In today’s rapidly evolving digital world, it’s more difficult than ever to grab – and hold – the attention of your audience. Thousands of blog posts, articles and videos are uploaded every minute, creating an information firehose. But how do you ensure your brand’s message is heard and understood?
By using the right visuals namely, infographics.
By using data and beautiful imagery, you can produce a marketing tool that is educational, engaging and shareable. In this article, we will look to science to explain why they work, why data is better represented visually and why you may need to consider hiring professional infographic designers as part of your marketing strategy this year.
The Power of Visual Communication
Why infographics work so well, comes down to the way our brain functions. We are inherently visual creatures.
Information Processing: The human brain can process visuals 60,000 times faster than text. When scrolling down a page with a block of text, users may pick up a couple of words. When they come across a vibrant chart, they immediately understand the information.
Retention: Three days after hearing some information, we usually only recall 10% of it. But when they hear it and see a related image, they surprise retain 65% of the information.
Engagement: Posts with infographics or images attract a lot more views and likes than those without. Images and infographics offer a delightful break from text and enhance reading experience.
Infographics tap into these emotions by presenting information, statistics and long-winded explanations in a visually attractive, bite-sized format.
Why Your Business Needs Infographics
Whether you are a B2B tech firm explaining the intricacies of an algorithm or a B2C brand with lifestyle stats, there are many advantages of including infographics into your content marketing plan.
1. Simplifying Complex Information
Have you ever attempted to read a 50 page industry report? It can be heavy, boring and hard to comprehend. Infographics transform these often bulky reports into key points. With the use of icons, charts, and a logical visual journey, you can convey information in a few seconds about a process, a timeline, or comparing statistics.
2. Saving Time, Being Shorter, and More
Google favours good, engaging content. Infographics are visually engaging, so they increase the amount of time users spend on your site, lowering your bounce rate and signalling to Google that your site is worth checking out. What’s more, infographics are perfect for generating backlinks. If other bloggers and journalists think your infographic is interesting, they will use the infographic on their websites and link back to you, enhancing your domain authority.
3. Enhancing Brand Awareness
An infographic is an opportunity to showcase your brand. Using your brand colours, fonts and logo, you have a highly identifiable piece of content. When it’s shared online, your brand goes with it, promoting brand recognition and positioning your company as an expert in your field.
4. Social Media Friendly
Social media sites such as Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) are highly visual. Infographics are almost the perfect format for such platforms. If laid out well, an infographic is very likely to be shared, retweeted or pinned, and could potentially go viral.
The Anatomy of a Great Infographic
Not all visual content is created equal. In fact, if not done right, an infographic can do more harm than good. Creating a successful infographic is a balance of various factors:
A Clear Story: Numbers without a story are just numbers. An infographic should tell a story with a beginning, middle and end: an attention-grabbing hook, the main body of data and a conclusion or call to action.
Adequate and Credible Data: Your infographic is only as strong as its data. Make sure you source from reliable sources and include them at the end of your visual.
Simple Design Hierarchy: You want the eye to find the most important information first, second, and third. The use of size, colour and white space organises the information in a way that makes sense.
Bite-Sized Copy: Infographic is not for paragraphs. The copy should be brief, snappy, and there to reinforce the imagery.
This delicate balance is why it’s important to consider using professional infographic design services. They understand how to integrate text, numbers and imagery.
Do-It-Yourself vs. Design Agencies
With the advent of “point-and-click” design software and templates, it may be tempting to create infographics on your own. While they are great for simple social media graphics, this may not be the case with data-driven, high-stakes infographics.
When you engage in the services of infographic designers, you pay for data analysts, copywriters and graphic designers to work together to get the message right. They have the knowledge of typography, color theory and hierarchy that takes a good infographic and makes it great.
How to Choose the Right Design Partner
If you have come to the conclusion that you need to level up your content marketing strategy with quality visuals, then it’s time to decide how to do that. Here are some things to consider:
Look at their portfolio: look for variety. Is there only one style, or are there different styles for different brands? Make sure they have data visualization experience in your industry.
Ask About Their Process: Look for an agency that will ask you for a script, and then design it. They’ll take you through a process of discovery, research, wireframing, design and revisions.
Look for a Storyteller: Don’t just look at all the beautiful colours and think, Will that make sense? Great designers are also great storytellers and they know how to pace.
Read Client Feedback: Check out what their previous clients are saying about their communication, timeliness, and professionalism.
Final Thoughts
In the age of information, you don’t want your critical information and ideas to go unheard. Infographics connect the dots