It's officially spring! We're excited about longer days and warmer weather. Change is definitely in the air and it is catching on, from social media to design, and much, much more.   

HOW IT WILL CHANGE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY  

Like it or not, Facebook's new user interface, dubbed "Timeline," is here to stay. By the end of March, the once-optional feature will become a mandatory component of every individual and business profile. While you may not love the new Timeline on a personal level, some of its features might prove to be valuable for your company's page.   

Since social media isn't going anywhere, it's important to embrace these changes instead of fight them. Here are some important updates to help you navigate the new Facebook landscape:   

1. Optional Message Button: This private messaging feature allows fans to communicate with your business or voice negative feedback in a one-on-one environment. Best of all, this messaging is private, so the public doesn't have access to customer rants. The benefits? Optional messaging gives you the opportunity to identify service or product weaknesses so that you can provide a solution and defuse the situation in real time. Customers want to be heard, and this provides them with that platform.  
2. Pinning: This allows you to keep a particular promotion or offer at the forefront of your page for a full week. So, while you continue to populate your page with daily information and status updates, you can also keep timely messages at the top, where they won't get lost.   
3. Administrator Access: You'll be able to assign up to five different degrees of access for page administrators, and gain access to real-time analytics surrounding popular activity metrics.
4. Cover Photo: This provides an opportunity to put your brand's personality on display.  
5. Custom Tabs: With this feature, you can now have large icons linking to your custom tabs (like Social Campaigns) at the top of your timeline----giving them more visibility.

While the changeover to Timeline may seem a bit overwhelming, our GDS Social Media specialists are here to guide you through the process. Rest assured, if we are already managing your Facebook account, we will help you create a memorable Timeline. And, if we are not already managing your Social Media, maybe we should be. Give us a call and we can talk about integrating this important strategy into your overall marketing plan....because social media is a critical, ever-evolving part of the media landscape.      

Cover Features GDS Retro Designs  

The first time, we were psyched; the second and third times, we were honored; and the fourth and fifth time, we were pleasantly surprised to be featured on the SignCraft Magazine cover.  

Now, we've been selected for our SIXTH magazine cover--and we're nothing short of pumped! The latest edition of SignCraft showcases one of our favorite retro truck wraps on the front cover. Dan's feature article about GDS' retro branding work contains six more photos of our phenomenal truck wraps.

Since Dan is fascinated by the genre of retro and vintage logo design, it makes the current cover that much sweeter of an accomplishment.  

To read the entire article (and see the awesome retro truck wraps featured), check out our blog.