Adding an Infographic into Your Content Mix

October 9, 2012 By BJ Cook,

I’m sure by now everyone knows what an infographic is. These forms of mass communication are really trending in the web space right now and if you want to capitalize on them, you better make sure they not only look incredible but include great content as well. Studies have shown that more than 60% of the population are "visual learners" and that 90% of information that comes to the brain is visual You can literally make an infographic about anything, from Baseball...

...to education...

...even Google uses it.

Infographics are not only fun but help break down big bits of information into fun size pieces. Because data on the internet continues to increase, so does noise level for the masses. As marketers it is common issues to continue finding new ways to package and promote that data to rise above the noise. Infographics are one of the leading ways to do so. What’s more, as a result of the increase in data there should be no shortage of information available for your infographic. Government statistics, Nielsen reports and trade associations all produce reliable data. Infographics are meant to pull in a reader by capturing their eye visually and then having them follow the narrative around with the information you provide. Each information point needs to flow into the next, much like a story would. Many treat their infographic like a story, and the story you tell needs to be of interests to your audience. Is your infographic answering a question your target audience would ask? If the answer is no, you may need to keep searching for a more relevant topic. There is no certain sweet spot for lengths of infographics. Just don’t go overboard filling it up with data, keep it to a reasonable length. If you wouldn’t bother to read the whole thing, then your audience surely wouldn’t. Also keep your words to the bare minimum. Most people just look at the graphic and refer to the text for a little more context. Short statements rule over full length sentences here. The best thing about infographics is their sharabilitiy. They are more likely to be shared than an email blast or a regular blog post. People love to pass a long a great graphic with great information. They love it even better when they look like the educated one who found your great piece and the kudos goes to them for passing along the information. While the reader shares your infographic your link is getting passed around and increases backlinks to your site. The most important tip to remember is to brand the graphic with your logo and try to tie it in with a Call-to-action. Whats the point of investing in an infographic – time or money – if there is no return? A simple trick is utilizing your last data point as a way to lead into your products or service. That way it brings the attention back to your company and if your infographic did its job they will want to visit your site and find out more information. What we see coming in the future of infographics are interactive infographics. With the help of HTML5 and CSS3, clickable interactive infographics will be able to provide more information while making the content more engaging. Here’s an example from onlineschools.org about “The State of the Internet 2011”. Research shows that 45% of web users will click on a link if it features an infographic. If you aren't sure you or your team is capable of designing a captivating infographic or interactive infographic there are many design companies that will assist in that process.