Did Infographics Marketing ever interested you to the extent that you plan to include it into your Content Marketing Strategy?
“Content Is King” We all have been exclaiming this for quite a while now. And, hence, businesses are generating content goals on a regular basis. Is this regular content generation the only marketing goal for the businesses? Or it should be the value that your content may generate?
Content Marketing is the most customer-friendly approach to connect & retain customers. And, also to promote brand recognition among them. In this techie era, no one has time to sit and read. Thus, the type of content you generate becomes even more critical to the aspects you wish to convey.
Eye-tracking studies show internet readers pay close attention to information-carrying images. In fact, when the images are relevant, readers spend more time looking at the images. Than they do reading text on the page. (Source)
Hence, visual content paves a wider opportunity to fulfill business goals. All marketing strategies have a specific common base. As for static visual content, infographics hold high heads to cover base specifications.
Discussing further on infographics & infographics marketing, we’ll be covering the following heads.
Table Of Contents
Let’s Start!
1. What Are Infographics?
Infographics are the combination of two words, Info aka Information and Graphics. Infographics symbolize the combination of information and graphics. Using charts, comparison tables, image vectors, and visual elements to showcase all the targeted information, visually.
Infographics make use of imagery and text compilations to precisely target the hit point of readers’ concise and convey the information quickly and smartly. The use of color palettes, visual elements combination, and themes – all go hand-in-hand to support the content. With so many visual ingredients, it gets easier to recognize the data for a longer duration.
Infographics have their own marketplace. Infographics marketing is achieved by sharing the infographics on various social networks, marketing channels and re-utilizing it in different content pieces.
2. Types Of Infographics
Summarizing the types and layouts of data to be visualized, Infographics are categorized into 5 main types. Let’s see what are these types and how each type is specifically targeting meet content marketing goals.
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1. Cause and Effect Infographics
The type of pictorial representation to help the viewers visualize the causes or effects of doing/not doing something. These types of infographics are the best to picture the inverse relationships between two objects.
For Example, The below infographic shows the effects on the human body due to smoking.
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2. Chronological Infographics
Chronological defines itself as “arranged in the order of events occurred”. Thus, sharing of information that has an associated timeline to it or is stretched over a period of time, you can prefer using chronological infographics aka timeline infographic.
For Example, Fig.2 signifies the growth of the graphics industry since 1917 to 1990.
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3. Quantitative Infographics
When we talk about infographics, we do imagine stats and charts, some comparisons and some facts. All these lengthy pictures with descriptive graphs, charts, comparison tables, facts, and numbers. Any kind of quantitative data can be represented in visuals using quantitative infographics. You may also combine multiple charts and graphs in a single infographic to support your information.
For Example, ScanLife adopted quantitative infographics to fit all its consumer behavior & preferences data into a single infographic using multiple graphs, charts, stats, and minimal text.
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4. Directional Infographics
The type of infographics that are usually preferred to sketch out maps, navigations, or flow of a process. If you need to show the steps(flowchart) or the path to proceed in a particular direction, you have the directional infographics for the purpose ready.
For Example, this infographic on chocolate cookies conveys each information from ingredients to how it is baked in precise steps.
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5. Product Infographics
Want to make your every customer aware of your product? Obviously! It’s easy with product based infographics to generate data visualization. Product infographics are the trendsetters. You can frame the infographic with the detailed content on your product making your audience aware of how, what, when, why’s of your product.
For Example, this infographic of ours is one such type that displays what is our product, its history, how it is used, and it’s benefits.
Key Takeaway: There is no stringent design or layout followed for Infographics. It’s all about data visualization. How to do it is your choice. You can be creative with layout, themes, and colors. Or you can simply create a checklist kind of layout.
3. Why Use Infographics In Marketing?
Most people only remember 20% of what they read. And 90% of this 20% data that is transmitted to our brain is visual. Hence, along with these facts, it was concluded that 60% of people from the population are visual learners.
Infographics target audience with cognition. It is one of the ways to convey information with simplicity. Short text and lots of graphics enhance the cognitive retention rate of the information being conveyed. Also, the simple visuals and short text enhance the interaction of the user with the content. Hence, increasing customer engagement.
As we talk of content and infographics, these can be offline marketing. It’s marketing also requires equal consideration. Infographics marketing targets three main phases for any online business, i.e., Content marketing being the major one followed by SEO ranking and Branding.
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1. Content Marketing
Infographics are very versatile. Your creativity and the content type may attract your visitor’s attention. Infographics are a smart way out to fetch new leads and keep the existing leads into the buyers’ journey process. Although, it is not convincible to witness conversion through infographics(HardLuck on that). But, they attain the optimum content marketing goals by –
- Generating interactive content that connects users from all demographics
- Lead generation by attracting interested users that may hold a place in the conversion funnel
- High onsite customer engagement rate
- New and returning customers
- Valuable content for awareness
Content is the core of marketing. And, infographics are the catalyst to the marketing efforts put in.
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2. SEO Ranking
Thinking of the role of SEO in Infographics marketing? You must be aware, Google ranks the images and infographics separately, if graphical. Else if the infographics are designed on the web directly, they are crawled by Google. So, infographics do support increasing the stay time of the visitor. Ultimately, increased ROI and SERP ranking.
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3. Branding
Infographics convey your content uniquely with text, visuals, and designs. Since 90% of the information shared is visual. Infographics marketing emphasizes on your branding efforts more. As we all know, visuals are far more effective than text for branding. Infographics marketing not only shares the information. Rather, the emphasis is laid on brand awareness, brand image and the tone of colors.
4. Tips To Create Infographics?
Different types of infographics layout have different impacts on users. The difference in visuals and design arrangements of data always have a deep impact. You cannot figure out the level of impact on various users. But you can look for the tips that must be considered while creating an infographic to get the best results.
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1. Pick A Core Message
What’s your idea to build the infographics? It is essential to have the pre-ideation process to search for the smart & strong core message along with a storyline to visualize in an infographic. Your choice of topic decides the outcomes for your infographics marketing efforts.
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2. Cogitate The Visuals To Present Data
Once you are ready with your storyline/script/message, proceed with “How you want to show it?” your core topic will have no meaning if your presentation is not worth the content. Ideate your designs similar to like preparing blueprints before actually starting with the designing. Use of icons and fonts also directly impacts the visual readability of your infographic.
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3. Pick Relevant Facts And Statistics
Presenting some marketing survey results, study data, health care information in your infographics with relevant facts and statistics will boost the interaction. Numerical figures always attract eyes and interest. Be sure of adding the relevant numbers to show your data.
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4. Show Visual Comparisons, Changes Over Time, etc.
Make use of charts, graphs, comparison tables, etc. to show the difference in your context. If you are creating infographics for marketing techniques, you may compare the marketing tactics followed a decade ago with the trending tactics. Comparisons showcase a better visual transition that is easy to comprehend.
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5. Add Credits And Sources
While you create an infographic, you might have done the research work earlier. Mention the sources you have taken the information from. Or give credits to the authors you quoted in your text. This will enhance the integrity of your infographic. Also, providing citations helps infographics marketing.
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6. Get SEO Check
This tip is to be followed when you are done with the designing and your infographic is ready. Get an SEO verified meta description and SEO title ready to get your infographic published. This meta description and title will increase the visibility of your infographic on search results.
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7. Publish & Market
When you are to finally publish your infographic, select the platform that is best for your niche. For example, Pinterest is the most desired site for publishing infographics.
It’s not over yet! Publishing the infographic is not the end. You need to market your design on your social networks & other marketing channels too. Hence, providing better visibility to users and awareness. You may use, twitter, facebook, linkedIn to market your infographic for your niche viewers.
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8. Check The Re-Usability
Infographics are detailed and authentic pieces of content that are worthy of use. You can re-use your infographics in your other forms of content like blogs, landing pages, etc.
Start Your Own Infographics Marketing!
Content is never old, neither the information it generates. It’s the perception of use that modifies with time.
Start your infographics marketing today. With the simple pro-tips and basic knowledge to get the best results from each effort invested in the direction of content marketing.
Feel free to connect with us. For further discussion on advanced tools and tips to get more creative and impactful infographic design and marketing results.
Stay Tuned!