How to Turn Your Instagram Name Into a Link

We have a few favorite Instagram accounts that we check on a daily basis. During one routine 'gram session we noticed something odd. When typing one person's name, two caret symbols showed up before and after their name. 

After looking at their profile, we noticed their name was actually a link. Thinking this must be a fluke, we dug through forums and discovered you can make your Instagram name linkable. As any social media manager knows, the more opportunities you give users to click through to your content, the better. 

Here's how it's done:

1. Click edit your profile. Add the caret symbols before and after your name. For example, MDPR is now ^MDPR^ 

Hit done.

2. Your name should turn into a link within a few minutes. The caret symbols only show up when you type someone's name in search, not your actual profile.

3. The link will go to the address you have in your profile. For example, MDPR links to monikadixonpr.com.

Do you have any other tips on driving traffic with Instagram? Leave a comment!

By Allison Sickert, MDPR Publicist 

We're Hiring a Social Media Manager!

THIS  POSiTION HAS BEEN FILLED. Exciting news! We're looking for a skilled, enthusiastic Social Media Manager to join the MDPR Team immediately. If you think you are a good fit for the position and would like to apply, please email your resume and at least one writing sample to emily@monikadixonpr.com with the subject 'Social Media Manager'. Please include a brief cover letter in the body of the email explaining why you are a qualified applicant and why you would like to work at MDPR. We look forward to hearing from YOU soon!

Monika Dixon Public Relations creates integrated marketing communication programs using the client’s business objective as a foundation.

MDPR implements custom marketing and social media strategies specifically tailored to clients’ unique needs. Leveraging expertise in media relations, promotional event planning, strategic marketing, and experience in the lifestyle and retail industries, MDPR brings an extensive network into play to generate dynamic results in name recognition and brand awareness.

Monika Dixon Public Relations is seeking an experienced Social Media Manager (SMM). The SMM will develop, strategize, create and execute the social mediapresence for the MDPR company accounts as well as 6+ clients on multiple platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. This includes the creation of written content as well as accompanying graphics/images. All strategy, campaigns, contests, promotions, editorial calendars and daily content are the responsibility of the SMM to be approved by MDPR's CEO. The SMM will maintain and build the social presence of MDPR clients with engaging, relevant content as well as constant interaction with clients' social communities and potential customers. The SMM will be in constant contact with clients to discuss new social media pitches, strategies, etc, so candidate must be comfortable communicating ideas via email or face-to-face. Creativity is key, because the SMM works almost independently to constantly create fresh, engaging content for a range of clients in a range of fields on a daily basis. The SMM will also contribute to MDPR's blog and various client blogs and will be involved in various other MDPR projects, including event coordination and live posting from events. Passion for social media is a must!
Requirements:
-At least 6 months of professional social media experience
-Bachelors degree in communications, public relations or related field
-Strong writing and editing skills
-Ability to multitask, juggle many projects at one time and to handle unexpected work at moment's notice
-Very independent worker who is self-motivated
-Creative thinker who can execute ideas both through copy and graphics
-Graphic design experience (Photoshop is a plus)
-Must know the best practices for various social media networks and stay current with changing trends and technologies
-Willingness to work outside of office hours when needed and attend client events
-Extremely well-versed in Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn and other social media platforms
-Previous experience with email marketing tools like Constant Contact
-Versed in Blogger in order to contribute to MDPR blog and client blogs
-Effective communicator
-Experience analyzing and reporting social media metrics
-Previous experience within the lifestyle industry is a plus
-Familiar with Eventbrite.com and WordPress to update MDPR website
-Must be available to occasionally attend evening and weekend events

Handy Twitter Tools

Public relations is a mixture of social media, marketing, event planning and so much more.  With social media being such a huge part of day to day life, I wanted to share some helpful Twitter tips that won’t only make managing your personal account easier, but tips that will work wonders in dealing with managing your clients’ accounts, especially when staying on top of search terms and hashtags can seem like a full-time job!

Check out these sites that make tweeting, tracking and reporting as easy as a click of a button:

Click to Tweet: This twitter tool provides the press and media with content and also encourages them to tweet about your story quickly while maintaining your preferred message.  All you have to do is go to the site, compose the tweet and then embed the link in the press release or pitch.  How easy could it get!

Mobile Alerts:  One of the best features to Twitter is the mobile alert.  You are able to set up alerts that will be sent directly to your phone via text message for any brand or person you follow. 

To set up Twitter alerts, go onto the Twitter feed for the person/brand you would like alerts from, click on the little icon of the person’s head and the last option in the dropdown menu is “turn on mobile notifications.” Once you set up the first one with your phone number and the times you want to receive the texts, the rest are just a click of a button!

Twilert:  This website is super helpful because it is basically like Google Alerts for Twitter!  You can set up any search term or hashtag and you’ll get a daily email with all the tweets containing that search item.  This tool is really great if you’re keeping tabs on your clients because any news tweeted about them is sent directly to you!

Tweet Reach:  This tool is a great reporting system for tweets.  You choose any hashtag or link that you want to track and you are quickly able to pull a Tweet Reach report to measure the number of tweets, their reach and other cool stats.  It even includes pie charts and a printable PDF that you can send to your clients.

Tchat: This tool is for those who participate in Twitter chats.  If you’ve ever been a part of one, you know how confusing and annoying it is to constantly refresh the tweets with the desired hashtag.  Well Tchat is the saving grace to chats on Twitter.  The site allows you to input the conversation hashtag and then easily follow the chat by logging in; if you want to chime in, all you do is compose the tweet and the hashtag is already attached!  Brilliant.

Try out some of these Twitter tricks and I promise, tracking, researching and tweeting will become a million times easier.

Do you have any other tools that might make social media easier to manage?  Let us know by leaving a comment or by tweeting us at @MonikaDixonPR!

By Ashley Siech, MDPR Contributor 

A Less Stressful Email Inbox

We've all experienced it. We step away from our desk for a total of 20 minutes and BAM! -- just like that, we have an inbox full of emails urgently awaiting our attention. And the anxiety ensues. 

Well, me might have a way to ease this never-ending cycle called we've dubbed 'e-problems'. 

Enter Mailbox, a new iPhone and iPad app that works alongside Gmail to create more user-friendly, anxiety-reducing email experience. 

Mailbox is navigated almost entirely with a simple swiping motion:

-Quickly swipe right to archive. 

-Long swipe right to delete.

-Swipe left to snooze an email.

-Long swipe left to add to a list.

Yes, you read correctly. You can snooze an email to be re-enter your inbox at a later date and time that you designate. This is perfect for important messages that aren't necessarily urgent. 

For those that dislike Gmail's email threads as much as we do (is it not impossible to follow a string of conversations!?), you'll love the format of Mailbox. Conversations are displayed in a more chat-like layout, with the thread in chronological order. This way, you can catch the conversation in the sequence it occurred rather than begin at the end as in Gmail.

One warning: do not be alarmed when you see the number on the app icon indicating the amount of emails you have awaiting you. The number indicates how many total emails you have (read and unread), as opposed to Gmail's count of only unread messages. 

We're definitely give this app a try! Anything to make looking at our inbox a little more bearable. 

Giving it a try yourself? Let us know your thoughts by tweeting us at @MonikaDixonPR! 


By Emily Cleary, MDPR Social Media Director

The Latest Social Media Updates

One thing I especially love about social media is that the different platforms are constantly rolling out new updates that better (or, in some cases, worsen) their respective experiences. Social media is always changing, which is exciting. But those changes require constant researching, learning and adjusting. Just when you feel like you've mastered it, it goes and changes on you. To keep you in the loop and to hopefully ease the transition tension a bit, I've recapped the latest social media updates that you might want to know about. 

1. Pinterest - Now when you pin a story or article, in addition to the photo and link, the author's name, article title, brief description and a larger link will appear. This should encourage the pinning of more articles, as users do on Facebook and Twitter. 

2. Facebook - Made an error in your status update but noticed just after you clicked 'Share'? Delete no more. You can now simply click the arrow in the top right of the status window and select 'Edit.' It's about time!

3. Twitter - Photos embedded in tweets are now larger, creating a 'bold visual focus on the media.' This is great news for those who tend to put out very visual-heavy content.

4. Twitter - A new push notification sends recommendations when several people in your network either follow the same user or RT the same tweet. Use these recommendations as they are tailored specifically to you! This ensures you're as informed as possible about what's trending amongst your connections.

5. Instagram - If you have the new iOS 7 software and updated your Insta app, you may have noticed an aesthetically altered layout and feed. Photos and videos are larger and profile images now appear in the shape of a circle. 

6. Facebook - Only three days old, this new Facebook update is not yet accessible by all users. The revamped graph search will allow users to search for topics within status updates, posts and comments. Searching by time periods or locations is now possible as well. (Something along the lines of 'Posts by my friends from last week.') This update puts Facebook on a more competitive level of play when it comes to being conducive to real-time conversations. In other words, it's striving to compete with Twitter in this department. Whether or not it can remains to be seen.

I'll be back next week with some more social media related news for you to consume, but until then, if you have any news of your own, questions or tips, please feel free to tweet us at @MonikaDixonPR. Or Instagram...whichever you prefer. And please share this if you found it helpful!

By Emily Cleary, MDPR Social Media Director  

#SMWChicago

As a Social Media Week (known to those savvy as #SMWChicago) newbie, I attended this weeklong production with no expectations or previously acquired feedback. I went in blind. I left with renewed, even enhanced, vision. Vision for social media strategy, that is.

While I'm constantly immersed in the world of social networking, I never rule out an opportunity to learn more, research more and expand my skills. That's the nature of this industry. It's constantly changing, so the learning and application process simply never ends. And thus, my desire to strengthen my knowledge follows suit.

If you were not able to attend #SMWChicago - a weeklong production of events, lectures, promotions and seminars hosted by Zocalo Group and Tribune Company, I've compiled a list of helpful tips and facts I took away from the eight seminars I attended. As there were many, many lectures I could not attend, I also scoured Twitter and pulled useful information that was live-tweeted by eager attendees during the events. In no specific order or correlation, here are some quick tips via #SMWChicago. Remember, these are just general tips and might not be the best practices for your specific social media purposes.

Random Facts:

• When it comes to social content, CADENCE is key. If you don't know what it means, click here. In other words, you should always have a 'steady drumbeat of content.'
• Sweepstakes or contents often help gain short term rather than long term fans. 
• Brands should not feel obligated to speak out socially during or following a tragedy. If it doesn't somehow directly relate to your brand, it doesn't make sense and might look like you are simply trying to piggyback off of someone else's misfortune for your own benefit. 
• Consumers see 2,904 marketing messages per day. Of those, they only pay attention to 52 and will only remember four. Be strategic and smart with your messaging.
• When determining social strategy, three crucial questions to ask are: 

1. Who are we and what is our voice? 
2. Who is the audience? 
3. What are our key objectives? (i.e. More foot traffic in store, Increased sales, More likes)

• Social content should be only 10% about your brand, products and promotions. The remaining 90% should be content related to your consumer's overall lifestyle.
• Always carry out the over-arching brand message in all content, even if the post is not directly about the product or brand. 
• An effective way to interact with consumers and followers is to crowd source. Ask your consumer to share moments of them using the product or service. 
• When writing copy, to avoid sounding inhuman, ask yourself: "Is this how you would say this to a friend?"
• Why 140 characters on Twitter? It forces creativity and self-editing.
• Terms to know:
• Viral Coefficient: The number of people that a new user shares content with.
• Cycle Time: The length of time it takes that user to share the content.
• Four criteria to consider when creating social content:
• Nostalgia
• Humor
• Identity - Will sharing content make the user look good?
• What's Hot - What's trending/popular?
• Use lists with odd numbers. We gravitate towards odd numbers and 80% of users only read headlines. 
• No more than two sentences per paragraph.
• Always try to use a photo or graphic when posting on Facebook. 

Ways to increase SEO with social:

• The first 40-42 characters of your Twitter bio are extremely visible to search engines. The first 27 are like 'rocket fuel.' Choose these words wisely, using crucial keywords. 
• 'Write for human beings first but understand the rules of the robot.' - Amy Guth 
• Use Twitter lists to your advantage:
• When you create a Twitter list, an additional URL is created to be picked up in searches.
• Choose title effectively, using keywords you want to be picked up in search engines. (ex: Social Media Editors)
• Each time a member of your list tweets, it sends that to search engines. 
• Inactive members bring your SEO for Twitter lists down, so remove members that don't tweet regularly. 
• Make your list public so that search engines can see it. 
• Regularity of content rather than volume is more favorable on Twitter.
• Twitter Rule of Thirds
• 1/3 of the time, share your own content.
• 1/3 of the time, share information related to your experise that you did not create.
• 1/3 of the time, interact with users. (RT, thanks for RT-ing, engage in conversation, etc.)
• When uploading images/videos to Flickr, YouTube and Pinterest, rename the file to the name of the person (people) in the photo or the name of the event. (ex: Monika_Dixon.jpg) File names are very visible to search engines.
• On LinkedIn, it is very important to fill out all information on your profile. The 'Summary' section is most visible in searches, so use keywords, and make sure they are at the beginning of the text. Write the 'Summary' and job descriptions section in third person. It may feel awkward, but this is helpful with SEO.
• Things you must know about Google+
• The 'Story' section is very visible in search. Make sure this is complete with keywords, written in the third person and is made public. 
• Build a profile, even if you are not ready to use it socially. Simply having the profile will help with SEO.
• Twitter and Google+ are the most important social media platforms to keep current. Inactivity on these hurts SEO the most. 

Live Tweet Tips:

As a parting gift, I wanted to share this video, which includes some really fascinating statistics about social media. Prepare to be amazed!

To get the full effect of #SMWChicago, visit their website, or search the #smwchicago hashtag to see the bits of wisdom that attendees felt was important enough to share with the Twitterverse. 

And as always, if you have any questions, please ask by commenting below or tweeting to @emilycleary10!

By Emily Cleary, MDPR Social Media Director

iOS 7 Update

Well, by now you've probably heard all the buzz about Apple's most recent mobile software update - iOS 7. Sure, you've heard the 'buzz', but chances are you aren't quite sure what all the fuss is about. Lucky for all of us, Mashable pulled together a list of features boasted by the update. This should help you decide if you're ready to download or if you'd rather just stick to what you know. 

This is just the shorthand version, so if you want all the juicy details, you can read the whole Mashable article here. 

1. The Look - Brighter, more colorful, cleaner, sleeker with a top-to-bottom renovation.

2. Control Center - A new location and totally reorganized. The control center is not only the place to do everything from switching to Airplane mode to adjusting brightness, it is now also home to the calculator, alarm clock and more.

3. Lock Screen - Colorful with a new design and updated buttons.

4. Gestures - Now, swiping allows you to do so much more, including swiping away Safari browsers to close.

5. Animations - Subtle animations make everything so much more fun.

6. Font - Helvetica Neue is easy on the eyes.

7. Wallpapers - Beautiful new images offer more variety when it comes to assigning a background photo.

8. Spotlight - Now accessible from any screen by swiping your finger from the top of the screen downward.

9. Zooming - A feature with mixed reviews, tapping an app now opens the content by zooming out from the icon.

10. Photos - Pictures are now organized based on time and place, so locating images is much simpler. And the mosaic display is nice to look at. One of our favorite new features - pick and select effects and filters before a picture is taken.

11. Weather - Hour-by-hour predictions scroll in a row, a lighter background and more functionality. Moving graphics across the top also show current weather in a subtle, but visually appealing way.

12. Folders - Now there is no limit to the number of apps you can fit into a folder, which makes for a much more organized home screen.

13. Ringtones - New tones are actually bearable.

14. Email - Noticeably and remarkably faster.

15. Preview of Open Apps - Double-click the home button and view all applications, webpages and programs that have been recently opened. Simply swipe an app off the screen to close it.

16. Calendar - Simplified and more useful, including convenient scrolling from month to month. 

Sounds enticing, right? Let us know what you think of the new software or share some iOS 7 tricks with us by tweeting to @monikadixonpr or commenting below!

By Emily Cleary, MDPR Social Media Director

The Secret's Out!

If you follow us on Instagram, then you probably noticed a couple eye-catching videos we posted last week. You may have taken note of them because they weren't your typical Insta vids. They were almost like slideshows; a series of images and/or graphics strung together, some containing music and text. Upon first glance, it may have been apparent that these were not videos created solely using Instagram. If this was your assumption, then you were correct. 

Due to a large volume of inquiries (texts, comments, calls) about the videos, we have decided to share our short-lived secret.

We cannot take credit for the platform that allowed us to create these fun videos, but we will happily admit to having discovered it ahead of the curve. Oh, the perks of constantly being 'plugged in'...!

Without further ado, I bring to you the iPhone application to which you will soon be addicted...FLIPAGRAM. 

Rather than try to explain the features of this app to you, I am going to suggest you download it and begin exploring. That's how I recommend learning all of its capabilities. And in case you need a little bit of beginner's guidance, this four-step graphic might be helpful. 

The basic gist:
-Select photos from your camera roll or Instagram pictures.
-Arrange them in the order you prefer.
-Add a title, music and adjust the length of time you'd like each photo to appear.
-Save and share your completed video. 

A few details to be aware of:
-If you would like the whole video to appear in Instagram's 15 second time frame, you should select 'Auto Time For Instagram.' This ensures that all images will appear in the allotted 15 seconds.
-The video appears in a square frame, so you might want to crop or re-size your photos accordingly.
-To access your images directly from Instagram, you must sign in by clicking the sign in button at the bottom of the home screen.

As you saw, some of our videos contained graphics. We created those in a separate application and uploaded them as photos from our camera roll.

Now it's time to impress everyone with your fancy new social media videos! Good luck & get crafty!
We want to see your videos, so be sure to tag us at @monikadixonpr. We'll choose one that knocks our socks heels off and feature it next week! And as always, if you have any social media questions, tweet them to Emily (me!) at @emilycleary10. 

By Emily Cleary, MDPR Insider

Hashtag Lingo & Social Media Updates

If you're left in a haze of confusion every time you see #ootd, #ff, #tbt and so on, chances are, you're probably not alone. Unless your friends with a hashtag savant, navigating your way through this daunting lingo is not easy. To get you up to speed, I've compiled a short list of hashtags you need to know in order to understand the language of social networking. #goodluck

#FF - Follow Friday {used on Fridays as a way for users to suggest new accounts to follow}

#tbt - Throwback Thursday {used on Thursdays when posting a picture from the past}

#fbf - Flashback Friday {used on Fridays when posting a picture from the past}

#yolo - You Only Live Once {used to indicate an activity that demonstrates living on the edge or taking a risk}

#oh - Overheard {used to share information that was overheard by the user}

#ootd - Outfit of the Day {used when showing an image of what your daily outfit}

Other headlines news you need to know!

-A Twitter update that was released Wednesday makes it much easier to keep up with Twitter conversations. Rather than having to click 'expand', Twitter users will now see up to three Tweets from a conversation in their newsfeed, all in chronological order and connected by a straight line.

-While it was announced that GIF files would be supported by Facebook, it was clarified today that this is not the case. Facebook does not support .gif files. Read all the drama behind the issue here.

-The rollout of a new Facebook 'shared albums' feature has begun. This update allows users to create albums and invite up to 50 people to contribute, and those 50 users can then each add up to 200 photos. Let the sharing begin!

-Facebook has loosened the rules regarding contests and giveaways on businesses pages. While previously having to conduct a giveaway through a third party application, businesses can hold giveaways straight from their pages and can encourage liking, commenting, sharing and messaging directly to their page as a contest requirement. Find all the details here.  

Speaking of giveaways...Wax On Wax Off Salon & Spa is holding a contest next week on Facebook and Twitter that you definitely don't want to miss!

Have any social media questions or need a hashtag translated? We're here to help! Comment below or tweet us at @MonikaDixonPR!

By Emily Cleary, MDPR Social Media Director

Three Tech Destinations for the Fashionista

You're getting ready at night and can't decide on the perfect outfit. So what do you do? Ask your closest friend, of course. Not anymore! With a whole world of fashion app users out there, you can now get a truly unbiased opinion from someone halfway across the world. That's just one of the many reasons that you need to explore these three fashion apps and social media networks!

1. Pose

This iPhone and iPad app is the answer to the what to wear dilemma. Snap a pic of your look(s) and ask for opinions. Or, if you see an outfit you like for fall, add it to your 'Fall into Fashion' collection. The best part? There's a tagging tool that allows users to identify the brand or individual items in their outfit. What does this mean for you? No need to fiercely surf the web looking for the latest item of your dreams. Simply click the item and find out where and how to get it. Essentially, Pose lets you see and shop looks put together by the trendsetters of the world! Or at least the millions that have caught on to this savvy network.

2. Keep

If you've ever experienced frustration on Pinterest because you see something you have to have, but can't find where to buy it, then Keep.com is for you. Keep.com is an image-driven feed of products that will make your friends say, 'Where'd you find that?" This website not only gives you inspiration, but the power to make that inspiration real through purchases. With the latest trends in fashion, decor, accessories and design curated by a community of top tastemakers, you're bound to find your newest obsession when browsing through Keep.com's never ending stream of beautiful items. Really love something? 'Like' it. Need to have it? 'Keep' it. And don't forget to 'follow' your favorite Keepers. 

3. StyleBook

Although this iPhone and iPad app is new on our radar, we can definitely see ourselves getting hooked quickly. Remember the jealously you felt in the 90s when you first saw Cher's high tech closet in Clueless? Well, be envious no more. StyleBook allows you to virtually organize your closet piece by piece, map out your next outfit, test out store items with your outfit for compatibility and even allows you to get stats on your clothes to determine which items you (gasp) repeat most often. With Stylebook, mixing and matching the items you own becomes incredibly easy, and the organizational aspect will make sure you never forget about an item in the back of your closet. 

Being tech-savvy never looked so chic!

By Emily Cleary, MDPR Social Media Director