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By: Annette Venditti
Communications Ally
Remember the famous quote by Napoleon Bonaparte, “A picture is worth a thousand words?” Napoleon was a man before his time as this holds true today as you are somehow moved on a daily basis when you see an amazing photograph or piece of fine art that just leaves you breathless… and you finally walk away knowing that you are the better for having viewed it.
How do photography and art (graphic design) come into the workplace as you market and communicate using tools like print, video and the ever-changing social media sites? Your goal should be to reach your researched target audience and make them trust, feel and connect with the brand, product or service you represent and really understand who the company is and what they stand for.
I want to share a few key points on how to correctly use photography, art and graphic design in your public relations and marketing mix. These tips will give you the tools you need to look at each project and create the best end product and message for your intended audience.
1. Think. Brainstorm. Create. This basic process must never be skipped if you want your message to be the best it can be. Ask your team to participate in a brainstorm session and let them go back and think about the task at hand, process overnight, etc. Compare ideas in an open discussion and see whether photography, art or a combination of the two is the best path to take. Think beyond the obvious and you and your client will be happy you took the time when you see the results.
TIP: As you develop concepts and ideas sketch them on paper. Really look at the text and image mix and be sure it’s simple, crystal clear and wildly creative. Too much of any of these elements in the mix will add up to a catastrophe that will confuse your audience and not win you any design awards. Research top rated print and social media advertising and campaigns and see what makes them stand out from the crowd!
When the chosen photograph, art or graphic combination hit the mark, you will need very little text to support the message and your audience will love you for it!
Here’s an example of genius creativity combined with a minimalistic layout and literally NO supporting text. Check out Faber Castell “True Colors” campaign ad (created by serviceplan group in Munich) featuring one of their colors, Shark.
2. Hire a Pro. Please. When you need photography or art/graphic design (for an ad or for an event) do your research and hire a true professional to work with you and create the best possible images and designs for your needs. Don’t rely on friends or family to supply what you need, the cost of your initial investment will be more than obvious when you compare the finished product to a less expensive version created by your sister-in-law who “knows how to use Photoshop”. Yikes.
3. The Social Mixer. Social media has given us a vast variety of ways to share photography, text, videos and art/graphics on sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as well as Pinterest and Instagram, two image social channels that have changed how you and I see photographs, graphics and personal inspired interests shared. The same principles apply here, use professional images and graphics and be sure they are clearly stating your intended message before you share with your audience. Facebook Ads is another social media tool that allows you to share brand information and connect with potential customers. Take the time to research this ad platform and see if it might work for you and your client’s needs.
Keep in mind that every client (their brand, product or service) and every project you work on is truly unique unto itself. Challenge yourself and your design team to develop and create innovative solutions for every element and I can assure you this will keep your clients happy as larks and your team will walk away reveling in their hip new “creative genius” status.
By: Samantha Scott, APR
Grand Poobah of Pushing the Envelope, Inc.
It’s all the rage in social media now – Pinterest. If you’re like me, you aren’t super familiar with this social platform or how a business could use it to communicate online. Luckily for us, it’s very ease to pick up on this über-sharing site and, B2C (Business to Community) has written a very handy Pinterest how-to guide!
I once heard someone compare Pinterest to the old school push pin bulletin boards teenagers have where they pin 
things from magazines that they’re into – celebrities, sayings, clothing styles, etc. It’s a great comparison, in my mind. Pinterest is a digital way to collect and share all the things, places, people, etc. that you’re into.
So, how does this translate for businesses and how can businesses use it to communicate with potential and existing customers? It starts with setting up your account correctly, then building boards and connecting with others who have similar interests. Sound like any other social networks or set ups? It should.
Be forewarned though, it will take time. And by time, I mean a few hours to get things going. You’re starting from scratch and starting to compile things to pin can take a while. Like any social network though, it gets easier with time and you can add to it over time.
Share the love too, just like you should on Twitter and Facebook by “repinning”. Conisder it the retweet of Pinterest. Not only does it show you’re engaging with or care about another user’s content, it’s helping build your repertoire. Don’t forget, you can pin things with links so if you’re pinning a product you sell, be sure to link it!
I hope this helps, but do check out B2C’s “How to Use Pinterest” guide. I guarantee it will help you!
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By: Alex Fernandez, Internet Marketing Specialist
Facebook business pages will be undergoing yet another transformation in late March. The transformation from Facebook “Fan” Pages to Facebook “Business Timeline” Pages will spur some of the most dramatic platform changes that have occurred at any one time, since the idea of marketing on Facebook came about in the mid 2000s. As always, we’re keeping a close eye on what’s going on in Facebook-land, and we bring to you our insights into Facebook’s Business Timeline Pages.
More control over page content
Highlight
There are a couple of new ways to feature posts. The “Highlight” feature (a clickable star that appears when you hover over a post) allows you expand any story on your wall to the full width of your Facebook Timeline. This allows businesses to dedicate more page real estate to one story over another. Page admins can also select “Pin to Top” on any story, which moves the selected story
Pin to Top
to the very top of the page, no matter when it was posted! The beauty of these two features, especially when they’re used in tandem, is in the new level of control that businesses will have over their page content. ANY time a user visits the Business Timeline, they receive the most important information first!
Tip: “Highlight” and “Pin to Top” any ongoing social media contest information posts or promotional posts before and leading up to special events. Remember to use third party Facebook applications like involver and wildfire to host these activities.Increased Branded Real Estate
Another big improvement is the amount of branded real estate that Business Timelines offer. Rather than the square or vertical profile picture that is currently offered, businesses can now have a square profile image in addition to a very large,rectangular “Cover Photo”. The ideal size for the cover photo is 851px
PTE Photo Cover
by 351px and there are already several brands that have developed innovative designs! It’s important to note that this will be the first impression that your fans get about your business, so cover photos should not be used for purchase information, download information, or anything that looks like a banner ad. Rather, use the space for what it was built for, brand identity, photos recent events, featuring your fans, etc.
Tip: Reach out and ask your fans for design or concept ideas for your new cover photo!More exposure for past content
Another beautiful thing about Facebook Timeline, is increased return on investment for past activities. Social media is free aside from time spent. Well, now with Timeline, businesses can continue to receive return on that time spent – year after 
year! Users can easily browse by year on the right side of the page, to view past content. It is now much more likely that past content will engage current users.
Tell the story of your business
Perhaps the coolest feature of Timeline for Businesses, is the Milestone Feature. Business’ can add their own milestones, as they happen, or dating back before Facebook existed. For example, if you broke ground for one of your business locations in 1970, you can add a milestone, and it will back-date itself to 1970, but also post in your current timeline! Cool, right?!
Think of all your accomplishments over the years: Opening your business locations, receiving awards and recognition, hiring key employees, starting your website – all can be added to your timeline, and easily accessed by your fans!
If these changes are causing you to experience heart palpitations or discomfort of any sort, please do not panic. We are here to help! For any of your social media needs, Facebook or otherwise, we have a staff dedicated to all things web-geekery for your business’ online needs! Call us today at 239.221.2858 or email Alex (at) GetPushing.com.
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By now you probably know that there’s a new social network in town, and it’s not going away any time soon. Google+ has been hyped throughout the blogosphere as “the next big social network”. Some have even gone as far as calling “better than Facebook”.
So, should we freak out just yet? We all know that upstart social media websites can come and go like the wind… But this one is Google, and grew to over 10 million users in just 16 days, compared to the approximately 800 days it took Twitter or Facebook to reach the 10 million mark.
So why are people flocking to Google+? From what we’ve seen so far, it might be for good reason. Google+ has some very flattering traits:
Smart UI. It has a delightfully simple user interface. You log in, and there is a scarcity of crap. Google + is clean and easy to navigate. The “Circles” feature serves two purposes: sharing the right information with the right people, and viewing only the kind of information you want to view. Now you can share bad humor with your college buddies and not with your mom!
- Initial thought: IF Google+ becomes a behemoth like Facebook – and that’s still a big if – the Circles feature will force any marketer on Google+ to develop nothing but awesome content, or it will never be seen. This is because users can easily filter their activity by Circles. If they don’t want to see your boring, sales-y posts – they won’t.
Instant ubiquity. It’s a Google platform, and integrates with [most] other Google platforms seamlessly. Gmail, Google Talk, Google Reader, Google News, Google Calendar, and now Google+: All accessible and sharable with one login. You’ll notice the Google navigation bar received a facelift recently. The newly added “Share” button allows you to share any content viewed on any Google platform in Google+.
- Initial thought: This allows for super convenient and super rich posts! Check out this example: This person is sharing their location with Google Check-ins, with along with a Google Map, and a picture, right from their Google phone.
Unique features. Case in point: Hangouts. Essentially, Hangouts is a platform for spontaneous video chats. With hangouts, you can broadcast to any of your circles that you are up for hanging out. Up to 10 people can join in at one time, and share text, their screens, and YouTube videos. Other very notable features include Huddle (for texting in real time with a group of people) and Sparks (Google’s new “social media reader”).
- Initial thought: These are all great – but are people going to “get it”? Younger generations that have grown up on MySpace and Facebook might thrive on this technology, but will this be tech-overload for the masses?
Speed bumps for the future… There ARE some minuses when it comes to Google+.
- For one, the most recently updated content rises to the top of the stream, no matter what it is. We’ve all seen the annoying Facebook posts that have 957 comments, and this is the kind of post that Google+ will keep right at the top of your stream!
- Also, there’s no stream search? Seriously?! The worlds most popular search company didn’t build a stream search into their social network?
- Also, it’s silly how many steps it takes to send a private message to someone. I won’t go into detail, just trust me.
- And no YouTube integration? The new navigation bare and share button would be way cooler if it were on YouTube as well.
- Lastly, although the Google+ team HAS addressed the issue: There are no business pages, and no marketing tools for businesses – yet.
Despite the minuses, and the uncertainty of any social network’s future, Google+ is an exciting new online experience for us to partake in. The best part about it, in this social media guy’s experience, is that other social networks (ehem… Facebook!) will certainly have to up their game in order to compete. So, whether Google+ succeeds or not – the Internet will become a better place for all users because of it.
Check it out for yourself, at plus.google.com.
There’s a new phrase in town – word-of-mouse. Not sure what that is? I know someone who’s willing to tell you – for free.
David Meerman Scott
Compliments of the ever-talented David Meerman Scott. here’s a juicy PDF with details on Viral Marketing. Based on his book, The New Rules of Marketing and PR, which I also recommend you read, it explains word-of-mouth vs. word-of-mouse and how powerful they can be.
Packed with case studies and TONS of ideas to benchmark and leverage in your business, I highly recommend you read it.The man has been written about by over 500 bloggers, his eBooks downloaded more than 250,000 times – he MUST have something useful for you in there…
It’s free. It’s only 34 pages. You have no excuse. Download it now! Viral_Marketing
Sometimes inspiration comes from the strangest places. Recently I had the pleasure of joining The News-Press editorial board on a private tour of the Edison & Ford Winter Estates. As a citizen member of the board, this was a real treat because we got to see some things the general public doesn’t – I even got to walk in the houses!
What’s more, is we were told all the incredible labors of love and work that have been going on over the past 9 years on the sites. $12 million and thousands of work hours later, the homes are in excellent condition and the staff is working to make both sites a place of learning and growth, just as both men had originally planned them to be.
So, what can we take away from this? I left inspired by the horticulture and beauty of the Estates as well as the sheer genius that once lived and walked those same grounds.
Enjoy some of the photos I took and may they inspire you to do great things.
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