Infographics have become an increasingly popular and powerful method for delivering vast amounts of data while generating incredible visibility. Considering that the human brain is able to consume visual content 60,000 times faster than text, it is little wonder that infographics are so powerful. Even more compelling is the fact that consumers seem to like visual content better than text. In fact, Jeff Bullas points out that images receive nearly two times more views than content without images.
Clearly, infographics offer an incredible amount of power. But, that power is only worthwhile if it is properly harnessed. The tips below will ensure that you are able to put infographics to work properly to drive increased visibility for your brand.
The process of designing an infographics is often overwhelming, particularly if this is your first time to do so. While there are numerous tools available to help you to create custom infographics, including Piktochart, it is still important to ensure that you understand a few cardinal rules.
Go Beyond Statistics and Data
One of the reasons that infographics have become so popular is that they present a concise method for delivering a vast amount of data. Even so, it is important that you do not fall into the trap of simply providing statistics in your infographic. Weave a story around these statistics to ensure that the visual content you provide is both attractive and informative.
In this example, there is so much data that it becomes difficult to decide where to focus one's attention first. Packed with data, this infographic attempts to communicate too much at once and makes it difficult to quickly get to the point, a quick turn off for viewers.
Avoid Text Overload
Besides making certain that you do not base your infographic solely on text, it is also important to avoid text overload. The primary goal of an infographic is to visually engage your viewer, which is difficult if the presentation is muddled with too much text. The experience associated with an infographic must be visual in nature. If the viewer is forced to read too much, you might lose him or her.
Here, we see an infographic that is not only too long, but contains far too much text for any viewer to easily and quickly read.
Keep It Fresh
When creating infographics, keep in mind that you only have a few seconds to snag and retain your viewer's attention. Furthermore, you face a tremendous amount of competition from other online content. If the information you present in your infographic is not fresh, valuable, and relevant, it will be a letdown to your viewers. Avoid simply dressing up content that has already been rehashed, or is simply too bland. Do not take your viewers for granted and assume that because you are giving them an infographic, they will appreciate it.
Keep It Simple
Aside from avoiding vague information in an infographic, make sure that you do not have a design that is too complicated. Viewers should be able to understand the information presented within a single reading, or even a single glance. Under no circumstances should a viewer be forced to read your infographic more than once, or study it too hard in order to determine what it is that you wish to convey, as can be seen in this example. Rest assured that if you compel viewers to exert too much time or energy trying to understand your infographic content, you can kiss that lead goodbye. If the content you wish to convey is complex in nature, break it down into smaller, more digestible chunks.
Choose Colors and Typography Wisely
When dealing with visual content marketing of any kind, but particularly with infographics, you must consider the use of typography and colors very carefully. Both play an extremely important role in how easy or how difficult it is for your reader to digest the information presented. Ideally, avoid using more than three colors. In choosing colors, opt for lighter hues for backgrounds rather than dark ones, as were used in this example. Remember that fonts are extremely powerful and can also convey messages regarding your brand even subtly.
Avoid Blatant Self Promotion
Naturally, the ultimate goal of your infographic is to drive brand visibility and awareness. Even so, avoid leaving your viewers feeling as though they have been duped by luring them into an infographic that is clearly designed to promote your brand, product, or service with nothing of real value to them. Consumers expect some branding, but never make the mistake of putting promotion before value.
Develop a Strategy for Sharing your Infographics
Unless you are a highly successful brand that has already cultivated and attracted millions of visitors daily, there is a good chance that you need to find other webmasters who would be interested in hosting your infographic. Ultimately, it is all about visibility. This strategy can help you to attain the visibility that you need. It is not enough to simply build an infographic and hope they will come. You also need to develop a content strategy that includes a relevant article. Keep in mind that the associated article should not be redundant in terms of repeating the information presented in the infographic, but should instead serve as a supplement. You might be surprised to discover how many bloggers and webmasters would be interested in publishing your content and infographic.
Infographics may seem complicated, but the power they are capable of generating in terms of visibility and exposure is tremendous, making them well worth the effort involved.
