Infographic: Digital and Direct Marketing

An Infographic is the representation of a thought process and concept in graphical form to tell the overall story. The purpose of an Infographic is to show more than the words, so that the brain can use associative cognitive processes to absorb and understand the information being represented. When you read a thousand words, the time it takes to process all that information is much longer than looking at an image which portrays the same message.

In providing my engagement marketing and content production services, being original is the driving force behind everything I produce. I love being creative. And currently, the Infographic is taking off as one of the new "kings of content" in this digital revolution - probably because everyone is so time poor. I've got many different themes that can be used to show different messages, but in this example, I've just used one.

My first Infographic highlights the process of Direct Marketing and how broadcasting education was the fastest way to promote your brand out to the marketplace.

My second Infographic highlights the process of Digital Marketing and shows how user engagement is the fastest way to evangelise what it is you love the most, bring in your audience. 

There are many businesses who struggle to keep up with the demands that are placed on them from a digital marketing perspective, mostly because they're too busy making widgets and services that work better, cheaper and across larger markets. If that sounds like you, perhaps MarkhamImages.com can help? We live to help businesses succeed in an online world.

For more information, contact Markham Lane at m@markhamimages.com, in Sydney Australia on +61414446660.

PS: To all our brand advocates and people within our influence network, we heartily thank you for assisting us with sharing the love and spreading this message with your audience (which you can do below). We'd like to offer these Infographic services to you as a reward, at the "mates rates" special of 50% off our standard fee of AU$770.00 per Infographic. To claim this exclusive reward, just leave your business name in the comments field below and then call me on the number above.

Top Twitter Topics Magazine via Twylah

Markham Lane Twitter | Markham Lane Trending

There's a new instant website builder that takes the top topics from your Twitter feed and lays them out in a magazine style format for anyone to consume. It's currently in Beta mode but it works a treat.

Twylah looks at your Twitter profile and calculates the latest trends from all your current topics to include in the micro-blogging publication and creates a page dedicated to each of the topics you tweet about the most. You decide which are the Top3 topics to display. Delete any topics not relevant to your business, then after that, the remaining topics are displayed in the order of most discussed.

The system is simple but brilliant. Highlighting your twitter profile as the heading of the website, the publication can be shared via Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or any other AddThis social media network.

Take a look at my new Twitter news magazine at www.twylah.com/markhamimages.

The really great part of this new blogging platform is that viewers can expand tweets to see more of the conversation. They can also re-tweet the post using twitter or using the @bufferapp (a Twitter and Facebook post scheduling tool that is a must have for every savvy social media broadcaster).

As you continue to post new updates on Twitter, your news magazine is automatically updated with the top trends being calculated by number of clicks, shares, reply mentions and re-tweets. I can see myself sending out a daily or weekly news update just by posting my new Twylar page to my Twitter followers.

This is one of the best free social media apps I've seen in a long while. Get yours at www.twylah.com.

High Quality Connections: Dunbar's Number

When building your social media strategy, the quest for followers to spread your message is eternal. It's about creating a mass following, placing a viral campaign in-front of them that encourages sharing with their followers and so-on. Hopefully your viral campaign is aligned with your core brand attributes but at the same time, you spark an emotional response that propels sharing beyond your extended circles. This is inbound social media marketing at it's best. But maintaining a high quality relationship or connection is another matter, right?

A close friend recently shared this video with me that sparked my interest. It talks about the next wave of social media services aimed at only sharing information with the high quality connections you have, according to Dunbar's number. Dunbar states that each human being can only really maintain a high quality connection with 150 people.

The video is from "The Daily" Interactive News App for iPad - featuring "Next Wave" by Gary Vaynerchuk. Watch this edition posted on YouTube:

What I find fascinating about this video is that it talks about how Dunbar's number might apply to a brand's relationship with it's high quality connections within the context of a social media strategy. Gary's forecast is that individuals will only chose to have a high quality relationship with their Dunbar's list. Sure, this may be true, but what does this mean for brand strategists? Do we only have to maintain a relationship with our Dunbar's number?

This is where I go back to my marketing education, where Pareto's Principle (otherwise known as the 80:20 rule) applies. So, if we applied Dunbar's Number to the 20%, that would mean that we need about 750 connections to be able to decipher which were of true quality. Add to that micro-relationships, using micro-content sharing sites like Twitter and Instagram, perhaps the number is multiplied by a factor of five to reach a critical mass.

Is 3,750 followers the magic number to achieve success in a digital marketing strategy? And what tools do you need to make it happen? Answers to these questions will be posted in a separate article. In the meantime, feel free to connect with me on Twitter @markhamimages.

Couture Fashion Behind the Scenes

Mis-en-scene: Backstage access to the top couture fashion show, presenting in Australia during the 2010 Rosemount Australian Fashion Week, with special guest presenter, Alex Perry.

You can say what you like about the television personality, the main judge in the reality tv series "Australia's Next Top Model" and more recently, taking over the mentor position on "Project Runway Australia", Alex Perry is undoubtedly the King of Australian women's fashion. A hard fought position coming from a humble working class background, with Greek immigrant parents and one of eight children.

Always surrounded by beautiful women, Alex Perry started his career by managing models, moving on to open his first fashion atelier in 1992. Married to a Greek former fashion model, Mary and Alex have two beautiful daughters.

As Australia's most glamorous designer, by virtue of his magnificent couture fashion ball gowns and striking evening wear worn by celebrities to red carpet events across the globe, Perry knows how to make a woman feel and look fabulous. Front-page-ready, the Alex Perry brand is synonymous with prestige, luxury and classic style with a flavor that cuts a striking pose.

Backstage at the former Commemorative Pavilion, an art-deco hall built in 1938, located at Fox Studios Australia, Perry and his team prepare for the largest event at Australian Fashion Week 2010. The "Arabian Princesses" Spring-Summer 2010-2011 couture fashion collection is supported by fellow Greek-Australian success stories, Napoleon Perdis make-up, and hairstylist Renya Xydis of Valonz.

As the crowd gathers around the presentation stage, we take a glimpse into the last minute preparations of the models before they strut down the catwalk. Couture fashion with Alex Perry - it doesn't get any better than this. Follow this link to see the full set of 20 couture fashion behind the scenes images: Markham Images on Google+

How to Increase SEO Results Using Original Content

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) results directly relate to the unpaid listings on search engines from any query entered. Google promotes original content on business websites by providing high SEO quality scores for that content within the “Google Algorithm”, as opposed to reductive SEO quality scores for recognized content, (like stock photos, articles existing on other websites or any webpage that is not optimized). A high quality score for original content on your website helps to rank you higher in search results, which can lead to increases in “free” search engine originated traffic.

As Google Fellow, Amit Singhal puts it; “Our site quality algorithms are aimed at helping people find high quality sites by reducing the rankings of low quality content”.

What can my business do to rank higher in natural SEO results online?

To start with, optimize all your web pages for the search engines and remove or modify any images that might also be used by other websites. Secondly, get involved in building an ongoing digital marketing strategy to maintain and improve upon the financial investment you’ve already made into your web presence. In digital marketing terms, the aim of the game is to build traffic to your website.

What options do I have to increase traffic to my website?

There are many digital marketing options to increase website traffic. You can do this via online advertising (costly), pay-per-click (PPC) search engine marketing, (can also be expensive if not properly managed), via social media pages (a frequency intensive exercise) or through natural SEO results with search engine listings driven by the original content on your site – the later including blog articles, photography or video files. In addition, SEO back links from high quality partner sites can also help SEO quality scores.

So how do I do this in a cost effective way?

If your business is into low-cost publicity, then writing articles describing how you helped a customer to satisfy their need is a great way to promote your business. All your website needs is a page dedicated to your “news” where you can add the blog articles yourself. Add an original photo to each article to pique the interest of those browsing through your site – remember, humans are visual creatures and are far more likely to read if they like the photos attached to your articles.

Try to write a 200-word article and create a corresponding original photo, once a month.

"Optimize your original images for the keyword phrase that corresponds to your webpage URL. The image metadata can help your Search ranking quality score too".

What articles work the best for SEO results?

The best articles answer the questions that are being asked on the search engines. Mostly, problem solving questions need to be answered. For example, “How to Remove Beetroot Stains from Satin Garments” might be a good article for a dry cleaning business – positioning the business as an expert in their field, while being helpful to the customer in a difficult situation. In-fact, “How to” articles are a tried and tested format that works, time and again, with search engines.

Just remember to always write what you know about, stay on topic, keep it simple and always make sure it is properly edited prior to being placed online.

Before posting new articles and photos into your blog, also make sure you optimize the content with the keyword phrases being searched by your target market. Adding keyword phrases (technical jargon = metadata) into all your original content will go a long way to help the SEO quality scores for your website. If you’re unsure which keyword phrases are relevant or how to add them into your content, ask your friendly digital marketing consultant for a quick edit before uploading.

All businesses spend time maintaining the state of their offices and stores and the same rules apply to maintaining your website. Remember: your website is a natural extension of your business and your digital marketing strategy is how you keep it clean, relevant and up-to-date. Making it a priority will bring you great SEO results and increased free traffic over time – and who doesn’t want that?[1]

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[1] Using a digital marketing strategy with original content on any website can only produce higher SEO quality scores if every website page is also optimized for SEO results.

Original Content for Standout Website Performance

If you're serious about the ability of your website to convert casual browsers to registered customers, you're always on the lookout for digital marketing tips and advice that improves the performance of your goal conversions. Of course, if you don't have Google Analytic's, Hubspot or some other measurement tool for understanding your website performance, this article is going to be irrelevant to you.

I always harp on the need for every business to get away from using stock photography images to represent your business. While stock photos may be inexpensive, chances are that your competition is using them too - and what individual is going to trust a person or a business if they're not willing to put their own face "on the cover"? Also, using unoriginal content decreases your Google ranking score, as Google recognizes the content and excludes it from their algorithm.

One way I help businesses with building original content, in the way of images, is adding a moving element or animation to the static image. This process is actually converting your original content JPEG to an animated GIF within Adobe Photoshop. The effect may look gimmicky but the visual recall of moving versus static images is in the order of 170%, according to the latest Adobe research for their retail shopping content management system, Scene7. They poll thousands of people around the world to collect stats like this, so you know you can trust what they have to say.

This flashing "M" logo is a basic animated GIF and a great example of what I am talking about here. This started as a two dimensional graphic design that is now a shining visual beacon that entices the audience to take notice, while burning the logo into your memory.You may have also seen other examples of the "M" logo throughout my original content images website "waving" in the breeze like a flag. I've used this method time-and-again because I believe in the power of enhanced brand recall, especially when using the motion element.

If your business brand could do with better visual recall or needs an overhaul of original content to improve goal conversions, contact me at m@markhamimages.com for a digital marketing strategy designed for standout performance. There's no situation that I can't find an improvement solution for - ask for a free initial consultation to get the conversation started.

Tourism Images Hawaiian Islands Sunsets in Waikiki

Tourism images are by far the most prevalent photography category available on the Internet today but creating our own original content library of images, meant a trip earlier this year to the Hawaiian Islands for Quaetapo Media.

The first night was spent in the Hawaiian Islands most popular destination - Waikiki - staying at the 110 year old Moana Surfrider Resort, which celebrated their historic milestone shortly after we arrived in March 2011. The weather was idyllic and the location couldn't have turned on a more spectacular display of classic Hawaiian Islands experiences, in presenting us with a truly magnificent sunset at the end of a day.

In editing these original content tourism images, months after the experience, I can't help but long to be back there, luxuriating in the enveloping sea breeze, sunshine and relaxed atmosphere of this first-grade tourism destination. Hopefully one day, we'll get to return there.

Using original content (rather than standard stock photography, often used by your competition) on your website increases the level of trust instilled in your audience and positions your brand as a differentiated service provider. 

If your business is locked into a saturated marketplace, an original content development strategy will help you to standout from the crowd. A smart content marketing strategy will also help your business to drive traffic to your website - and an increase in traffic often means increased sales, if you're set-up to capture and convert these leads.

At Quaetapo Media, our mission is to help online brands standout in a cluttered marketplace, using engaging and original digital marketing strategies, designed to convert online leads into sales.For more information about these digital marketing strategies and how to effectively execute them, contact Quaetapo Media for more information at www.quaetapomedia.com. 

Featured Photographer in Aerial Photography Article

I recently did a Google search on my photographic works and found one of my photos being featured in an article written by Jonathan Dy, for WordPress About, showcasing "30 Amazing Photographs of Aerial Photography". To go to the article, click on this link: http://www.wpabout.com/wordpress-themes/aerial-photography-30-amazing-examples

It's an honour to have some of your work showcased in this way, up there with the best aerial photographers in the world. The photo is part of a collection of images I captured from a sea plane over the Great Barrier Reef National Park in late 2009. Interestingly, some of the underwater photography images I managed to capture on that adventure have also been showcased by other online blogs.

No doubt, aerial photography is one of my all-time favourite genres - the thrill of the adventure, coupled with the unique perspective makes it a standout experience, as a photographer. My dream job would be to build a collection of natural landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes, hanging out of a door less helicopter or light aircraft, finding the artistic composition in what lies beneath. 

I might have my head in the clouds (pun intended) when it comes to this dream being realised but you never know when a benefactor or corporate entity might come along and say "now is the time to make that aerial photography dream a reality".

Here is the aerial photography example used by WordPress in their article published on the 13th July 2011:

To see more of my aerial photography collection, you can either find me on www.flickr.com/photos/ShotbyMarkham or go to my website http://www.markhamimages.com and browse through the "Landscapes" Gallery. Don't forget to share your "like" and send me an email to make a connection.