How did a small search marketing software company become the lead “analyst” on Facebook’s advertising potential? It used pictures for its PR.In the days leading up to Facebook’s IPO, there was a great deal of debate around whether the social media giant’s ad platform was built for long-term success. This dialogue didn’t escape WordStream, a provider of pay-per-click and search services, which thought it could get a bit of publicity for a quick study it conducted comparing the value of display advertising on Facebook to that of Google’s Display Network. But rather than simply put out a press release, WordStream decided to tell the story via an infographic.What WordStream wasn’t prepared for was the massive reception the infographic received. Initial pickups came from a Wall Street Journal blog and Business Insider, both of which linked directly to the visual. But as the news cycle around the IPO heated up with GM’s announcement that it was pulling its Facebook ads, the infographic—a graded comparison of Facebook vs. Google—went viral. In a matter of hours, many of the top news outlets, including USA Today, CNN, Fast Company, The Economist, Fox Business and more, picked it up. Within a week, a Google search yielded more than 13,000 news articles mentioning WordStream, many of them embedding the infographic and linking back to the company’s site.

via Beyond Words | Adweek.

We asked the Visual.ly chief for a few tips on how to make data pop.

1. Apply a journalist’s code of ethics

An infographic starts with a great data set. Even if you’re not a journalist — but an advertiser or independent contractor, say — you need to represent the data ethically in order to preserve your credibility with your audience. Don’t source from blogs. Don’t source from Wikipedia. Don’t misrepresent your data with images.

2. Find the story in the data

There’s a popular misconception that creating a great infographic just requires hiring a great graphic designer. But even the best designer can only do so much with poor material. Mapping out the key points in your narrative should be the first order of business. “The most accessible graphics we’ve ever done are the ones that tell a story. It should have an arc, a climax and a conclusion,” Langille says. When you find a great data set, mock up your visualization first and figure out what you want to say, before contacting a designer.

3. Make it mobile and personal

As the media becomes more sophisticated, designers are developing non-static infographics. An interactive infographic might seem pretty “sexy,” Langille says, but it’s much less shareable. A video infographic, on the other hand, is both interactive and easy to port from site to site. Another way to involve readers is to create a graphic that allows them to input and share their own information.

4. Don’t let the code out

One of the easiest ways to protect your work is to share it on a community site. Visual.ly offers Creative Commons licensing to users who upload a graphic to the site. When visitors who want to use the graphic grab embed code from the site, the embedded image automatically links back to its creator. Langille suggests adding branding to the bottom of your work and never releasing the actual source file — only the PNG, JPEG, or PDF. And what if your work goes viral without proper credit? For god’s sake, don’t be a pain and demand that the thieves take it down. “It’s better to let it go and ask for a link back and credits on the graphics,” Langille said.

via You Suck at Infographics.

Matthew Scharpnick of Elefint Designs explains how his agency created the infographics for .net magazine’s Web Design and Development Survey 2012

One of my favourite things about infographics and data visualisations is that they simultaneously make a subject more interesting and increase your understanding of the material. In our last tutorial, How to Create Great Infographics, we worked primarily with qualitative data, describing the purpose and process of a nonprofit organisation. This time around we looked at purely quantitative data, digging into insights in the survey .net magazine conducted of its audience of developers. While many of the processes are similar for qualitative and quantitative infographics, there are a few key differences that we can see in this recap of how we created these infographics.

via Visualising quantitative data | Feature | .net magazine.

When I meet with people and talk about our work, I get asked a lot what technology we use to create interactive and dynamic data visualizations. At Interactive Things, we have a set of preferred libraries, applications and services that we use regularly in our work. We will select the most fitting tool for the job depending on the requirements of the project. Sometimes a really simple tool is all you need to create something meaningful. On other occasions, a more multifaceted repertoire is needed. But how does one choose the right thing to use? An endless list of every tool available, does not answer that question and a recommendation from a friend is oftentimes more valuable.

via A Carefully Selected List of Recommended Tools on Datavisualization.ch.

How To Go Viral. By buzzfeed.

InformationisBeautiful

via Rhetological Fallacies.

Great infographics can be a powerful tool for communicating complex ideas quickly and beautifully. In this tutorial Matthew Scharpnick, co-founder of Elefint Designs, puts you on the right track to create beautiful and meaningful infographics

In an internet age dominated by readers scanning short-form articles, how can we communicate something complex, nuanced, or dense in a short period of time? Queue the infographics.

If you read design-influenced publications such as GOOD, Fast Company, or Mashable, you have undoubtedly seen the flood of infographics that hit the web in recent years. Every day new infographics pop up on a wide range of topics including politics, economics, pop culture, technology, films, sports, and a whole lot more. At their best, these mixtures of design and data have the effect of drawing users in and conveying a lot of information in a small package.

via How to create great infographics | Tutorial | .net magazine.

A who’s who of social media for 2012 [infographic] – Holy Kaw!.

The following infographic does both as it focuses its gaze on content marketing.

Many of the stats come from the Content Marketing Institute 2012 study including the following:

90% of B2B marketers use some form of content marketing

60% of B2B marketers plan to increase their content marketing spending in the next 12 months

The most popular content marketing techniques used by B2B marketers are posting articles, social media and blogs

via B2B Social Media is Huge Part of Content Marketing Explosion | Social Media B2B.

Americans spend more time on Facebook than any other website. But does that mean social networks are a waste of time?

They’re not, an infographic from Schools.com argues. Americans use social media for everything from the job search to finding a soul mate.

One reasons Americans use social media is to enhance their social lives. More than half use social networks to stay in touch with friends (67 percent) and family (64 percent). Seventeen percent use it to find love, and 18 percent use it to make new friends.

via Infographic: Social media is not a waste of time | Articles.