Instagram introduced direct messaging recently. How does it work? Instagram has added an extra icon to the top right corner of your news feed page. If you tap that icon, an inbox will drop down, revealing the messages you have received from friends. To send a photo or video to a specific person, click the camera button and attach the media you'd like the same way you would upload one to your own account. 

Have you ever wondered what makes people want to like a photo you posted on your Instagram account? Is it the content of the photo? Is it the colors? Maybe it is the quality of the photo versus just a random photo you had taken from your camera roll and posted? 

Struggling to gain more Instagram followers? Like most social platforms there is a "time frame and best day" to post. Yes, there is research proving that certain days and times are best for postings, but there are plenty of people at other times that aren't considered ideal that might be better followers to gain than other times.

Since Instagram has announced their release of the video feature - what does this mean for Twitter's app, Vine? Some people have even tweeted about the "dying" app now that Instagram has announced their newest addition. 

In good social fashion, Instagram released their latest feature to their already booming social platform. Like any great social media response - people jumped right on the video bandwagon. People immediately started posting on Twitter about their intentions to use the new video feature and that they will no longer be using their Vine app. Too soon? Maybe people have said the same thing about previous social platforms that may or may not have done well - but are still in use today. 

Social Media is one of the largest, fastest growing mediums online, today. Sit back and think for a minute, is your brand present on the major social media platforms? Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram? If you have not ventured into these platforms yet - you need to. To maintain a strong presence online, your brand will need to establish a profile on each. Here are some tips for your brand to follow when revamping your presence online:

As part of a 'How To' series - we will show you how to enhance your social media strategy, build your online community and engage them! 

Our in house social media gal, Emily Rippe, is assisting with my blog post today and together, we have come up with some tips on how to be "Social Media Ready" for 2013. When I asked Emily what she felt were the best tips to give brands on social media going into 2013, this is what she said, "You're not the only brand on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram anymore (nor were you ever). The rise of brands on social networking sites is more than ever before, and an important thought to have in the back of your mind for 2013 is how to distinguish your business from all the others. Maybe you've been doing this all along, but it's time to step up your game."

Social media can be a tricky animal if you don't know all the rules of marketing your brand correctly. If you want people to know specific information about your brand, social media is the best path to go. Each platform has a different direction when it comes to delivering the content to the users but regardless, that information is important! 

Visual content. What does that include? Well, photos and videos are a good start. Now where and how are you sharing this content? On Twitter? YouTube? Facebook? How about Instagram or Pinterest? If you don't have accounts with any of those mediums - you might be missing out on potential customers or reaching your current ones to keep them engaged.