It is no secret that infographics have become a potentially-viral marketing tool in every marketer’s arsenal. But with this increase in their usage, marketers are no longer asking why they should use them, but just how to use them to create an effective campaign display.
In this post, we uncover a few important Do’s and Don’t of creating compelling infographics that build awareness, boost web traffic, and generate leads for your business
- DO Keep it Simple for Maximum Impact
The KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid) stands firm when it comes to infographics. Less is more. For maximum visual impact, focus on the message you want to get across the social media channels.
Consider using a powerful and short message or a simple sentence that you can substantiate with data, preferably a simple graph or chart. Remember to keep the message impactful if you choose to display few data/numbers or simple pie charts or graphs. You could also use contrasting colours to make your point.
- DON’T Say Too Much with Only One Infographic
Stay clear of random or unorganised data, poor or weird formatting or the use of multiple categories associated with just as many colours. Only focus on the topic and categories that have the potential to get your company’s or brand’s message across the online social sphere with gusto. Again, less is more.
Choose a clear theme or message for your infographic and stick with it throughout the end. Next, opt only for the relevant data to substantiate your message. Keep design clean, preferably in traditional formats which make sense for your audience. No need to re-invent the wheel or go overboard with weird stuff. Bars, arrows and pie charts work well. Keep your text streamlined as much as possible to avoid fullness.
An infographic is a visual representation of information designed to make the data easily understandable at a glance. People use infographics to quickly communicate a message, to simplify the presentation of large amounts of data, to see data patterns and relationships, and to monitor changes in variables over time.
- DO Keep it Interesting From the Start
Do you want to know the easiest way to shareable infographics? Aside from a great design (see the points above), it’s the story/message that matters.
Consider the thousands of infographics displayed online on a daily basis. Some infographics reveal surprising facts, while others take and package a fact known to most audiences (e.g., The World’s Most Popular Social Media Networks. Easy guess, right?). Some invite readers to check out specialised knowledge and dig deeper into a curious topic (Are You 1 in 5 People Who Snore Badly?), while others headline the obvious and do not say anything new at all. Always choose the former.
Base your infographics, as much as possible, on a surprising factor or an interesting topic that opens discussion or debate. Entice the audience with fresh and valuable information. For example, headline your infographics with an impressive statement or a question (e. g Why Use Infographics?).
- DON’T Reveal Everything From the Get-Go
Don’t tell everything the audience should know in your first sentence, or worse, start the infographic with a boring title that defeats the previous point. Keep the message interesting and fresh. Otherwise, why would your audience want to know more information via your infographic?
Major Don’ts to consider when creating great infographics are the use of dull and emotionless titles in data charts (remember the usual boring financial stats in PowerPoint presentations?), the lack of a proper message and context, or a confusing message or information that does not reveal the argument the infographic should make.
Ready to engage your audience with a memorable message? Always substantiate your claim with pertinent data, customer testimonials, statistics, and expert quotes.
