Social Media Archives - Cathy Stucker

Create an Infographic and Go Viral!

September 18, 2013 by Cathy Stucker 4 Comments

One of the most effective and entertaining ways to package a large volume of information is through an infographic. Most people would find an article full of statistics boring, but put them into an infographic and people eat them up!

Infographics get shared on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. On sites such as Reddit, Digg and StumbleUpon, infographics get “upvoted” a lot and are very visible

So, how do you create a winning infographic that generates buzz and traffic?

Begin with a Great Topic
Start with a useful, interesting and unique idea. The concept should involve a topic that people want to know about. Surprising or controversial information will get attention, as will helpful information that teaches how to do something or helps the reader make a decision.

You don’t have to create an infographic about what you do, but you should make your infographic interesting to your target market. For example, if you sell office furniture don’t create an infographic about different types of office furniture. Instead, you could do an infographic on “The 12 Types of Office Jerks” or “9 Ways to Procrastinate without Getting Caught” to capture the attention of office workers.

Do Your Research
The goal of an infographic is to provide a lot of information in a concise format. Gather data from sources like Wikipedia, various government agencies including the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the IRS, books, newspaper articles, magazines and so on.

Do online searches and capture interesting facts, statistics and websites. Use Evernote or your favorite method to compile your research. You may or may not use all of the data in your infographic, but having a lot of information available will help in the final graphic creation process.

Organize Your Data and Tell a Story
Infographics are usually created in Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop, but you can use whatever graphics program you are most comfortable with.

Keep the design simple and clean. Too many effects and embellishments complicate the graphic. Make sure the important message of the infographic is obvious.

Lay out all the data you have in a logical fashion. Make it a story that is unfolding as the reader scrolls down your infographic.

If you aren’t a design wiz, there are DIY infographic templates you can use to create your graphic. Or you can hand off your data to an infographic designer to have them put it together for you. If you do not have a favorite designer, you can find one on sites such as elance or even fiverr.

Once you have a completed infographic, put it up on social bookmarking sites, on your own social media profiles and on your website. Be sure to include an embed code with your infographic to make it easy for people to publish your infographic on their own sites. And include share buttons for the major social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. If the graphic is shocking, funny and informative, you can bet it will spread.

A New Breed of Social Media Sharing – Vine and Your Business

July 25, 2013 by John Gumas 1 Comment

If social media marketing is part of your overall marketing strategy (and it should be!) you know that it can be difficult to get an audience’s attention with the same old social media outlets. Asking questions that have few responses or trying to write posts with personality is no easy task. Lucky for you, a burgeoning new social media platform can help reinvigorate your online presence. Twitter is the owner of the fun and easy social video sharing app Vine. The app was just released in 2013 for iOS users and has recently been made available for Android operators. So what makes Vine standout? The app allows subcribers to upload 6 second videos that can be shared to their Vine feed, Facebook and Twitter. With sound capabilities and video looping Vine is a unique social media tool that can get your audience’s attention with creative video imagery.

Here are 5 reasons Vine can be helpful in marketing your business.

1. Visually appealing

You don’t have to be a Photoshop pro to show off your brand. A creative 6 second video can be produced with simple clicks of your smartphone. Filtered photos with dull captions are a thing of the past as your Vine video can include many unique elements that loop over and over. From drawing and painting to constructing text out of food, the possibilities are endless.

2. Start a conversation

Since Vine videos can be embedded into Twitter feeds or Facebook it’s even easier to produce a trending topic. Not only will your business show their creative side but your audience can as well by asking a question that can then be answered through their own uploaded videos.

3. Show off a product/service

This may be the most influential use of Vine as your audience can literally see what your company has to offer. A 6 second video clip of a new item or a quick scene of your employees hard at work beats reading the usual About page on the company website.

4. Cliff Hanger

Getting your audience to return can be done by creating a series of related videos. The power of the looping video can be used to capture your audience’s attention and build anticipation for an upcoming promotion or event.

5. Be seen

6 seconds is not a lot of time so make it count. Vine can allow your audience to see your company and brand outside of the boring world of text content. The audience can see your company wish them a good morning or feel the excitement of a Friday afternoon. So don’t be afraid to make a connection when your business uses Vine.

John Gumas is the Founder and President of Gumas Advertising, a San Francisco advertising agency that has been providing branding, advertising and marketing services for challenger brands since 1984.