Pubcon Vegas 2014: Dumb & Dumber Guide on How NOT To Do Infographics

by | Oct 9, 2014

During the 2014 Pubcon conference in Las Vegas, I had the privileged of doing a split-session where the topic of mine was “infographics!” I decided to put together a presentation on common mistakes that are made during the design and marketing process of infographics. Using a “Dumb and Dumber” theme in honor of the upcoming “Dumb and Dumber To” film set to be released in November 2014, this one is entitled “Dumb & Dumber Guide on How NOT To Do Infographics.”

Here is the slide deck from the presentation with textual content below. Enjoy!

Here is the textual version. Please note that majority of text is in uppersace simply due to the fact that it was entered in PowerPoint as such. In other words, I’m not YELLING AT YOU here! 😉

WHY INFOGRAPHICS KICK ASS!

  • THE AVERAGE PERSON IS SUBJECT TO 174 NEWSPAPERS FULL OF INFORMATION EVERY DAY!
  • 99% OF ALL SENSORY INFORMATION IS FILTERED OUT BY THE BRAIN ALMOST IMMEDIATELY
  • THIS MEANS ONLY 1% OF INFORMATION ACTUALLY GETS THROUGH TO THE BRAIN
  • PUBLISHERS WHO USE INFOGRAPHICS IN THEIR CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGY GROW IN TRAFFIC ON AVERAGE OF 12% MORE THAN THOSE WHO DON’T!

INFOGRAPHICS: NOT-SO-NEW

WHILE A RELATIVELY NEW TERM TO INTERNET MARKETING, INFOGRAPHICS HAVE BEEN USED THROUGHOUT HISTORY, EVEN DATING BACK TO CAVEMEN.

TYPES OF INFOGRAPHICS

  • Static
  • Animated
  • Video
  • Interactive

INFOGRAPHIC DESIGN MISTAKES

1. DESIGN: (UGLY INFOGRAHICS)

NO MATTER HOW GOOD THE IDEA, POOR DESIGN WILL KILL THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AN INFOGRAPHIC.

2. DISPLAY: TOO SMALL

IF AN INFOGRAPHIC IS NOT LARGE ENOUGH TO READ, IT HAS FAILED MISERABLY! IT’S OKAY TO SCALE IMAGES BUT ALWAYS PROVIDE A FULL SIZE VERSION

3. GRAMMAR: ERRORS

MIS-SPELTINGS & OTHER GRAMMUR ERRERS ARE MUCH HARDER TOO FIX ONCE INFERGRAPHIC IS COMPLET. #JUSTSAYING

4. DATA: BAD INFO

JUST BECAUSE YOU “GOOGLED” IT DOESN’T MEAN IT’S TRUE! GET RELIABLE & FACTUAL DATA FROM CREDIBLE SOURCES.

5. NO CITATIONS (SOURCES)

IF INFOGRAPHIC INCLUDES HISTORICAL FACTS, CURRENT TRENDS, DEFINITIONS & THE LIKE, DON’T FORGET CITATIONS / SOURCES

6. WTF: IS THIS EVEN AN INFOGRAPHIC?

MANY OF TODAY’S INFOGRAPHICS ARE NOT INFOGRAPHICS AT ALL! MAKE SURE YOURS MEETS THE QUALIFICATIONS OF A REAL INFOGRAPHIC.

INFOGRAPHIC MARKETING: MISTAKES

1. NOT PROPERLY DISPLAYED

MAKE SURE INFOGRAPHIC IS DISPLAYED PROPERLY IN POST. IF PORTIONS ARE HARD TO READ, PROVIDE LINK TO FULL-SIZE VERSION!

2. NO SOCIAL SHARING BUTTONS

MAKE IT AS EASY AS POSSIBLE FOR PEOPLE TO SHARE YOUR CONTENT. INCLUDING SOCIAL SHARING BUTTONS HELPS IN THIS PROCESS!

3. NO SHARING AMONG SOCIAL NETWORKS

“PUBLISH IT AND THEY WILL COME” DOES NOT ALWAYS WORK! TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR SOCIAL NETWORKS TO ATTRACT EYEBALLS.

4. IMPROPER SYNDICATION TO SOCIAL NETWORKS

THERE IS A RIGHT WAY & A WRONG WAY TO SHARE!

  • LINK BACK TO ORIGINAL CONTENT
  • INCLUDE SHORT DESCRIPTION
  • UTILIZE HASH TAGS
  • INCLUDE IMAGES
  • CALL OUT INFLUENCERS

SOCIAL NETWORKS: TWITTER TIPS

  • EXPERIMENT WITH REPEAT TWEETS AT VARIOUS TIMES OF THE DAY
  • EXPERIMENT WITH TWEETS THAT HAVE IMAGES VS NO IMAGES
  • IF INFOGRAPHIC REFERENCES COMPANY OR INDIVIDUAL, INCLUDE @ REFERENCE
  • FOR OLDER INFOGRAPHICS, RETWEET RELATED TO CURRENT TRENDS

SOCIAL NETWORKS: PINTEREST TIPS

  • LINK BACK TO YOUR ORIGINAL POST TO HELP DRIVE TRAFFIC
  • INCLUDE A SHORT TITLE / DESCRIPTION OF THE INFOGRAPHIC
  • POST INFOGRAPHICS TO TOPICALLY RELEVANT BOARDS
  • CONSIDER PINNING A CROPPED VERSION OF INFOGRAPHIC

SOCIAL NETWORKS: TUMBLR TIPS

  • LINK BACK TO YOUR ORIGINAL POST TO HELP BUILD LINK AUTHORITY
  • INCLUDE A CUSTOM FILE NAME AT END OF TUMBLR GENERATED UR
  • INCLUDE A SHORT TITLE / DESCRIPTION OF THE INFOGRAPHIC
  • ADD 2 TO 3 TAGS IN THE TAG FIELD, INCLUDING THE TAG #INFOGRAPHIC

5. NO EMBED THIS CODE

MAKE IT EASY FOR PEOPLE TO LINK TO YOUR INFOGRAPHIC WITH AN “EMBED THIS” CODE

6. HIDDEN BEHIND REGISTRATION

STUDIES SHOW THAT 86% OF USERS WILL LEAVE A SITE WHEN ASKED TO ENTER CONTACT DATA OR CREATE AN ACCOUNT!

7. SUBMITTING TO ARCHIVES 101

PICK FROM THE BEST ARCHIVES – DON’T TRY TO SUBMIT TO ALL CREATE UNIQUE DESCRIPTIONS FOR EACH ARCHIVE.

CASE STUDY 1

http://infographicjournal.com/get-gorgeous-now-six-amazing-beauty-hacks/

  • Published April 2014
  • 77k+ Pins
  • 538 Facebook Likes
  • 447k Stumble Views
  • 26k+ Page Views (#1 Sep.)
  • 9,534 Links / 37 Domains
  • Infographics Are The Gift That Keeps on Giving!

CASE STUDY 2

http://infographicjournal.com/the-ultimate-towel-folding-guide/

  • Published September 2013
  • 1k+ Pins
  • 1k Facebook Likes
  • 232k Stumble Views
  • 1,143 Page Views (#14 Sep.)
  • 383 Links / 18 Domains
  • Infographics Are Still The Gift That Keeps on Giving!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • If you aren’t using infographics, you are missing out
  • Don’t compromise on infographic design elements
  • Make it easy for users to share/re-post infographics
  • Publish on your own social networks
  • Measure for success, rinse & repeat!

David Wallace

David Wallace, co-founder and CEO of SearchRank, is a recognized expert in the industry of search and social media marketing. Since 1997, David has been involved in developing successful search engine and social media marketing campaigns for large and small businesses.

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