Infographics are an important component of any good content strategy. A succinct way of sharing information, infographics summarize a bunch of data in an appealing, memorable way. In a world where your page needs to jostle with a million other web pages for the reader’s attention, infographics help you capture it, while imparting quick information to your reader. Talk about a win-win scenario! Here are a few simple ways in which you can create more engaging infographics for your readers.
Fulfil a Need
An infographic made just for the sake of it will not really connect with your readers. As a first step, think about what part of the content can lend itself best to an infographic. Ideally, the infographic should fulfil a need or answer a question your readers might have.
Know Your Readers
The second part of the above tip is to know your readers well. You can only fulfil a need when you know what your readers want. Surveys can help, as well as reader feedback. Keep an eye out on those aspects to see where the gap in information exists. Then fill it with your timely infographic.
Simplify the Content
The art of making a cool infographic lies mainly in taking chunky data and complex information and transforming it into easily understood, bite-sized knowledge nuggets. Done this way, your infographic will help the reader understand a difficult concept faster.
Structure the Infographic to the Content
The type of infographic you can go for will depend on the type of content you have. For example, if it’s a text-heavy topic, you’ll most likely want to go for an informational infographic where the content is divided into large text sections with accompanying images or icons. Or your content might be a process. In that case, the infographic will be an ordered list of steps within the process, with supporting images.
A comparison infographic, on the other hand, will be where you show two columns of bulleted list information. This can be when you want to show two or more product comparisons, subscription plan slabs, etc. Lastly, when you’re talking about historical events or the evolution of a particular object, you’ll want to go for the timeline infographic that lists events over time, to show a clear progression.
Use Statistics Where Possible
Content strategists have long known that using statistics in your text makes the information stick in readers’ minds. Use statistics where you can.
Make Sure the Statistics are Accurate
Double and triple-check to make sure the statistics you quote are in fact accurate. A good way to ensure this is to only use statistics and figures mentioned in reputed publications or government websites.
This can include census data, Google trends datastore, government publications, nonpartisan research such as Pew research, and market research conducted by reputed organizations.
Keep the Text Brief, Add Images
Do away with sentences you don’t really need. Keep only the most pertinent ones. Add images to make your infographic pop. Make sure you use more images and less text.
Convert the Text to Visuals
Graphs, pie charts, and bar charts are all snappier ways of presenting information as compared to a simple bulleted list or a block of text. Convert your text into visuals wherever possible.
Give it a Catchy Title
The little content you do retain in an infographic needs to be catchy. This is especially true for the title. A good title is one that immediately indicates to the reader what they can hope to get from the infographic. For example, titles such as ‘7 best ways’ or ‘how-to’ titles immediately tell the reader exactly what they’ll get from spending time on your infographic. This may not get you all of the readers, but the ones you’ll get are the ones that really do want to read your content.
Layer Your Text
Layer your content as a title or header, followed by one or two sentences that talk about the topic, and then the main body of text. Divide the body text into sections with headings and subheadings. This pattern improves the readability of the text.
Use Colors Wisely
Colors play an important role in making your infographic look appealing. In general, use the boldest/brightest colors for the most important points in the infographic. Use enough contrast between the text and the background so that the text pops too. It can be a good idea to keep the background neutral or paler in color. Most of all, use your brand colors or colors in harmony with your brand colors for the infographic where possible. This helps people associate the infographic with your brand.
Mix Fonts
You don’t need to limit yourself to one font for the entire infographic. When you want text blocks to look separate or when you want to indicate a different idea in the same infographic, using a different font can really make the other idea or concept stand out.
Depict Visual Analogies or Metaphors
Using a visual hook congruent with your message can make the infographic stand out. For example, if you’re talking about the coffee industry, working elements such as symbols or icons for coffee mugs or coffee beans cleverly into the design of your infographic can make a better visual impact. For the fast-food industry, as another example, use fast food elements like icons for burgers or fizzy drinks, and so on.
Make the Infographic Shareable
The infographics that go viral are the ones that are easy to share. Offer social media sharing buttons next to your infographic.
Use Online Tools
If you’re struggling with designing the infographic, look at online tools such as Canva and Visme that make the whole designing experience much easier for newbies.
Look at Pinterest for Inspiration
Pinterest is full of cool infographics on any given day. If you’re low on inspiration, look at some of the Pinterest infographics to help fuel up your own imagination.
Use the tips given above to create engaging infographics for your campaign. Creating a memorable infographic takes a lot of thought and effort. But the end result is worth it for both you and your readers!