AdWords Mistakes

 Now that we know basics about how to use AdWords, it is equally important to know how to not use it. Misusing AdWords can be the reason why some campaigns are not successful. Here are some common mistakes that can hinder an AdWords campaign:

• Not using the same keywords in your actual ad. This may seem redundant, but it is sure to get clicks. As simple as it seems, people do like to see what they search in an ad.
• Not utilizing the experiments feature. This feature allows you to run possible scenarios to test out an ad before going live. Running experiments can test aspects like bids and landing pages. You can isolate variables and track changes to determine choices. Ultimately, it saves a ton of money by helping you make a better decision.
• Not using ad extensions (or having extensions that do not work). Ad extensions attract clicks from users and encourages action. Failure to use them could be a serious reason as to why clicks are low.
• Having no negative keywords. Negative keywords are super important because they help you attract the right target market. This way, you avoid paying for clicks from people who were never interested in the first place. Negative keywords help the quality and accuracy of the ad. 
• Lack of a good bidding strategy. It is especially important to understand bids and how they work in the industry your ads are in. Also, important to take into consideration the ROI when setting up high bids - as required in come competitive industries. 

Below are some other examples of mistakes to avoid:

Remarketing

Hello there! Have you ever visited a shopping site, and saw that site's ad on the banner of a Youtube video later that day? It can be a bit freaky as to how the internet knows and tracks what sites you visit. This technique is called remarketing and it is quite effective. Instead of advertising to people that may or not be interested in the content a company provides, it makes more sense to advertise to people that have shown previous interest. This way a company can more precisely capture their target market and spend advertising money on quality clicks. Here are some tips to improve remarketing campaigns:

• Always utilize dynamic remarketing, instead of static remarketing. Dynamic remarketing is known to provide more conversions over time. Dynamic remarketing is more personal because it provided personalized product information to the viewer and thus is more effective, even if these ads take longer to set up.
• Youtube. Youtube is a great platform for remarketing ads. Youtube has a wide audience so it is easy to find the appropriate target market. Also, Youtube ads are easy to set up and if clicked to skip, the impression is not to be paid for!
• Be sure to use Google Analytics to view remarketing lists. You can create remarketing lists with most metrics. For example, shoe shoppers that visited your site in the past 30 days. AdWords will automatically create identical lists like these that allow you to target different audiences. 
• Lastly, it is a good idea to use email lists to create remarketing lists. People that signed up for promotional emails are a great place to advertise to. This is because not only did they just visit the site, but they are also very interested in the products offered. You use Google URL Builder to set up this list.

Maximizing Conversions

Hello! Today, I wanted to share some tips on how to maximize conversions. Getting plenty of clicks is definitely step one but that does not necessarily translate to tangible business progress that conversions provide. Ultimately, it usually is more important to maximize on conversions even if that means less clicks. A successful conversions campaigns means your ad is hitting your target audience really well. At the end of the day, it comes down to quality over quantity. 

Firstly, using geotargeting is extremely beneficial. Using negative bids on areas that your target market is not located in will allow you to spend less on the wrong target and more on the right market. For example, if your ad is promoting a personal heating device, it may not make sense to promote the ad universally across the nation. Instead, it is wiser to avoid places in the south, where the temperatures are already warm and people are unlikely to buy the product. This way you can spend more on marketing the ad to people in the east coast or in the Midwest  where temperatures are colder an thus home to the ideal target market.

Next, it is also very crucial to make all ads optimized for mobile devices. Many people use their cellphones to surf the web. Mobile use is the most probable way people will see ads. Therefore, it is imperative to have a landing page and ad that is firstly mobile friendly. Look at historic data and see what platform your audience is using. It will likely be mobile and if it is create a new ad that is solely for mobile optimization. 

Another tip is to not use the home page as your landing page. The home page typically contains general information that is not specifically catered towards a certain target market, thus resulting in less conversions. Instead, try to match your landing page's material with the content on your add. This will boost your quality score by making the ad more relevant. For example, if you have a makeup brand and place an ad about lipsticks, it is wiser to make the landing page one on lip product sales verses the generic home page  that does not have immediate appeal (to the clicker of the ad on lips). 

Other ways to maximize conversions is to specify keywords and use negative keywords to avoid the wrong target market from viewing the ad. Also, putting the keyword in the landing page URL will help make the ad more relevant to your site. Lastly, focus on improving ad rank. This means work to increase bids and quality score so that your ad appears closer to the top of the page and before competitors. 

Ad Trial

Hi readers! I created an AdWord's ad for the homepage of the RGB exchange a few days ago and it was reviewed and approved by Google. The ad has been running for one day and received many impressions and a few clicks. I thought it would be interesting to share data that was gathered in only a day! When you enter your AdWords account, this is how the overview will appear:

As you can see, there were 282 impressions and 6 clicks that cost me 79 cents each, and $4.75 in total. Each line represents clicks and impressions. All ad groups are represented in this overview graph. So, in my case, there is only one ad group: Green Exchange and only one ad represented. 

These next graphs are also helpful. They display the keywords I chose for the ad and the clicks that were triggered by the keyword. As you can see, most of the keywords I  chose did not result in any clicks. This may mean I have to reevaluate my keywords as they may not be effective. Since the keyword "stock market" is very general, it is likely that those users are not interested in my website. Thus, although it garnered clicks, they may not prove fruitful. However, it has only been one day so nothing is certain yet. The chart titled " searches"  includes keywords real people are currently actively using that are related to my keywords. They are sort of like suggestions although they may not always be entirely applicable.

The bottom of the dashboard shows the devices people clicked my ad on. It seems it is almost all through mobile devices. This also reiterates why having mobile-friendly landing pages are extremely important. The graph next to this called "Day and Hour" shows the time clicks occurred. This data is helpful because by looking at trends you can adjust bids and targeting accordingly. 

Overall, as you can see, it is super beneficial to run trial ads even if they cost a bit of money. It is definitely worth it because you often learn the most from trial and error. And of course, practice makes perfect, and so I plan on continuing to improve and run similar ads. Although this was just a single day's data, it reflects what aggregate will otherwise look like.

Display Network

Have you ever seen ads on the side and upper panels of a website you were surfing? Do they sometimes reflect the website you were just for a while before? This marketing technique is apart of Google's Display Network that I will be elaborating on this week. The display network is essentially over a million apps, videos, websites, and blogs that display AdWords ads. Here are some larger companies that are part of the display network. If surfing on these sites, ads are sure to be seen.

  

Making an AdWords ad for its display network is not too different from the search engine advertising. You can use the same keywords used in a search network ad for the display network. So for example, you have a vegan food line and you notice your audience often searches for vegan recipes. Vegan recipes would be a good keyword to trigger your ad on the display network. In addition to keywords, you can choose topics that if related to a website or video, the ad will appear. For example, if you choose healthy recipes or fitness videos then your vegan food line ad will play before videos of this topic. The goal of display network campaigns is usually for brand exposure as well as clicks. Below is a common example of how the display network looks on host websites. This dynamic is a win-win situation because host websites get paid for letting AdWords ad appear, and the companies displaying the ads get an advertisement space.

Why Choose AdWords in the First Place?

Hello Everyone! Today,  I am going to take it back and discuss why investing in AdWords is a good idea. After doing some research, I came across this blog post, that really summarizes the benefits accurately. Adwords is important because they help small and large companies around the world gain exposure on the internet. This exposure is basically marketing to consumers surfing the web or looking to meet specific needs. In an age where the internet is the most formidable platform in the marketing industry, it is extremely important to understand search engines and how to market through them. Today, this is the easiest and most direct way to consumers. That being said, these are a few reasons why Google AdWords is specifically a great starting point:

1. AdWords is budget friendly. Smaller companies that are willing to spend less on advertising can do so, while larger companies can spend more and have more campaigns. In this way, AdWords is easily scalable to fit the needs of each company.

2. Adwords is highly trackable. Google tracks all the data from campaigns and this allows constant improvement in advertising. Traditional methods like commercials are less measurable and thus lead to difficult-to-understand results.
3. AdWords is faster and easier than search engine optimization, another search engine technique. This is because AdWords is easier to learn and results are near immediate. SEO works to garner search results organically, while SEM is more of paid advertisement. 

The image below summarises the benefits of AdWords or PPC, pay-per-click over other methods.

Getting Certified

The Adwords Certification is a great skill to list on a resume or LinkedIn page, as search engine marketing skills are increasingly in demand with employers.  The certification consists of passing two, 100 question, exams. The first being the Adwords Fundamentals and the second can be chosen from Search, Display, Video, Shopping, or Mobile Advertising. Passing the tests requires some dedication and time, but it is definitelyy worth it! 

The first step is to become partners with Google. Thereafter, on the side panel under "certifications", click Adwords. All six exams are located on this page and can be taken at any time. There are study guides for all the exams as well. However, personally, the greatest tool to passing these exams is to take the Adversting Online Course. These courses are new additions to Google's study kit. The lessons are fun, colorful, and interactive. They actually make studying extremely engaging. Each lesson is about 5-10 minutes long and involves review questions at the end to test what you have learned. To access these courses, first, choose the exam you are looking to take. Then under the "Study for this exam" heading and before the actual study guide is a bolded link, like so:

I've taken a screenshot of the lesson entitled, "Drive results with the Display Network". This lesson takes about 6 minutes to complete. Like other lessons, it involves a brief introduction, lesson, checkpoint, "make it stick" review questions and a recap at the end. This reiteration of the material helps me understand and retain the information.  Here is a portion of the lesson:

As you can see, Google has tried to make the course as interactive as possible. In total every course has under 20 of such lessons. There is also a practice test that can be taken to ensure readiness for the actual- full-length exam. 

From personal experience, I would recommend completing 3 of such lessons a day. The lessons that are harder to understand, should be supplemented by reading over the corresponding study guide. With this method, preparing for and then passing 2 of the AdWord certification exams will take 2 weeks. This is a great way to studying without pressure, time consumption, and cramming. 

I wish anyone who seeks to become certified, good luck! You can do it!

Ad Extensions

Ad Extensions are what make your ads stand out.  They provide additional information that may only be relevant to certain types of businesses or campaign goals. Commonly used ad extensions include site links, callouts, call numbers, and location extensions. Site links provide the top sections of your website that appeal to people. For instance, a site link for Noodles and Company could be "Find Nearest Location" or "Full Menu". These are likely site locations people are looking for when they search for the resultant. In this way, site links make the website faster and easier to access. The following is an example of site links that Nike has utilized for its ad:

Another common extension is the callout feature, which i have previously talked about. Callouts are helpful because they provide additional detail that easily grabs attention. It is important to always add callouts to adds because they are free and lead to higher CTR and quality scores. This picture highlight how callouts look in a search result. Callout phrases like "Over 10 Years of Experience" serve to attract potential clickers. This particular ad contains site links beneath the callouts as well:

Lastly, adding a call and location extension, allows customers to effortlessly contact or reach the company or store. These extensions are especially needed to complete conversions. The examples below show the call button extension for DSW and the location link for the ice cream shop. If the call button is clicked, the consumer will have automatically dialed DSW's contact number. Likewise, if the location link is clicked, Google maps will begin directing the consumer to the ice cream location.

Campaign Strategies

Hi Again! This post is dedicated to AdWord Campaigns. The first step to running a successful campaign is to understand the goal of the campaign. One campaign may be to increase the click-through-rate and another may be garner brand exposure. All campaigns are made of ad groups. It is a good practice for each of these ad groups to contains 4-5 ads. Each group representing a specific theme. Thereafter, after a while of trial, ads that do not perform as well can be improved or paused. Once you have tried to create a campaign you can reach out to AdWords for some general advice, using Adwords Support. It is possible to call, chat, and email a representative. This is helpful because you may be able to learn something new or gain a few new suggestions. There is always room for improvement.

After a campaign has run, Google will begin to offer suggestions, many keywords related. It will scan the landing page, and find many applicable keywords that can be utilized. Another option is the "Opportunities" tab. This is where AdWords provides suggestions for the campaign not only involving keywords but also for ad groups. For instance, an opportunity may say, "Create 2 ad groups from found keywords in beachwear". There is an option to view or apply the opportunity. It is wiser to view the suggestion and change it as needed before applying it to the campaign. This is neat because Google is able to think of relevant ad groups that one may not have thought of. Here is a general breakdown of a campaign.

Using the www.rgbexchange.org/ site, I created a search network campaign for the homepage. Below is one of the ads I made under the ad group: Green Exchange (the theme I chose). 

Creating an Ad with Callouts

Hello Readers! Today, I created my first Adwords ad. The process was easier than I expected and essentially involves inputting company information, product type, and goal. The ad itself is simple enough although it does require some thought. To begin, I first had to create a campaign and specify the goal. In my case, site visits. The ad I generated involves a faux company I made up called SupriseBox. The company's "mission" is to allow busy people to send quick, customizable, pre-wrapped gifts to whoever they would like. This product is perfect for people with little time, no idea what to give, or for around the Holiday season when shopping can become difficult. The description provided briefly explains this idea. The screenshot below provides the gist of the ad I made:

When creating an ad, there are three primary headings: The company name, descriptor, additional details. Another line, with additional information called callouts, may also be added. Callouts are especially important because they highlight what a company has to offer as well as provide more room to communicate to consumers. By doing this, readers will be more likely to click the ad and thus generate website visits. I chose to write "Free Shipping" and "24/7 Service" to show company services that are likely to appeal to the target market of SupriseBox. I also included "Buy One, Give One" because it is one of the goals of the company: social entrepreneurship. In addition, this phrase can be used as a marketing tactic since generosity is typical during the Holiday season. Callouts are considered ad extensions and do not cost an additional fee. It is important to note that because it is an extension, callouts may not always appear. Therefore, all vital information should be left on the description line. It takes about 24 hours for Ad Words to review and approve the ad. Here is how the ad I created will look on a consumer's mobile device once it is approved:

Keywords

Hello! Today, I will be discussing  Chapter 5 from the Introduction to Search Engine Marketing and Adwords book. Here are a few key takeaways about keywords.

Keywords are essentially phrases that trigger an AdWords ad, when searched on Google. A important equation to remember in order to avoid confusion is "search term= search query= search phase= keyword". Basically, these all meaning the same thing and have one purpose: trigger an ad. There are also two general types of occasions that define how Keywords are used. The first is in situations where the searchers know about a specific product, brand, or organization. The second is in which searchers are interested in a non-specific product or service. For instance, examples of the first type are "Apple AirPods" or simply "Apple", and examples of the second situation are "wireless earphones" or "latest phone gear".

Sometimes it is hard to think of all relevant keywords in one sitting. Keywords Planner is an AdWords tool that helps you get ideas. Simply input general information like product or service and the relevant categories. Basically, the goal is to come up with keywords that will garner clicks on the ad. By using a certain clicks goal, a company will establish a conversion goal. For example, "for with 500 clicks on our ad, we aim for 75 product purchases". This is an example of what the Keyword Planner looks like:

Tools to Measure Performance

Now that I have an Adwords campaign set up, the next step is to measure its performance. Measuring performance is vital. Through improving the ad and website, one can optimize the ROI or return investment (or the effectiveness of the campaign). Here are two tools that make performance measuring a whole lot easier:

Conversion Tracking: This is a free tracking tool from AdWords. Conversions are basically actions (goals) that occur once the ad is clicked. For example, a conversion for a website promoting an app would be the amount of app downloads that occur. So, instead of simply counting how many clicks the ad brought, conversion tracking counts how beneficial the ad was (in meeting goals). AdWords starts conversion tracking after a bit of java code is pasted on the page that displays once a conversion or goal is complete. Conversion tracking is a meaningful way to decipher how effective ads are. It also allows one to put more money into ads that are effective.

Google Analytics: Google analytics is a widely used website traffic and activity tracking tool. It is possible to link Adwords and Google Analytics together thoroughly understand customer behavior. Here are the benefits according to the AdWords Fundamentals Module 3.2:

Targeting Your Audience

This week I will be discussing information from Module 2 of AdWords Fundamentals Study Guide entitled: Setting up an AdWords Campaign.

A first step to a successful campaign is ensuring your ads are being viewed by the correct audience. It is extremely important to know who your audience is and what their behaviors and tendencies are in order to create effective ads. By uing different functions within AdWords you can easily reach out to your target market!

Location and language targeting is a helpful option that allows you to choose specific geographic areas to display your ad, for instance in America and English only. In addition, device targeting allows you to choose if people may see your ads of devices or only desktops (time of day or device type). This may be helpful if reaching out to a specific audience such as the elderly that are more comfortable searching the web using a desktop than a phone. 

One type of targeting that we are all very familiar with is managed placement targeting. This allows you to choose where your ads will appear on websites your audience is accustomed to visiting. For example, if you have a natural makeup line and you notice your audience often visits a vegan recipes website, you may want your ad to appear on that site. 

Keyword Targeting is using different match types to trigger your ad for different phrases your audience may search. Exact match, for instance, will narrow the possibility of the ad appearing, appearing only to a specific target audience. There are also negative keywords that can be added. Negative matches will exclude your ad from appearing when certain keywords are used in a search. Below is a helpful chart from this Adwords support page:

Match type	Special symbol	Example keyword	Ads may show on searches that:	Example searches
Broad match	none	women's hats	include misspellings, synonyms, related searches, and other relevant variations	buy ladies hats
Broad match modifier	+keyword	+women's +hats	contain the modified term (or close variation, but not synonyms), in any order	hats for women
Phrase match	"keyword"	"women's hats"	are a phrase (or close variation)	buy women's hats
Exact match	[keyword]	[women's hats]	are an exact term (or close variation)	women's hats
Negative match	-keyword	-women	are searches without the term	baseball hats

Introduction to Adwords: Effective Keywords

Hello everyone! This week I will be introducing Adwords and providing some tips to building effective keywords. To begin, Adwords is the tool Google uses to monetize its search engine capabilities. It essentially allows its search result pages to host paid ads. Through Adwords, companies can create custom ads that appear by specific search inputs. The ad's cost is dependent on how many people click on it; this is called CPC or Cost Per Click.

Keywords, according to chapter one of Introduction to Social Media Marketing and Adwords, are "guesses of what people might search for when they are looking for information on Google". Keywords are simply words or phrases. Companies can write a list of potential search inputs or keywords people may make. For example, a local French Bakery may choose keywords like "Bakery in Naperville" or "Macaroons near Lisle". Previously, all keywords had fixed prices but now bidding can take place. Competitors may often vie for the same keywords,  Dollar Tree and Dollar General may both vie for the "Dollar Store" keyword, for instance. However, only the highest bidding company can claim the keyword. It is also very important to carefully choose keywords. This will allow for higher quality keyword scores. A high score means that the content on the web page matches the keyword given. It is also important to have good keywords with these high scores so that the ad can appear higher and closer to the first page of search results. Naturally, this will lead to more clicks and thus more site traffic. This process is apart of Search Engine Optimization or SEO.

Some Tips for an Effective Keywords List:

According to this Adwords Help article, it is very important to approach this task through the lens of the customer. What would your typical customer search for? Using what terms?

• Break down the company into different aspects and start building from there. Creating ad groups that are based on products or services allows customers to see different ads based on their specific searches.
• Use natural language instead of word bites. i.e "custom made cakes" instead of "fresh butter cream fondant cake"
• General keywords: In order to reach as many people as possible choose broader words. This requires alot of testing because general terms are more competitive and often require higher bids.
• Use word clusters: These are sites that review an article and find reoccurring words (ie Wordle or Tag Crowd). Using these reoccurring words is a good start to finding high scoring keywords.
• Look at competitor keywords by viewing their source code and searching "keywords". This will allow you to get effective keyword ideas.

Sources: 

-Introduction to Search Engine Marketing and AdWords: A Guide for Absolute Beginners 1st ed. Edition by Todd Kelsey

-https://support.google.com/adwords/answer/2453981?hl=en

-https://hub.wiley.com/community/exchanges/discover/blog/2017/06/07/how-to-choose-effective-keywords-for-your-article

-https://www.weidert.com/whole_brain_marketing_blog/bid/112478/seo-5-simple-steps-for-choosing-effective-keywords

Final Project and Spacing

Today, I wanted to share my final infographic project. This infographic is one I really enjoyed making. Using Piktochart, I was able to effectively customize and create an infographic I am proud of. However, I definitely still do believe there is room for improvement. I did encounter several problems through out the process. One problem I encountered was finding a balance between images and information. I think I walked a fine line. I do hope that I was able to make sure that neither aspect overpowers the other. Also, it was difficult to find colors that complemented each other, were appealing, yet not overwhelming. I played with the opacity tool quite a bit, in order to make some aspects more visible the the others.

Spacing was difficult for me because I am very weary of overcrowding. I tried to limit wordiness as much as I could. I replaced words with images that translated the same content. However, I may have played into an overwhelming feeling with the various aspects to look at in the infographic. This was a challenge, because in order to transmit a certain level of information you are forced to think differently, limiting words, images, and even information. Unlike Vengage, Piktochart does not have rulers to help align images and text boxes. It was not easy having to constantly eyeball alignment. Rethinking spacing this week, if I were to submit this project again, I would allow a few centimeters space for the "How We Give" pink section. I think this should help space the infographic adequately. 

Boosting Linkedin

Hello Everyone!  I was first required to create a LinkedIn account for a Marketing class I took last semester. My account was made with little to no information. However, this week I focused on updating my LinkedIn profile. While exploring the site, I discovered the variety of information LinkedIn allows you to project to viewers. It really allows you to create an interactive, professional profile that physical resumes cannot provide. After the experience, I realized just how vital a platform LinkedIn is to both employers and candidates. Through this, I went from a beginner profile to advanced!

I began the update by adding in the school I attend and the degree I am en route towards. After, I inserted skills that I possessed, including the skills I attained from this Infographics class such as Canva and Piktochart. I continued to add the Nonprofit Organizations I currently volunteer with in addition to relevant courses I have taken. Adding a project file was very interesting because it is a great showcase of skills. It is one thing to claim you have a certain skill and to actually have it. This feature is an outlet that allows you to prove the claim as well. The project I added was a compilation of the infographics I have created recently. I wanted to add a picture but I do not have a professional picture yet. Hopefully, I will get the opportunity to take one soon! I am excited to add a picture because with it I will be able to attain the All Star status. 

Artificial Intelligence

The article "Don't Delay, No one Can Say" really opened up my eyes to reality. I have always said that automated jobs were in our near future, but I did not realize how near they really were. There is no use in ignoring artificial intelligence, because it is the future whether or not I am ready for it. Personally, I find it incredibly uncomfortable knowing that robots will take on anywhere from manufacturer to manager to surgeon roles. It is also scary to think, that it is beyond my control, and that I have no choice but to become highly skilled or artificial intelligence will replace me. It is frightening to consider how fast and how drastically the job market and economy will shift. Globalization has already made individual economies complex. The more the world globalizes and the more advanced AI becomes, the changes will be immense. And I wholly agree, that the only way to deal with it is to prepare. We must become open to the change, accept it, and exploit it.

I took a Python class in high school for a semester and found it difficult, not to mention very boring. After it, I hoped that I would not have to delve in the language of computers anymore. However, after reading the article, I am motivated to give it another go. No doubt because I do, now, believe that I will end up learning it at some point in my life. So, I might as well learn programming skills now, knowing it will aid me in the long-run, and hopefully it will help me get a job now.

I have heard that the future will be less about majoring in a single field and more about earning certifications entailing current sought after skills. Then, as skills become obsolete new certifications will have to be met. In this, the job market will force people to continuously learn in order to be both relevant and in demand.  I guess its just another reality to get used to. Overall, this article and the subsequent articles referenced were enlightening. It is a future of uncertainty, but I believe it will be okay if we have the tools to navigate it. 

Tableau Public

This week, I worked with Tableau Public. The program is very different from the tools we have used thus far. Not only was it a completely new interface, but it also the most advanced. It took me a while to navigate the program. Tableau uses data to create visual graphs almost like Excel does. However, it is so much simpler and considerably faster. Tableau Public lacks the in-depth customization levels that Excel provides but it makes it up through the straightforward setup. In addition, it can draw data from various datasheets like Access, Excel, and GoogleSheets. Tableau is a data heavy program that is used primarily for dashboards as well as inforgraphics. It has a variety of cool graphs to choose from like bullet graphs, packed bubbles, and tree maps. It is definitely a program I want to become skilled in, so making visualizations can become effortless.


In order to make my infographic, I recycled an excel sheet I used in a previous dashboarding project. It contained the amount of CO2 gas emissions the top ten emitters produced in 2014. I used the same data to create two charts, a map and bar chart. The two charts are both interactive and connected. For instance, if you click Brazil on the world map, the bar chart will highlight Brazil and vice versa. This is pretty amazing, considering making the visual interactive requires no additional effort or programming or intermediate Excel skills. Overall, I enjoyed the experience and am excited to keep exploring Tableau. The dashboard I made is uploaded on Tableau Public so I provided a link below. I also snipped it into a png so I could quickly display it here:
https://public.tableau.com/profile/atiya#!/vizhome/Book1_19334/TopTenCO2Emitters

Interactive Inforgraphics and Venngage

This week I decided to make a new infographic on coffee using a new program, Venngage. The interface is reminiscent of Canva. I enjoyed making the infographic as there were a variety of options to choose from. The charts feature is superior to Canva and Piktochart. It offers a larger variety of options including word clouds, icon percentage charts, tree maps, and cloud bubbles. Also, these charts are considerably customizable and interactive.  There were plentiful icons to choose from and even maps that can be added. Venngage, however, only provides limited image, image frames, and text options. Besides this major downside, it was still relatively easy to make a full fledged free infographic.  Apparently only premium members can download their work. Therefore, I am only able to show the infographic I made below because I used my snipping tool.



I used 3 separate colored panels at an attempt at storytelling. However, I am unsure if I did it correctly. An interactive infographic would further engage the reader. In order to do this some additions could be, a map that can zoom in on countries, providing details when clicked. Additionally, with each country clicked, the coffee bean could change percentages corresponding to which type of bean Arabic or Robusta is grown there. It would be pretty cool if the image frames could hold multiple pictures that would rotate almost like a GIF. Most of the charts in Venngage are interactive. They can be clicked and unclicked to allow micro-comparisons. This makes the digital inforgraphic experience more rich.

Infographic Proposal

Client: Yoobi

Products: School Supplies
Purpose: Marketing; provide a visual summary of the company’s mission
Problem: Currently lacking a concise, effective advertisement that can inform potential customers about the meaning behind Yoobi products

Infographic Layout:
The infographic would be divided into 4 parts: Quick Facts, What We Give, How We Give, and How You Can Help.

• Quick Facts:
• Yoobi Logo with Phrase meaning: “One for you one for me”
• $485 is the average amount of money a teacher pays (out of pocket) on essential school supplies.
•  99% of teachers spend their own money on essential classroom materials.
• In total, KG-12th grade teachers spend 1.6B a year on school supplies.
• What We Give:
• Yoobi Classroom pack

• Contains 425 core learning tools, for 30 students, completely free
• Provide Picture with details
• How We Give:
• Company works with partner: Kids in Need Foundation
• Donates, then KINF distributes
•  Provides supplies to younger kids who are in the greatest need for supplies and typically to schools in high poverty areas (Areas with large number of students who qualify for NSLP).
• Provide map visual presenting where Yoobi focuses supplies
• How You Can Help:
• Places to purchase Yoobi Products
• Target, Amazon, Retail. And Yoobi.com

Thinking Like a Designer

Chapter 5 is entitled "Thinking Like a Designer". The reading was simple enough but contained an interesting perspective. The first concept is afforadances which are aspects of design that show how an object functions and it is to be used. Highlighting or focusing on the relevant information is one way to achieve this. Highlighting can be done by using bold, italics, underlining, cafe, typeface, specific colors, inversing elements, or size. Another way is to eliminate distractions is by identifying unnecessary information by seeing if it truly pertains to the topic at hand. Additionally, creating a clear visual hierarchy of info can help in labeling and organizing info so the data is best communicated (ie. super-catagories and scatter plots).

Accessibility or the concept that designs should be understood and used in different ways by different people. To achieve accessibility a good idea to to not over complicate the design by using easy fonts, keeping it clean, using few words, and simple language. Also, thoughtful use of text is important in titles, labels, and text notes.

The next concept is aesthetics or the idea that appearance of data matters. To be visually smart use appropriate colors, pay attention to alignment, and do not overcrowd but use white space to an advantage.

Lastly, acceptance, which deals with how it is understood by others or its effectiveness. To gain acceptance, provide multiple options and seek input, show designs side by side, and get someone to be both critical and vocal about the designs created.

Yoobi Infographic Idea: Marketing
On the supplies company, Yoobis's, site there is a short impact report that briefly describes the company's mission in providing supplies to schools in America through every purchase of their products. I would like to make an inforgraphic to create a visual summary of this report. The infographic would be divided into three parts: What We Give, Where We Give, and How You Can Help. This way there is a flow in the ideas that can be easily processed by the audience.

Iman Chicago Idea: Data 
I would like to create an infographic that entails the internal data that we collect through corner shop visits. This data contains the demographics of people visits, what is being sold, and concerns and expectations of customers. Using a scatter plot to effectively display satisfaction levels would be a good idea. In addition, using the concept of accessibility to make the inforgraphic usable by all not only volunteers but public officials and donors would be a goal as well.

Possible Clients

This week begins with brainstorming potential clients for an infographic. Infographics are definitely an effective method to efficiently get data or marketing across to the reader. After giving it some  thought, I figured out three clients that I would enjoy making an infographic for:  Yoobi, the EPA, and IMAN Chicago.

Yoobi is an amazing company that sells colorful school supplies. The name YooBi means "one for you, and one for me" which pretty much sums up the company mission. For every item sold, Yoobi donates an item to a classroom in the US. I have a few Yoobi highlighters and pens I bought (and love) from Target a while back. However, I only recently realized the company has this charitable side. Therefore, I would really enjoy making the company an infographic that would help them better market their products. This way, customers can better understand how Yoobi provides something more meaningful than just supplies.

The next group I would like to advertise for is the EPA. The Environmental Protective Agency is currently being largely defunded. In addition, the head of the current EPA is not someone who believes in climate change. I would like to help scientists and the department of government out in creating infographics using raw, nonpartisan data from around the world. I'd like to make them simple and straightforward enough to get the message across to the congress (and all our citizens). Hopefully, then there can be no disputes in the unfortunately controversial subject.

Lastly, I think it would be helpful to make an infographic for IMAN Chicago. The Intercity Muslim Action Network is a nonprofit organization that is based in the south side of Chicago. This organization focuses on community, the arts, and activism. I currently am volunteering with IMAN in a larger campaign to address the food desert the south side is currently in. There is little to no access to fresh produce or substantial groceries. IMAN is working with the corner stores within the south side to bring produce and healthy items into the community. I would like to put the data we collect into an infographic. I think many types of people can benefit from this. This can be a method of advertisement to garner more volunteers and outside donations. Additionally,  this data will serve as a means to bring more corner stores into the initiative and possible support from the local city and town government.

Below is my Hubspot inforgraphic pdf file:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bx_2xqC-z85XbV9hYW5ONjhaZFE/view?usp=sharing

Piktochart Infographic Remake

This week I recreated my first infographic using Piktochart. I actually really enjoyed using the software and would possibly consider it my favorite thus far. I used the website once before in highschool to make event fliers, so I was already quite familiar with it. The interface is so simple to use and maneuver. There is no lagging and there are plenty of options to choose from. I really love the picture frame options (and all the free photos). The frames are an effortless way to make the infographic look clean, unique, and still professional.

Some text frames, backgrounds, and pictures are not as personalizable as I would have liked. The colors and dimensions are typically preset and so an element of customization is lost. I do not like the Piktochart watermark at the bottom of the PNG that can only be removed once upgraded. While there are few templates that are free, the upgraded templates are still viewable and serve as inspiration. 

The site does remind me of Canva, however, Canva had more free templates but limited backgrounds, pictures, and icons. This made making a completely free infographic quite difficult on Canva, but relatively straightforward on Piktochart. The tool option sets Piktochart apart from both Canva and Powerpoint because it makes adding graphs, maps, and videos very easy. The graph feature stood out because some graph options including the doughnut, stack venn, and the icon matrix are unique to Piktochart (that even excel doesn't support).

I chose to remake my first infographic entitled, "The Good and Bad of Having Your Own Business". Firstly, inorder to truly declutter, I decided to change my topic to only benefits instead of both pros and cons. Then, I added some fun information to provide a short background to the topic. While the graph and photo frame are extra, I do not think they clutter the infographic, but rather add visual enhancement. In particular, I utilized the principles of similarity and enclosure. The colors and fonts coordinate throughout and provide harmony and uniformity to the infographic, something the original version lacked. Also, the remake has adequate white space that helped balance it as well.