Incorporating the use of infographics into your content marketing is a great way to boost social media engagement, conversions, and your brand’s credibility as an information source. However, it’s not a “magic bullet” that can be implemented with no strategy whatsoever.
Remember that customers, influencers, and competitors will judge your brand quality by the kind of visual content you publish. Apart from understanding the different types of infographics, you also need to know the essential parts that make an infographic shareworthy. You also need to execute a well-planned promotion strategy to fully leverage the infographic.
Of course, hiring an infographic design specialist and a content marketing expert for promotion purposes is one way to go. But if you have a DIY-style infographic strategy here are the components you shouldn’t forget:
1. A Powerful Intro
First impressions matter for infographic research and design. True, brilliant infographic visuals have a major role in hooking audiences. It’s the introduction’s job to make sure they read through the entire piece.
To create an intro that resonates with your target audience, open up with a question they typically search for. You don’t need anything fancy to complete this step. Simply type in an interrogative word on Google or Facebook search followed by a keyword in your niche.
For example, if you want to create an infographic about blogging, you can type in “how to blogging” and Facebook will do the rest:
You can also cite a startling piece of statistic or data that’s relatable to your target audience. Most B2C enterprises can use Statista to obtain useful information.
When it comes to writing the intro, try to keep its length to only 2-3 sentences to avoid losing your audience’s interest. The second and third sentences can be summary information that digs deeper into the topic or gives a hint of what’s to come. For example:
“How do big blogs make their cash? According to statistics, the vast majority of bloggers make less than $3.50 a day. We interviewed these top 10 niche bloggers in an attempt to learn their secrets.”
2. A Well-Structured Body
The whole point of using infographics is to make technical information readable and easy to understand. As you research the topic, identify key “chunks” of information that you can present in a bulleted or numbered list. For example, if you’re creating an infographic on “how to earn money blogging”, you can kick off with a list of ways to monetize a blog – from PPC to setting up an online shop.
Take note, however, it can disrupt the reading experience if you abruptly add a list without briefly introducing it first. To ensure the piece flows smoothly, be sure to use headlines and brief introductions for key sections. Below is an example from Infobrandz that creatively does both:
3. Professional Images and Icons
It’s important to pay attention to the quality of visual elements included in your infographic. Fortunately, there are plenty of websites to find royalty-free image assets. Pixabay, for example, is a great source for vector graphics, icons, and photos you can use for free.
For visualizations such as charts, graphs, and additional icons, rely on online infographic builders. Just try not to force data visualizations just for the sake of including more graphics to your infographic. Many infographics don’t even have data visualizations. That said, focus more on the “meat” of the infographic, which encompasses all the useful information – like actionable steps, statistical data, or tips.
4. Consistent Theme
Creating infographics typically mean weaving together tons of different graphics and text content to form one cohesive piece. The problem is, obtaining graphic assets from different sources can ruin the consistency of the infographic. Keep in mind that, in addition to being visually appealing, your infographic must have a consistent style to avoid confusing or overwhelming the audience. That’s why you should pay attention to all the small details like colors, sizing, fonts, and the proper use of white space.
A good strategy is to restrict your color palette to make sure all visual elements blend well. To determine which color matches the message you’re trying to convey, refer to the infographic below:
Infographic source: The Logo Company
As much as possible, edit the visual elements in your infographic to make sure everything fits. Do this with Photoshop or an online editing tool like Canva. You can also use the built-in image editors in free infographic builders.
5. A Clear Call to Action
Ultimately, your infographic strategy should pay off by generating leads or sales. At the very least, leverage infographics to boost your online presence in social media. That said, don’t forget to include your logo and social media user names to help the audience find you. Just in case they happen to like your content.
How direct can you be in your call to action inside the infographic? Take a look at this example for inspiration!
Lead capture elements can also be added outside the infographic itself, like a CTA in the accompanying blog content or on a floating sidebar. This can be done with social sharing button tools. Another strategy is to add a “Pin-It” button, which allows users to easily share and spread your infographic on Pinterest.
6. Mobile Friendliness
In lead generation, mobile friendliness is one of the top factors that affect click-through rates. When it comes to infographics, your only concern is to make it load fast and easy to view on smaller displays.
Having a long-scrolling layout is a step in the right direction. It improves the experience of mobile users since they only have to swipe up to see the entire infographic. Also, pay attention to the scale of the fonts so the audience doesn’t have to zoom in and out to read the information.
Conclusion
Infographics can be the key to preparing your brand for tomorrow’s fierce competition. Just remember that, in infographic design, there are no one-size-fits-all element that must be utilized 100% of the time – except for the components mentioned above. Build your infographic design strategy around these elements to maximize your success.
Hero photo by Marcel Knupfer on Unsplash
