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Infographics: What are they and What's their Purpose?

Posted by Kevin Lyle Dillon on March 7, 2012 at 4:30pm

(Source: Web Marketing Group)


 Infographics are quite trendy these days throughout the marketing and tech community. It's not difficult to see why. Through infographics, marketers and researchers are now able to provide substantial information/statistics while still be able to appeal visually. But, what exactly is an infographic?

Put simply, an infographic is 50% informational (INFO-) and 50% visual (-GRAPHIC). It's that simple. An infographic is the result of both research and analysis on a specific topic. (i.e. car shoppers during the holidays) While some may knock the infographic as just being another fad or trend, you must remember this: More than half of us are Visual learners.

What Purpose do Infographics serve?

  • They build links. Chances are if someone finds your infographic useful, they'll share it and it link it back to your website, blog, etc. This helps immensely to increase your visibility. And, when people continue to link back to your website, you'll receive more traffic.
  • Possibility of Virality Is there anything more powerful than Word of Mouth? More specifically, is there anything more powerful than a "Viral campaign" in 2012? Yeah, I didn't think so. If you create a stunning infographic with substantial facts and stats, the more people will share it, and the more people share it, the better the chance of it going viral. It doesn't have to be shared by everyone on the internet. It can go viral in your field (automotive).
  • Branding If you create a visually attractive infographic embedded with logo on it, it will help to increase awareness of your brand in both your local area and a more national scale. As Web Marketing Group points out, "using infographics are scalable, shareable and brandable."

My Take on Infographics:

I think infographics are awesome--and, that they're here to stay. Being a writer, it's hard to admit, but the truth is that people don't read as much as they used to, meaning that they're more likely to click on your infographic than they are to click on your blog post. "Hey, look it's shiny!" Infographics are not only appealing visually, but they also enhance and inform your marketing strategy in regards to SEO, online visibility and brand awareness.

So, perhaps, the next time you plan on writing a blog post featuring different statistics, you might want to hold onto those stats and embed them into a nice little graphic for everyone to enjoy.

[Source: Web Marketing Group]

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Instead Of Marketing, Businesses Should Be Using Social Media For Customer Support (RePost from DrivingSales) Written by JD Rucker

Posted by Sean V. Bradley on February 24, 2012 at 10:38am

The trend for the last 3 or 4 years has been for businesses to try to tap into social media as a broadcasting tool. It's not universal, but many (most) see social media as a place to post their messages to prospective clients in hopes of switching on the social media faucet that touches a billion people worldwide.

The promise of social media for businesses, particularly local ones, has only been seen by a small percentage. Most believe there's something there, but they aren't certain that their efforts are going anywhere. In many cases, they're not. It's not that social media is so challenging that only the select few can get in, nor is it that there's no value in it.

It's about intention. Those with the intention of sheer marketing with social media will likely be met with limited rewards. People don't go to Facebook or Twitter to see what they want to buy or which services to select. They go to engage, to have fun, and to experience the virtual filter on the real world that social media has to offer them.

In other words, they don't want to see marketing. If and when they're ready to interact with a business through social media, it's because they have questions or needs that can be fulfilled through easy-access communication. This is the part that most businesses are missing.

The real promise of social media is not just to business, but lies an the center between business and consumer. More internet time is spent on social media than any other category; in fact, it's equal to the next three on the list (games, email, and portals) combined.

Businesses want to take advantage of this fact and many are trying, but customer service management is still 3rd on the list of initiatives they perform on social media with brand reputation management and driving promotions above it. This is backwards. Most businesses can achieve their top two goals by focusing on the customers themselves.

It comes down to a lack of understanding. Those who are able to focus their attention on their customers through social media will gain a better reputation and find it easier to broadcast their promotions as a result. It's counter-intuitive to all other forms of interactions with customers, but it makes sense once one realizes the true capacity of the medium.

 (Click Link for InfoGraph) http://www.tkcarsites.com/support-gets-social-pid21494

 

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