Introduction to Infographics
In our fast-paced and visually-led world, infographics have become increasingly popular, and somewhat of a staple in content creation. They are engaging, easily understood, and require very little invested time from a reader.
In March 2019, over 4.4 million blog posts were published every day. Given those numbers, our drastically reduced attention spans and let’s face it, available time, we think it’s fair to say that that the human brain cannot consume data at the rate that it’s being produced.
Luckily for us, it has been estimated that infographics are about 30 times more likely to be read and understood than a full article and businesses that publish infographics grow their traffic an average of 12% more than those that don’t.
But before we go any further, let’s take a step back and start at the beginning.
What are infographics?
According to Wikipedia, Infographics (a clipped compound of “information” and “graphics”) are graphic visual representations of information, data, or knowledge intended to present information quickly and clearly. They can improve cognition by utilising graphics to enhance the human visual system’s ability to see patterns and trends.
Get all that? No? Here’s an infographic by Hot Butter Studio to explain…
Why are they so popular?
It’s simple. When data is presented in a clear and visually engaging manner, complex information is easily consumed, digested and retained by the brain. This means that even the most challenging information can be visually translated in a way that virtually anyone can understand it!
Do they work?
Here are some interesting facts courtesy of Venngage for you to consider:
- Infographics can help boost the traffic to your site by up to 12% (Source)
- Articles with infographics got 178% more links than standard articles (Source
- Articles featuring infographics received 72% more views than standard articles (Source)
- Infographics receive three times more shares than any other type of content on social media
- Infographics are 30 times more likely to be read from top to bottom than blog posts or articles (Source)
Fantastic, but how do we create infographics that will be appealing to our audiences and get them to share it with others?
According to Neil Patel, there are three elements to ensure a successful infographic. They are:
Method
As with any other content marketing decision, the end-user (prospective customer) is the person who matters most in your content marketing decisions.
Make sure that you match your headline to your audience and topic. For example, if your audience likes “how to” blog posts, they will probably love “how to” infographics. If your business is tech-related, your infographic headlines have to suit your tech-driven users.
Unique Story
The second most valuable element of a useful infographic is a story that connects with your readers emotionally. Even if your topic isn’t new, a unique story will spice it up and stir the emotions.
Statistical Data
Most of your target audience won’t be interested in an infographic based only on your personal opinion without the data to back it up. If you want to establish trust, you need to communicate value with sound sources.
Conclusion
People only remember 80% of what they see and do, compared with 20% of what they read.
It is therefore essential to keep your visuals simple, to the point and uncluttered. Use a combination of words and graphics to share facts in a way that can be understood quickly and easily by others.
At Tenacity Works, we believe that even the most arcane data can be transformed with the right design. Our visual explanations take the complex and make it accessible. Whether it’s flowcharts, graphs, maps or timelines, we’ll create satisfying, information-rich infographics that support your story, guiding your audience through abstract or hard-to-grasp ideas.
Get in touch and let’s get started!
Photo by Isaac Griffin on Unsplash