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Let’s be honest, we don’t like to read big pieces of text. Text-heavy graphs are rather difficult for understanding, especially when dealing with numbers and statistics. That is why illustrations and flowcharts are often used for such kind of information.

An infographic, or a visual representation of study or data, like anything else, can be done right or wrong. How to create a successful infographic? A good idea and a good design.

 

Stop by the link for more on what defines an infographic, what contributes to its popularity, as well as the various types of infographics and references for tutorials and best practices.

 

Additional topics covered include:

The major parts of an infographic How to create an infographic Developing ideas & organizing data Research & sources Typography, graphics & color Facts & conclusions Designing & Editing
Via Lauren Moss

A simple guide to understanding how to effectively use Twitter hashtags in marketing and how you shouldn't! [note mg]

 

Every time we host live webinars (and as this long list suggests, that is quite often), quite a few attendees get confused about what to do with the hashtag we provide. What is it? What does it do? How do you create one? Let me explain!

 

What is a hashtag?

 

A Twitter hashtag is simply a keyword phrase, spelled out without spaces, with a pound sign (#) in front of it. For example, #inboundchat and #ILoveChocolate are both hashtags.

 

What does a hashtag do?

 

A Twitter hashtag ties the conversations of different users into one stream, which you can find by searching the hastag in Twitter Search or by using a third-party monitoring tool such as HootSuite.

 

Read more: http://bit.ly/K8LKcQ

Via Martin Gysler

There’s a reason that when companies call me about SEO, Paid Search, or Social Advertising, we always end up speaking about Analytics as well. The reason is simple. If you don’t have a rounded analytics strategy, then you won’t have a solid understanding of how your campaigns perform. In addition, if you don’t have the mechanisms in place to easily see how visitor segments perform, then important questions could go unanswered. And that’s not good for enhancing your business.

Enter the Conversion Goal
Concepts in Web Analytics can get confusing. You have event tracking, conversion goals, success events, multi-channel funnels, profiles, filters, dimensions, regular expressions, etc. This is one of the reasons that too many companies slap a tracking code on their websites and call it a day. The problem is that an “out of the box” Google Analytics implementation will only get you so far. Sure, you’ll get the basics, but that won’t necessarily help you glean insights that can boost ROI.

 

Read more: http://bit.ly/HO3oZ5

Via Martin Gysler

Competitive research is an area that’s either completely overlooked by a brand, or taken to an extreme level while missing the basic goals that need to be reached. Because competitive research becomes a cornerstone for strategy development, it’s important to research from inside the trees, and outside of the forest.

 

Overall, brands need to:

Identify what others are already doing in the space, and how successful they are. Identify areas of opportunity and weaknesses within their specific vertical. Identify what tactics a competitor is using to gain a competitive advantage.

 

What We’re Doing

 

We approach competitive research with these fundamental questions:

What is their link building strategy? How are they leveraging social media? Identify areas of weakness or opportunity in their strategy (notice whether they’re focusing strictly on their brand, or expanding into other social areas for maximum reach). How all these facets work together: focus on their overall “marketing strategy” rather than segregating them into “search” and “social.” Continuing the stalking with tips and tools. Read more: http://www.blueglass.com/blog/a-stalkers-guide-to-competitive-research/
Via Martin Gysler

As Facebook begins rolling out its much-anticipated user interface, Timeline, now's the time to get to know what's so different about it -- and how to use it.

 

The Timeline interface, which will eventually replace the existing one for all personal Facebook profiles, is your Wall and Profile rolled into one with additional tools for documenting your life -- from the day you were born to the here and now. You can add a cover image at the top of your Timeline, add life events such as your high school graduation or your summer vacations, map places you've been, list pets you've owned, document relationships you started or ended and much more...

Via Martin Gysler