place via social media on Tuesday. Rachel had gone into Kilroys Indy that day, a local restaurant founded in Bloomington, IN, and ordered a chopped ham salad. To her surprise, when the salad arrived, Rachel found pretty much a whole ham inside her salad (see above picture).

As is the usual response nowadays, Rachel tweeted the photo and expressed her disdain for finding non-chopped ham in her salad. Makes sense. To which, Kilroy’s originally responded with this tweet:

The others mentioned in the tweet were discussing the ham, so Kilroys engrossed the entire conversation into one apology, understandably.

After this, everything seemed OK. Rachel was still tweeting about the ham, but Kilroys had addressed it publicly , acknowledged their mistake, and things seemed to be quieting down. But then….

What? Why did they retweet this?

Uh-oh, we’re getting emotional. This is a social media brand no-no. It never leads to good things.

Yikes. Probably not best to tweet at someone for picking on you who has a picture of a pound of “chopped” ham on her fork circulating the net.

It looked like this situation was going to devolve into something particularly nasty for the brand, that was, until:

Perfect. A great apology and a calmer, more rational response to Rachel’s less-than-eloquent complaint.

Now that you have the back story, here’s how the discussion went down on #DrinkWBS (official hashtag). Everyone involved agreed that the emotional tweets in the middle of the discussion were, to put it lightly, not good. But we also agreed that Kilroys did two things right:

A.) They left all their tweets up. Meaning, they adhered to the unwritten, but golden rule of transparency on social media.

B.) In the beginning, and the end, Kilroys responded with the right things to Rachel. The acknowledged their mistake, apologized for it, and even, as Rachel pointed out, offered her a free meal or a gift card to make up for it. Which is exactly how you should respond to complaints on social media.

The consensus from the discussion was that, as a business, you represent a brand, and you cannot let your emotions take over your responses. Yes, at times, you will face a customer who is irrational or angry, but it’s also incumbent on you as a brand manager of social media to work with the customer to make the situation right. Starting a battle with someone when they have a picture of a giant slab of ham hanging off their utensils at your restaurant, is not a good idea.

But Kudos to Kilroys for eventually making it right and keeping their tweets up for all to see.

Of note: Ben did invite Kilroys to discuss their side of the story, as our intention was not to “blast” Kilroys, but provide a learning opportunity for social media managers. We all agreed it would have been interesting to see Kilroys’ rationale for the responses, but, alas, we received no response.

Next, we moved onto the new Facebook changes. Surprise, surprise, right?

Many of us woke up Thursday to find that our Timeline was flipped. Meaning, our pictures and status updates were now on the right side of our profile, and our information about us was on our left. The changes were pretty much just aesthetic, except for one deviation. Maximum sizes of uploaded photos were now 500 x 400 pixels, instead of 400 x 400.

Most of those chatting liked the new change, while Steve felt it made everything a bit too cramped.

Finally, we discussed a couple new things in social media. First, the new “Chat Heads” messaging system for Facebook Mobile and Facebook Home. Most of us liked this feature, but pretty much everyone at the hangout was in agreement that besides the Chat Heads option, Facebook Home as whole was too invasive for a social media platform.

We also covered Twitter’s new music platform, Music.Twitter.com, and Houzz.com, a social media “Pinterest-esque” site for home remodeling, building, and repairs. Both come with our highest recommendation, as we all agree that Twitter is making the right moves to becoming the next social media giant. And Houzz, if you’re into remodeling, is just awesome.

Overall, this was an awesome #DrinkWBS, and it was great a having a special guest on to discuss social media with. We hope you will join us next week, as we will undoubtedly cover another “social media fail,” and discuss the latest and greatest innovations in social media.

The post Food, Fails, and Facebook: A Drink With Ben and Steve Write-Up appeared first on Social Media Consultations | 317-523-9875.

Click on this picture for an example of the optimal size for Facebook uploads on the new Timeline. 500 x 400.

By now, most of you have seen the newest change to your Facebook Timeline. Your photos and status updates now appear on the right side of your Facebook Timeline, and information about you and your interests are now on the left. Basically, everything just flipped.

While the changes appear more aesthetically driven than functional, one difference is quite evident: the size of the photos you can upload without them being cut off.

Previously, as mentioned in our handy reference, the largest size photo you could produce on Facebook without having the picture altered was 403 x 403. Now, after extensive testing, it appears the new size is 500 x 400.

In my opinion, the extra width does make the photo stick out more than it did on the previous Timeline, although I have already heard some complaints that the new size and arrangement makes for a cramped appearing page.

What are your thoughts?

The post The Maximum Upload Photo Size for Latest Facebook Timeline Change appeared first on Social Media Consultations | 317-523-9875.

A friend of ours, Michael Anthony, from Michael Anthony Photography contacted us the other day about a good deed he was doing for his high school alma mater, Northwest High School, in Indianapolis. The deal was that the seniors were not going to be able to have senior portraits this year due to the rising cost of photography set by larger national chains. Michael, who had overcome a lot as kid himself, knew the value of a senior portrait and decided to offer his services to these kids for free.

Thanks to Michael, 125-150 seniors at Northwest will be having their senior portrait and yearbook photo taken for free, Thursday, April 18th, and now will be able to take home a photograph that celebrates their hard work.

We thought this story was too amazing not to share. Below is a press release for any local and national news outlets who want to share this incredible story of giving back to one’s community:

THE FOLLOWING HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED FOR RELEASE BY MICHAEL ANTHONY HARRIS, AND CAN BE USED IN ITS ENTIRETY BY LOCAL AND NATIONAL NEWS SOURCES.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Michael Anthony Photography

3026 Westfall Parkway

Carmel, IN 46033

(317)690-9887

www.picturemichaelanthony.com

“LOCAL IPS GRAD AND PHOTOGRAPHER GIVING BACK TO HIS SCHOOL”

Local photographer and Northwest High School grad, Michael Anthony, will be providing free senior portraits to the graduating class of his alma mater this Thursday, April 18^th, at the school.

The idea of free portraits came after Anthony learned that the school could no longer afford senior portraits for the graduates due to the rising cost of shooting them by the larger national photography companies. Being a graduate of Northwest, Anthony knows first hand the feeling of accomplishment and pride a senior portrait can give to these kids that have had to overcome a lot of obstacles to be where they are.

“As a former student, I know some of the hardships these children face on a daily basis,” Anthony said. “The reason I want to do this is I want to give back to these children and let them know they are not alone.”

From formerly being in these kid’s shoes, Anthony has experienced the tremendous power of the kindness of others who have helped him get to where he is today, and plans to pay it forward to the deserving graduates.

In addition, Anthony hopes to use this time with the kids to share his personal story and show them that through determination and hard work, they can accomplish their dreams and become whatever they want to in life.

The free portraits will be a collaborative effort of local photographers Anthony recruited with the help of Ivy Tech. Anthony would also like to recognize Roberts Camera for their donation of printing supplies, and Mister Quik Home Services for donating lunch for his crew. As a result, Anthony will be able to provide an estimated 125-150 students with a keepsake they can hold onto with pride.

The post Local IPS Grad and Photographer Giving Back To His School appeared first on Social Media Consultations | 317-523-9875.

A new Twitter app, called Twitter Music, is launching and its, reported, purpose is to keep Twitter users on the cutting edge of new and emerging songs and artists.

Twitter recently purchased wearehunted.com, a site that tracked the most popular songs across the Internet and social media, and while that site shutdown and the Twitter Music app is currently invite only, invited influencers, such as Ryan Seacrest, have hinted that Twitter Music is very similar.

“(Twitter Music) shows what artists are trending, also has up and coming artists,” Seacrest tweeted out.

Early reports are that a wide launch may come as soon as the Coachella Music Festival this weekend, April 12-14th, which would be a smart move for Twitter to capitalize when the music talk is at its peak. Plus, this may mean the wait to see what the buzz is about won’t be that long, which is also nice.

Rumors are that Twitter is using Soundcloud and Rdio as platforms for listening, suggesting that Twitter Music may be a large, cross-platform application.

Personally, as a music fan, I always welcome the opportunity to learn about and discover new music. So if Twitter can use its large audience and influence to make it simpler and easier to find new music, I predict big things for Twitter Music.

What are your thoughts?

The post #Music – Music.Twitter.Com Aims to Keep Twitter Users In The Know appeared first on Social Media Consultations | 317-523-9875.