The Easiest Way For Your Message To Be Remembered

You might forget that we told you this, but apparently people only remember 20% of what they read. This is a fact that makes some of those who work in advertising and marketing lie awake at night, wondering how to best get a message across. In the digital age, the art of communication and particularly the conveyance of information has evolved. You’ve probably heard of the infographic, where information is presented in a striking way, usually with both text and visuals, allowing the information to be quickly absorbed and retained. But what can an infographic do for your small business?

The Most Commonly Used Infographics

The chances are that you’ve already made use of an infographic. If you’ve navigated any kind of map, particularly the unique, often not to scale map of a particular city’s public transport system, then you’ve used an infographic. Maps are among the most common types of infographics, and the visualization of data has taken on new meaning with the rise of Internet and mobile mapping applications, such as Google Maps and Nokia’s OVI system. A digital map, whether on a computer screen or mobile device, allows for information to be displayed in a variety of ways, with points of interest displayed as you near them. Not so long ago, we would have to manually print out a map that had been generated by Google or a comparable provider, but the rapid rise of smart phones and tablet devices have certainly saved a few trees. Digital maps that depict your company’s physical location are a web-based infographic that will benefit your business. Just how complex your map should be depends on your budget and whether a complex map fits in with your existing web presence, but you might want to consider various options for your map, such as clickable options, showing the best way to visit your company’s physical location by car, using public transport, or even on foot.

Why Use an Infographic?

Data visualization is perhaps the most effective way to retain information, and many companies have begun to use infographics accordingly. A huge amount of information, advertising and marketing now takes place online, where huge amounts of information can be targeted at and then presented to a consumer. However, it’s just as easy for a consumer to exit a website if they are not immediately grabbed by the information- the Internet has perhaps contributed to our ever decreasing information spans. Information has devalued, since we know there’s so much of it out there that can be easily accessed.

Infographics- The Easy Way to Get Your Message Across

Infographics have the remarkable ability to compress complex information and present it in a simple, often fun kind of way that could potentially go viral, courtesy of Facebook shares and retweeting (which are invaluable marketing tools that simply didn’t exist just a few short years ago). It’s possible (and advisable) to present infographics on your company website with an automatic link allowing it to be shared or tweeted with the click of a button which automatically logs a user into their social media. Facebook shares only really occur when the infographic has mass appeal and is presented in an amusing way, such as the vast numbers of celebrity and cute animal themed infographics that appear daily on the increasingly popular website Buzzfeed.

Infographics are an amazing medium for getting a message across to consumers, but remember- if you have any kind of visual representation on your website or marketing material that combines images with text, then you’re already using them. They don’t have to be cute and funny in an attempt to gain excessive shares on social media- this often is not appropriate for many companies. All they have to do is get your message across!

 

This is a guest-post by Ashley Williamson. Ashley is a part time guest blogger currently representing Infographic World which is an award-winning infographic design company.

Search Engine Optimization Strategies

What is SEO or search engine optimization?

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SEO is perhaps the most inexpensive and important method to rank high in the “natural” or “organic” searches of every major search engine. Italian web marketing services take care of every aspect of creating the right SEO campaign for businesspersons.

Search engines follow the methodology of sending the “robot spiders” to index the content published on the website. Therefore to begin with: webpages should be prepared for optimal indexing. This does not involve tricking the search engines to pick up the desired website but to provide the search engines with abundant clues about the webpage so it picks up the site naturallly. The approach is termed as “search engine optimization” or SEO.

Businesspersons keen on getting their web pages noticed through organic searches should include a keyword-rich page title. The title may include 5 to 8 words, these should be the words you want internet users to find you with. Do away with as many filler (“the,” “and,” …) words as you can n the title but maintain the readability. The page title, rich in keywords, appears as hyperlinked on the search engines when the user searches for specific key words. You may also include a descriptive META tag. Some of the search engines show this description below the hyperlinked title in the listed search results. The description may be just a sentence that describes the webpage content with the major keywords or key phrases appearing on the page. Always place the keywords in the first paragraph of the body text. At the same time, do not ever overdo it, which is the insertion of keywords. Google and other search engine follow a guideline about accepting a certain keyword density. For example Google might expect the keyword density of 1.5% to 2% across the whole body text area, and this is enough for getting high ranking. Therefore, overdoing the keywords is not a good idea. Second step in SEO would be to make the navigation system of your site search engine friendly. Search engines do not read Flash or JavaScript very well, even though they may appear great for humans. Thus supplementing the Flash menus and JavaScript with usual HTML links and add a hyperlinks chain to ensure that the search engine spider is led to the home page and every other page of the web site. Take care that you do not use HTML frames, which is an old and outdated approach, to set up the navigation system or a severe indexing problem may arise. Create a site map with links to all the web pages of your site to help the search engines as well as visitors to find all pages. This is important if the site is larger.

Pamela is a freelance writer who writes on different topics such as online marketing,SEO and social media. she has been doing an study about different strategies for SEO and different web marketing services like Italian web marketing services . She loves to travel and make new friends.

Five Companies that Break the Standard Workplace Mold

When it comes to looking for a new job, most job seekers don’t place an emphasis on workplace design. But, maybe they should. Companies with more modern work quarters tend to offer better employee benefits and promote a quality company culture by encouraging creativity. Below is a list of five companies that break the standard workplace mold to inspire their employee’s creative minds.

 

Netflix

 

Working at Netflix is a sublime experience in more ways than one. The company’s Los Gatos office space is unique and promotes creativity, freedom and productivity. Some unique aspects of the Netflix office feature movie themed meeting spaces such as, Edward Scissorhands and the Matrix. Fittingly, the Los Gatos office also features a large movie theater. Its biggest perk, however, is in the employee benefits package rather than the office’s design. Netflix offers its employees unlimited paid time off, which makes for a truly stress-free environment.

 

Google

 

This search engine giant has offices across the world. One of its most well designed locations is the Zurich office. The Google Zurich office features work hammocks, thinking eggs, beanbag chairs and slides. As with all of its offices, Google included a top-notch cafeteria that serves finer cuisine than many restaurants. Other benefits Google employees enjoy are on-site medical care, free on-site fitness classes and free food.

 

Airbnb

 

Airbnb’s office is inspired by the more unique apartments listed on its short-term apartment rental website. Some of the features include an indoor mushroom dome cabin, an artsy berlin inspired living room, and lots of Eames chairs. From top to bottom, it’s an inspiring vintage workplace. While most other powerhouse startups only advertise job postings for specialized positions, Airbnb actually offers a few more traditional job postings as well. It isn’t uncommon to see office manager jobs as well as front desk jobs posted on their website. With the right personality, getting a foot in the door is a possibility for your average Joe.

 

DreamHost

 

Time and time again, Dream Host is voted as one of the best places to work. With its design and emphasis on promoting creativity, it’s no secret why. Natural light floods the wide open workspace where cubicles were traded in favor of chairs, benches, couches and lounge areas. Desks are still provided for those that feel more productive in a more traditional setup. Ping-Pong tables, an expansive kitchen area and graffiti-like murals set the tone for comfort and innovation within the space.

 

Facebook

 

The walls of Facebook’s Palo Alto headquarters are lined with murals and art that are created by both Facebook employees and commissioned artists alike. Completely open workspaces seem to be a trend in the Silicon Valley. Facebook is no different. There are no enclosed offices, but rather chairs, couches, lounge areas, meeting rooms and scattered desks to choose from. Everyone, including Mark Zuckerberg, works in the open. If there ever were a company to break the mold, Facebook would be it.