Top tips for creating a kick-ass infographic.
In today’s visual world, content marketing (or inbound marketing as it is also known) is becoming increasingly image-centric and infographics have taken up pride of place as a widely used marketing tool. Simply put, an infographic is a visual representation of content or data. Done right, it can summarise relevant information in an easily digestible format (often including potentially boring statistics) that is great to look at and easy to learn from.
Infographics have become an extremely popular way to share one’s message with a target audience, establish a business as an authority in a particular industry, and drive traffic across various social platforms. With so much content out there, if you decide to use infographics, we suggest you plan to make them effective, strategic, and designed to get liked and shared.
Five big tips for a kick-ass infographic
1. Think one big, relevant idea
While your infographic might contain lots of info, it all needs to relate to one main idea or concept. And, all the info and images on display need to link together into a story that points to that main idea. At the same time, infographic content should be relevant and useful – it needs to give the reader something, educating, supporting, or inspiring them. Use (reliable and up-to-date) stats sparingly as they relate to your message.
2. Think headline
Like with most online content, the headline is key – it’s what grabs your audience’s attention and gets them clicking and reading. Good headlines are catchy / clever, designed to attract attention, describe the infographic to follow, and are short enough to read with a glance (try 70 characters for a good start).
3. Think image
While you are sharing content, at least 70% of your infographic should be visual, using images or graphics. Brainstorm ways to represent content in a visual form and pay attention to elements like universal symbols or images that could save you lots of space and your reader lots of time.
4. Think style
Clean, crisp, clear – these should be your style watch words for creating an infographic that quickly and easily conveys your message. Keep the look visually appealing – the layout should be balanced and consistent. Use font size, colour, and images to guide the reader through the content and let the most important information stand out by presenting it in bite-sized chunks. Experiment with length and size (735 pixels is the standard) depending on your medium (for example, watch out for extra large images that might slow down download time). Also, remember that all marketing materials should be on brand and align with your overall marketing strategy.
5. Think sharing
One of the great benefits of an infographic is that people enjoy sharing them across various social media platforms. Make sure you optimise your infographic for sharing – include source information, include an embed code, add a Pin It button to your infographic, and make sure your logo is on there and prominent. Plus, always plan to drive traffic back to your website. Also, don’t just wait for your loyal fans to share – embed the infographic in a blog post on your website, share it with bloggers in your industry, and share it on your own social media platforms.
Need help creating infographics that will kick the competition to the sidelines? We can help! At Switch, we work with designers, content managers, and marketing consultants who have the experience and expertise to create the perfect marketing materials for your business. Infographic, blog post, website... if it’s digital marketing, we can help!