When creating a web page, one of the key things to do is have good quality content. It used to be that this would only be text based, but this has quickly changed. Infographics are a great way to convey visual data to your target audience without having a large wall of text that isn’t pleasing to look at.
How important is it to create visual content?
Choosing to create visual content is something that a lot of businesses are choosing to do. It’s incredibly easy to fall into the trap of conveying large data and statistics within a chunk of text, making it easily forgettable.
As human beings, we respond better to visual information. Way back when you were just a baby, you learned to look before you spoke or wrote. It’s this hard wiring that makes our brain process visual information much quicker than when it’s written.
Do you not believe me? Can you remember the last time you had to reread a sentence because it didn’t make sense, or you read it wrong? This doesn’t happen with a well made piece of visual content. This neuroscience website article speaks on how visual processing specfically works in the human body.
One of the best things about visual content is just how fast it can trigger an emotional response. When browsing Facebook, how many times have you kept on scrolling through text, just to stop because a particular image has caught your eye.
A well made image can make a viewer feel a range of different emotions. From feeling happy and warm, to smart and sophisticated, creating the right piece of visual content can create an emotion that is associated with your brand.
Websites such as Facebook and Twitter have become the biggest social media sites you can find. Newer social platforms such as Pinterest have quickly grown, and have become a dominant power of their own. This is because these websites allow visual content to be shared with only a few clicks.
According to Pew Research’s 2013 report, using visual content is the key to social marketing.
- 54% of adult internet users post original photos or videos that they have created themselves.
- 47% of adult internet users take photos or videos that they have discovered online, and repost them on social websites designed for sharing images with other people.
The facts speak for themselves. With so many people sharing content on a regular basis, there are plenty of opportunities to create a piece of visual content that can trend to a wider market.
One of the best ways for a business to create visual content that can convey a piece of information is by using an infographic.
But just what is an infographic?
Infographics are a graphic visualisation of data that is intended to present complex information quickly and clearly.
The main aim for an infographic is to simplify big chunks of information into a visually engaging piece of information. By doing this, it’s easy to attract and inform a large audience.
It doesn’t matter what the purpose of the content actually is; infographics can get the information across in a fun way not often associated with content. More and more content is being shared through the internet every single day. Being able to define an idea both simply and quickly can be a huge asset, no matter what your brand is.
Here at Neil Walker Digital, we like to think of ourselves as the kings of content, so we’d like to share with you how to make the most out of an infographic.
Don’t post too much information!
The whole point of an infographic is to convey information in a simplified manner. It completely defeats the point when you cram as much information in as possible.
An infographic is made so that it isn’t a huge wall of text. Just because you have spent the time to get a decent amount of research doesn’t mean that you have to include every single item. You’re supposed to be entertaining and informing people, not leaving their heads in a mess trying to comprehend it all.
When you create an infographic, you are putting a person into a virtual classroom. You are aiming to engage the person so that they can be informed. This big difference between a standard classroom and a virtual classroom is that people learning visually always have to option to walk out if things get too complicated.
You could create a piece of content that fills a whole A1 piece of paper, and it may have brilliant information on it, but is it really going to keep a person reading every item?
To opitimise an infographic, be selective with the content you choose. If it’s set out with clean and streamlined information, a person is more likely to absorb the information while still being entertained.
Just because you have a subject that you have a lot to talk about, don’t bog it all down with every single detail. If you create an infographic that is eye catching, informative and interesting, a person is more likely to check out your full website for more information.
Make sure that your message isn’t confused!
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Every single picture tells a story, and it’s important that the story isn’t confused in what it’s trying to convey. It isn’t unusual to see an infographic that simply tosses out numbers and hard facts without having a proper message behind it.
Context is vitally important. Aiming to create a narrative inside an infographic can make it stand out. Problem followed with solution, or cause followed with effect can be used to set a coherent message.
When you create an infographic, you need think about what the actual message is, rather than just filling up with random bits of information. Infographics are used as just another tool in visual content, just like how a piece of writing is.
A good infographic doesn’t explain the whole campaign. Instead, it focuses on a specific section. If you try to cover every area then it will end up as an incoherent mess.
The main aim for an infographic is to simplify big chunks of information into a visually engaging piece of information. By doing this, it’s easy to attract and inform a large audience. Focus on a specific section and go with it, if you do a good job then your audience will be attracted to your website.
Make the most out of sharability!
When creating a social campaign, why would you want to restrict yourself on who will be reading the content? It happens all the time though; where the content will only be suitable for internet use.
A good example is the periodic table of content marketing. This infographic shows the key elements of content marketing in an easy to read form.
It’s easy to share, and the website even provides embed code so you can add it to your website if you so wish. The way the whole infographic is so well designed, it can be printed off so you have a physical copy.
Just how useful is it to have a physical copy of an infographic? I have a periodic table of content marketing right next to me for when i’m producing content. Here at Neil Walker Digital, we were so impressed that inspired us to create a content marketing ideas generator.
Make sure to have relevant images!
Images are a big part of an infographic. It’s what will catch the attention of a person.
It’s surprising that a lot of people will choose images that don’t actually have anything to do with the subject for the sake of style. What’s the point of having a picture of a lawn mower if you’re a restaurant. Unless the lawn mower can be related to the main message of the restaurant, then it’s a waste of an image.
It isn’t always about the amount of images, but the quality of them. You don’t want the infographic to be disjointed and hard to read. It’s often best to carefully select a couple lead images that aim to attract the attention of your audience. It can be easy to fill up the infographic with too many images, giving a person too much information to absorb.
Structure, Structure, Structure!
Don’t get an infographic mixed up with a standard piece of written content. Take this blog for example. I can presume that you have been reading this from top to bottom, left to right. An infographic turns this structure on its head.
As a person reads an infographic, they should be drawn to the most important information through the use of images. As they go through the rest of the content, the surrounding items should support the important information.
A well structured infographic will guide a viewer through the material, while they subconsciously reinforce and differentiate primary and secondary information.
Don’t forget your sources!
Don’t be under the impression that a piece of visual content doesn’t require sourced materials. You can’t make a specific claim without any proof. If you are stating data from a piece of research that has already been published, then legally you must identify the primary source.
You want any piece of content to be taken seriously, so ensuring you take the time to leave a source is vital. It is a simple process as well.
“The U.S. Post Office handles 43 percent of the world’s mail.”1
Once you have your footnote, at the bottom of your infographic leave a corresponding footnote with a link to your source. By doing this, any points that you make have the proper proof, meaning people can use your infographic as an accredited source.
Create a piece of visual content that will be remembered
Once you’ve mastered the previous challenges that occur when making an infographic, it’s time to get your creative juices flowing. As long as you can get the information across in a clear and concise way, feel free to be as creative as you like.
Don’t follow standard business trends and simply create a few pie charts and bar graphs, that is in no way trying hard enough. They’ve been done hundreds of times, and they’re simply not entertaining enough.
Play with different colours, shapes and styles to create an infographic that won’t easily be forgotten. Never be afraid of going out of your comfort zone and designing a piece that is like no other. A person is more like to share an infographic when it is intriguing, and the design is unique.
In business, when an item goes viral it is one of the best things that can happen. The item will be shared world wide round, and will be viewed by a massive audience. But how does an item go viral?
Something goes viral when it is like nothing else. When PSY released the song Gangnam Style, it became an instant viral hit. The strange music video followed by an interesting dance move caught the attention of a large audience. As of writing, this music video has 1,999,273,573 views. Something similar can happen if you create a unique and sharable infographic.
Content marketing is the bread and butter of every business. You no longer have to focus on the writing side, as visual content has become an interesting way of sharing information. Infographics are a great to share key data in a fun and unique way, which can sometimes be tough in standard writing (but not for us at Neil Walker Digital).
What do you think of this blog? What do you think of infographics? What’s the future of visual content? Take part in the conversation on twitter @theukseo.