There is no doubt that visuals are driving online communications in 2015. Our minds react differently to visual content and graphics. On Facebook, videos are shared 12X more than links and text posts combined. 42% of all Tumblr posts are photos. On YouTube, 100 million users are taking a social action on videos every week. 36% of all shared links on Twitter are photos! Busy bloggers have many skills, but graphic design is not usually among them. How to create eye-catching and shareable visual graphics on a shoestring budget, without mastering complicated software like Photoshop? This workshop will show you how! Chock full of real-life examples and tips and tricks from the field, I will explore the latest online and mobile tools used to create great photos, infographics and other visuals that will make your blog extremely shareable on social media. Takeaways: The 6 characteristics that make a great blog visual; Examples from blogs that are making and sharing eye-catching graphics; Free or low-cost tools that do not require any technical knowledge to use!

1. @JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

2. Takeaways
• The 6 elements that make
a great social media
graphic and visual;
• Examples from brands
that are making and
sharing eye-catching
graphics;
• Free or low-cost tools
that do not require any
technical knowledge to
use!
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

3. Visuals Are Vital
• 90% of information transmitted to
the brain is visual. Visuals are
processed 60,000X faster in the brain
than text.
• Videos on landing pages increase
average page conversion rates by
86%.
– Resource: Wishpond
http://blog.wishpond.com/post/70300587846/10-reasons-
visual-content-will-dominate-2014
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

4. Visuals Are Vital
• Posts with visuals
receive 94% more page
visits and engagement
than those without.
• 60% of consumers are
more likely to click on a
business whose images
appear in search
results.
• Resource: Wishpond
http://blog.wishpond.com/post/70300587
846/10-reasons-visual-content-will-
dominate-2014
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

5. Are You A Creator Or A Curator?
• Creators – 54% of internet users post original
photos or videos online that they themselves have
created.
• Curators – 47% of internet users take photos or
videos that they have found online and repost them.
• You should be a combination of both.
– Resource: Pew Internet
http://www.pewinternet.org/2013/10/28/photo-and-video-sharing-
grow-online/
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

6. @JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

7. IMPORTANT! Do Not Steal Images
• ONLY use legal images that
you have the rights to edit
and/or use.
• Do not just go to Google
Images and swipe
something that looks great.
• You can share, retweet and
re-pin something that links
back to a brand’s social
media account.
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

8. Lots of Places for Free Images!
Beth Kanter created a great List.ly:
The Ultimate List of Free or Low Cost Image
Collections!
http://list.ly/list/703-the-ultimate-list-of-free-or-low-cost-
image-collections
iStock photo
Creative Commons
Photopin.com
Morguefile.com
Getty Images
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

9. What Is Your Brand Identity?
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

10. What Story Are You Telling?
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

11. @JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

12. Think Of Your Audience First
Always think first about your
audience & your community.
• What will resonate with them?
• What will they find
compelling?
• What will they want to share
with their friends?
Example: http://www.pinterest.com/randomhouse/
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

13. What Story Are You Telling?
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

14. What Makes a Great Graphic?
1) It’s visually
compelling and
catches your eye.
This photo:
http://www.pinterest
.com/pin/347199
45249627461
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

15. 2) It conveys a story.
This photo:
http://www.pinterest.c
om/pin/229824387
206057816/
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

16. 3) It is helpful.
This photo:
http://www.pinterest.com
/pin/17711819781792
8758/
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

17. 4) It elicits emotion!
This photo:
https://www.facebook.co
m/photo.php?fbid=10
150538648953305&se
t=a.78410178304.732
55.28126338304
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

18. 5) It showcases impact.
This photo:
http://www.pinterest.
com/pin/2604347909
21678362/
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

19. 6) It is shareable.
This photo:
http://www.pinterest.
com/pin/5371950617
76080364/
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

20. Use Infographics
HubSpot found that
brands that publish
infographics increase
their website and blog
traffic an average of
12% over those that do
not.
This photo:
http://visual.ly/what-
infographic-2
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

21. @JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

22. Great Infographics
Great infographics:
1) Contain focused data
2) Good design
3) Viral title
Resource:
http://blog.eloqua.com/what-
makes-a-great-infographic
More examples:
http://www.creativebloq.com/graphi
c-design-tips/information-
graphics-1232836
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

23. @JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

24. @JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

25. Tools to Create Infographics
Infogr.am
InfoActive.co
Piktochart
Easel.ly
Venngage
HubSpot has
free templates: http://offers.hubspot.com/how-to-easily-
create-five-fabulous-infographics-in-powerpoint
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

26. Tools to Create Great Graphics
Word Clouds
Wordle.com
Tagxedo.com
Tagul.com
WordItOut.com
ImageChef.com
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

27. Tools to Create Great Graphics
Quotes
Quozio.com
Recitethis.com
Behappy.me
QuotesCover.com
Inspirably.com
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

28. Tools to Create Great Graphics
Enhance Photos
UseChisel.com
Pinwords.com
PowerPoint
PicMonkey.com
Pixlr.com
This photo:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/430164201878271362/
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

29. Tools to Create Great Graphics
Photo Apps
Shapely
Piclab
Marksta
Piction
Typic
WordFoto
• These photos:
– https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wordfoto/id414002091?mt=8
– http://www.pinterest.com/pin/64105994667679513/
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

30. Tools to Create Great Graphics
My favorites
Canva.com
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

31. Tools to Create Great Graphics
My favorites
WordSwag
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

32. Tools to Create Great Graphics
My favorites: WordSwag
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

33. Tools to Create Great Graphics
My favorites
Pinstamatic
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

34. Nothing is easy!
You may need to
change your
company culture to
become more visual
and transparent.
You will need to start
thinking visually and
in “micro-content”
terms.
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

35. Tell your story!
Think of creating graphics
as showing the world
what you do and why
you do it, in a
compelling, interesting
and easy-to-share way!
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

36. @JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp

37. Free E-Book
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp
http://jcsocialmarketing.
com/resources/ultimate
-guide-social-media-
graphics/

38. Any Questions?
@JuliaCSocial #bloggingcamp
julia@jcsocialmarketing.com
Twitter: @JuliaCSocial
Facebook:
www.fb.com/jcsocialmarketing
Blog:
www.jcsocialmarketing.com/blog