Last month I had the opportunity to attend the Digital Media Summit- Canada's Premier Social Media and Interactive Marketing Conference at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto. Infinity had the privilege of working with the Digital Media Summit since December of 2011, running their social media campaign, along with traditional PR and media relations. Now I'm not just saying (notice the clever pun) this because we were involved with the event, but it really was an amazing two days. Got to hear from lots of amazing speakers, make some great network connections and top it all of with a closing keynote address from Arianna Huffington. 

I wanted to share an interesting thought with you that I picked up at DMS courtesy of Facebook's Steve Irvine, who was definitely one of the highlight speakers. Steve talked a lot about how social media has the power to take a brand that may seem very disconnected from the human experience and capture those special moments in life that the brand has always been a part of. 

Take something as basic as nails: boring, cold, come in assorted cases at your local Home Depot for a couple of dollars. How could 'Example' Nails, as a brand have any sort of resonance with everyday life? What's the point in creating a Facebook page for nails- it's not as if people are nail enthusiasts or take great pride in the brand of nails they identify with. Yet nails can be a part of many special moments throughout our lives. The first time you built something with your dad or grandpa- hitting those nails into the wood and loving it no matter how crooked they were, that time you built a bird house as a gift for mom on mother's day, your first house- and how you and your friends renovated it on your own because you couldn't afford to hire a professional to help,the volunteers that come together to rebuild houses that have been destroyed by floods, tornados and fires and that tree house you built for your grandkids just because you could. (Are you teary eyed yet?)

I apologize for making the last part read like a bad Disney script, but this was just a short list of the many plausible "story" scenarios where something as bland as couple of nails become a part of a meaningful and memorable life experience. The brand now has power to project those moments via social media by creating a space where the stories can come to the forefront and remind the audience how that given brand now fits into their story. 

Just a thought. Until next time*

David Siekanowicz

There are many trending topics happening this week.  I could discuss this year’s best Super Bowl ad.  The return of Ferris Bueller – hands down, am I right?  Seriously... I think I’ll just watch FBDO for the 1,000^th time on Sunday instead of the Super Bowl.  Why aren’t my days off half as glamorous as that one?  Must be the car…

Anyways, today I’ll be talking about Infographics.  Infographics are everywhere.  Just go on Mashable and every other entry contains an Infographic.  There are Infographics about what people look up on Facebook, how we use Twitter, the economy, the election…there are even infographics about infographics...lots of them

Wouldn’t all this information be better presented in a list?  I know you’d love that Dave….

Some people just love Infographics.... here's what Blue Wheel Media says about them:

"Infographics have the ability to transform a boring collection of statistics, facts and figures, into a stunning masterpiece that you won't be able to keep to yourself.  Upon finding a great infographic, the reader is overcome with a thrill of discovery - almost like an adrenaline rush, triggering desire to share."

So if this is true, how can you apply this latest trend to your business and have the biggest impact with your documents?  If I had any design talent, I would create my own infographic with pie charts, symbols, squiggly lines and shiny colours, but I’ll just have to do a list

People respond to visuals – so don’t be too texty.

Keep it short

People are busy, we have lots of things to do and we get distracted easily.  So if you want us to read your quarterly sales report, keep it short…because after page 1, I’ll be bouncing over to YouTube or checking out Perez Hilton.

And it the same vein:

Keep it simple

Avoid jargon, fancy abbreviations or acronyms.  Don’t use 4 words when 1 would suffice.  Forget complicated – use simple, direct, easy-to-understand words that every single one of your audience will get.  No one wants to feel condescended to when reading that ubiquitous sales pitch. Indubitably!

Don’t just dress it up, back it up

See what I did there? Very tongue in cheek (if I do say so myself). 

This blog is a combination rant,commentary and airing of grievances all in one. As part of my daily research to keep up-to-date with all things social, digital and PR, I go through a bookmarked list of blogs that feature the latest posts related to said areas of interest. I then check my Twitter lists to see what the important people are Tweeting about. Since Twitter is a great sharing platform I figure any worthwhile stories, blogs and articles will eventually be tweeted. 

And I must report that I have noticed an annoying trend. Let me know if you see it:

• 5 Tips for First Time Managers
• 5 Ways Social Media is like a Networking Event 
• 5 Facts You Didn't Know About Facebook Edge Rank
• 7 Reasons Every Job Seeker Should Have a Blog
• 11 Things That Annoy Journalists and Bloggers

Happy New Year! 

I know, I'm only 4 days late but hey- it's been a while. I should have probably finished this series before the holidays but things just got crazy busy here (crazy is good)and the blog got put on the back burner. But alas! I have returned to finish this mini series: Cutting Through The Clutter. Here's a quick recap of what we discussed in the previous posts:

• Of all the social networking sites out there, less than 5% really matter to your business
• That 5% of the pie is also important to 95% of your competitors
• Your 5% varies on your industry, location and culture- so make sure you get it right
• Bottom line: everyone's putting all their eggs into the same basket
• The goal: cut through the clutter and rise above your competitors to reach your audience

      

Dave Siekanowicz