Before Your Next Paid Instagram Ad, Read This

Before Your Next Paid Instagram Ad, Read This

All Posts, Marketing, Social Media

Contrary to what most think, email is actually still very much relevant and effective. I say that because I received an email from Nick at Delmondo (they’re a video analytics company) and one of the articles was about Generation Z and Millennials and their feelings on Instagram and SnapChat. You can read the full article here on Adweek’s website.

I use both platforms, yet I personally enjoy Instagram over Snapchat. That may be because I’m a photographer and enjoy pictorial art over video, or maybe it is an age thing? Still the infographic the created by Adweek was actually pretty informative and well worth the few minutes of your time to review if you’ve been considering paid ads on Instagram and SnapChat. We at Design Theory have paid for boosted posts and ads on IG and have found some moderate results in the way of increased traffic to our website landing page, likes, and engagement. However the statistics that most in this infographic either don’t pay attention to the ads they see or don’t remember them is alarming.

snapchat-infographic
Infographic: Carlos Monteiro

If these two demographics are your target audience you’ll certainly want to check your analytics and impression stats to see just how effective your posts are, and also the social media platform and determine if it’s working for you. Obviously you want your brand awareness to improve and grow, that’s the main reason (or should be) for paid advertising. However you should be vigilant about how and where you spend your marketing dollars. Just because you’re paying for it doesn’t mean it’s worth it – or is enough!

Have you been thinking about marketing your brand, products, or services on Instagram and SnapChat? If you have questions feel free to contact us, and if you have some testimonies about your experience we’d love to hear about them too.

Compelling and Captivating Infographics

Content & Copywriting, Infographics, Marketing, Product Reviews

Infographic general designMost marketers know that one of the best ways to convey pertinent information, especially statistical data, is through infographics.  When potential or new clients ask me what they are, I often say “it is a visually pleasing and engaging way to consume medium to large quantities of information.”  The purpose of the infographic is as multidimensional as the design. Over the years, I have seen infographics used for a variety of purposes – educational, political, business soliciting – you name it.

One that recently caught my attention, made me start thinking about companies and organizations purposes, agendas and the like, that are using this “visually pleasing and engaging” method of marketing to accomplish the their vision and goals.  Join me as we journey though some of the most compelling and captivating infographics published to date.

Peta’s Life of a Cow infographic tops many emotion-evoking infographic lists.  It educates consumers, encourages veganism, and intentionally elicits emotional pain over what baby calves go through to become dairy- and food-producing options.  This infographic holds nothing back when it comes to mapping out the beginning with the fear-inflicted eyes of the baby calf to the ill-fated end of becoming dinner.

Domestic violence is a huge issue in our society, in the U.S. and abroad. It can be physical, sexual, emotional; and the least publicized, psychological.  Millions of Americans, women AND men, have been victims of domestic violence and this infographic displays the ugly truths of these heinous acts.  Developed by NowSourcing for Socialworkdegreeguide.com, Exposing What Happens Behind Closed Doors, is an educational infographic reflecting truth, demographics, and current statistics.  From the first, engaging image through the un-ignorable statistics, this in-depth domestic violence awareness all-in-one definitely does what it should.

Sure to get a few guffaws, this infographic from Killer Infographics is sure to crack the corners of your mouth with statements that most people think but don’t have the guts to say.  I’m Cooler Than You Because…was designed in 2013 to showcase “why certain people are cooler than other people” relying on “bold icons and funny copy to make this infographic super effective!”  And that it does!  So if you don’t have a bunch of nay-saying, humorless colleagues, post this in your cube to surely receive a few laughs and engaging conversation.  And in case you didn’t know and are bold enough to rock it, you can get this on apparel by visiting here.

Eye-opening content is always welcome in my book, and as well, that which is shockingly truthful.  In the 21 Shocking U.S. Food Waste Facts & Statistics, the designers at AZ Solutions, ensure you are well aware as to how much food wasting goes on and its riveting impact. So many of us do it in one way or another, but I had no idea that my disregarding, no left-overs mentality impacts the masses. It was compelling enough to  change both my mind and my own behaviors.

So there you have it folks, just a few jaw-dropping, tear-welling and knee slapping infographics that are out there.  Stay tuned as I may address this topic again in the future and once again reveal why well thought out, skillfully designed infographics are such captivating and compelling content around.

Creating Great Content In a Time Crunch

All Posts, Content & Copywriting, Infographics, Marketing, Social Media

What’s Trending…
Choose a topic currently trending in your industry or that of your client.  Yahoo! and the various Social Media outlets are great sources for quick, current topics.

Keep A Stash
When the clock is not your friend, you need to have a reserve that you can quickly draw from.  Try to jot down some topics and/or write a few lines about a particular topic so that when your back is against the wall, you don’t need to waste time trying coming up with new ideas.

Change The Format
Rather than being “informative” and using the written method, choose to do an instructional video on a topic you have adequate knowledge of.  This can be a very effective and engaging form of blogging.  You can also choose to create a quick Infographic as another great way to convey key information in a visually pleasing and quick manner.

Quality vs. Quantity
Writing about something you are passionate about or have adequate knowledge about is a sure way to write well.  But to produce this kind of blog, don’t get caught up in the 700+ words of your average, well-researched blog post.  Stick to what you know and convey it in a confident and concise manner.  Direct, key points work best.

Use Imagery to Fill White Space
Using relevant imagery to support your topic is a great way to fill up the white space of your blog.  In your spare time search for & purchase various images on iStockphoto or 123rf and keep a reserve that you can quickly draw from.

End with a Call to Action
Calls to Action take a little more pressure off the writer and puts some of the onus on the reader.  It’s another great way to engage your readership by creating dialogue about your blog and hopefully a following.

Save Editing For Last
Once you start to write, write-write-write!  Don’t stop to correct, edit or add hyperlinks, images or anything else. Save the clean up work for last.

Last Words
These simple steps will allow you to create a quick yet informative blog in a fraction of the time.  Remember folks, you’re not going for a Pulitzer.  So do what’s needed, do it well and then click post.

 

It’s All About the Hook in Link Baiting!

All Posts, Branding, Content & Copywriting, Marketing, Social Media, Web Design

What in the world is Link Baiting?
In the simplest form, it is the act of creating any content within a website, advertisement or blog that is designed to gain attention and more importantly, encourages people to link to its original form.  The goal of link baiting is to leverage content to become an extremely powerful form of marketing.  Some feel it’s another tool to acquire the currency of SEO.  Let’s talk about how it can be the biggest fish in the pond of SEO, why it’s important to get others hooked into it and then what it really reels in for you and your business.

To completely understand its meaning you have to understand what is at the heart of its composition.  Link-baiting goes way beyond words within the content of your website, advertisement and/or blog.  Aside from text, it can also be an image, audio or video clip.  Any of these can be effective link baits as long as they are interesting enough to catch people’s attention.  And once someone has clicked onto one of these vehicles, you want them to share it and hence great amount of traffic for your content.  And that’s the goal-for some part of your content to become the Los Angeles freeway at 5pm.  Think about how popular blogs have become that have infographics or videos. Videos gone viral on You Tube can take a no-name person or product and spread it like wildfire. Its all about engagement, the tantalizing, wiggly worm on the hook just waiting to be nibbled.
Now that you understand what it is, where & how do you use it?
What-For blogs you definitely need a strong & compelling headline to capture the readers’ attention and engage them.  Take for instance this blog.  “Link baiting” is a popular, strongly researched topic.  So having a witty “hook” title will return good traffic once its out there.  And while the “body” of the work needs to be strong and compelling to keep you entertained, its important to hook you right off the bat with the title.  If a title doesn’t create intrigue then you won’t get the readership; and without readership, your content just floats along lonely in the sea of the worldwide web…you don’t want it to be Dory in Nemo singing “keep on swimming” – lol.
Where -You want your content on all major Social Media sites to ensure good dissemination.  Period – it’s that simple.
How-A simple example is making sure to add links to your website and/or blog to a witty catch-phrase let’s say on Twitter.  I plan to do it with this very blog so check me out on Twitter to see this concept hard at work. https://twitter.com/#!/Dt_Yvonne  You can also add a video or audio clip to your content so that others will want to share it. http://blog.jpdesigntheory.com/why-website-content-is-important-video-interview/ For most businesses, the goal of disseminating information  is to generate business as well as inform in some nature-whether it’s to sell shoes or trying to get elected as Mayor.  Therefore the process of employing effective link baiting requires preparing the hook with the best content.  Oh by the way- GOTCHYA!

If I didn’t persuade you enough, check out this listing from Wikipedia which offers some of the most common approaches to effective link baiting:

  • Informational hooks – Provide information that a reader may find very useful. Some rare tips and tricks or any personal experience through which readers can benefit.
  • News hooks – Provide fresh information and obtain citations and links as the news spreads.
  • Humor hooks – Tell a funny story or a joke. A bizarre picture of your subject or mocking cartoons can also prove to be link bait.
  • Evil hooks – Saying something unpopular or mean may also yield a lot of attention. Writing about something that is not appealing about a product or a popular blogger.
  • Tool hooks – Create some sort of tool that is useful enough that people link to it.
  • Widgets hooks – A badge or tool that can be placed or embedded on other websites, with a link included.
  • Unique content hooks – This hook is intended for people that are in need of unique content or articles for traffic or AdSense revenue. This became popular after Google implemented Duplicate Contents Filter and sites with duplicate contents saw fall in traffic. To use this hook, you have to create unique content and give it out to bloggers and webmasters with an obligation to link back to your site.
  • Curated hooks – A content that links out to other websites by citing them as resources naturally attracts linkers and have high chances of going viral as the mentioned sites in the link bait are most likely to link to the site and share it through their own networks.

Always remember that your content must be current (ripping something tantalizing from the headlines of major reporting forums such as nightly news, respectable magazines or newspapers) and is a great form of SEO currency.  Don’t let your creativity dwindle when it comes to achieving this objective.  Remember, the ultimate goal of all this is to create buzz and get people to share your content and its links – which hopefully hooks bank for your business.