The purpose behind creating infographics is to present complex information in fun and interesting ways. The entire nature of visualizations is meant to draw users in and turn them into leads. However, what if your infographics aren’t getting the attention you desire?
Creating successful images as part of your content marketing strategy requires attention to several components. Not only must you make the infographic visually appealing, but you have to think about the focus of the topic, the reliability of any facts and how you’ll get people to look at the finished product.
How Do I Make My Infographic Stand Out?
A quick Google search for the term “infographic” turns up more than three billion results. Filter those down to images and you still have more options than you could possibly choose from. Figuring out ways to grab attention in a sea of other content isn’t an easy task.
Researchers at Ball State University in Indiana conducted a look at the effects of colors on cognition and emotions. They grouped students and found those with instructions and visuals were around 15% more productive than those with text alone.
The importance of visualizations can’t be overstated when presenting complex data about your industry or customer needs. How do you manage to not only drive home your main points but keep the user engaged? Here are our favorite tips to ensure your infographic gets the attention it deserves and pulls users in.
1. Choose a Single Topic
Don’t try to create an infographic that is so lengthy it covers several things at once. It’s far better to create three separate infographics instead. Narrow your focus as much as possible. Remember the essays you wrote in middle school? Your teacher likely kept telling you to narrow your focus, and infographic creation is much the same way.
2. Be Authentic
One major issue with some infographics is that they misuse information to sway the user to their way of thinking. Today’s consumers are savvy. Once they realize you’ve misled them, they won’t trust anything else you have to say.
Mapping software is helpful in coming up with the facts and figures to support your points. Unfortunately, it also gives the user some wiggle room to manipulate the data and misrepresent elements.
Make sure you gather details without your own personal bias. If you aren’t sure, pull in some advice from others with differing viewpoints. If you must include something and it is a little biased, also include information from the opposite viewpoint. You have to really take yourself out of the equation and just look at facts without any emotion.
3. Study Other Infographics
Pull up infographics on the topic you’re covering. What details do your competitors cover? Are there any gaps in the information that you can fill with your own infographic?
What do you love about the other visualizations? What can you do better than they did? With a little research, your infographic will easily stand out from the others on the topic. Even a change in font or heading sizes can make a difference.
4. Tell a Story
Since the days when the first caveman painted on the walls of his dwelling, people have told stories to one another as a form of entertainment. Sometimes it’s hard to see the story in an infographic, particularly if the topic is a dry one filled with facts and figures. However, there is always a tale behind every subject. You just may have to work a little harder to find what it is for some things.
Look at the outline for your infographic. Does it follow a linear form starting with Point A and ending with Point Z? Do you need to rearrange the order to make it more understandable?
If your infographic doesn’t move smoothly from one point to the next, the reader may bounce away without finishing it. Your goal is to build on each element through to the end. The user should feel that the first topic ties to the next and so on. Books can give you an idea of how to build a plot. You then should apply the concepts to shorter pieces, such as infographics and articles on your site.
5.Use Vivid Colors
Xerox conducted a study about the impact of color. They found color made a huge difference in reader cognition and engagement. When details were highlighted in color, people remembered them 39% more frequently, and brand recognition improved by 80% or more.
Not only should you include bright pops of color in your infographics, but you must understand the psychology behind colors and which ones your demographic responds best to. You should also ensure the background and colors contrast sharply so text remains readable and images pop.
6. Make Sharing Easy
The more people share your infographic, the more engagement you’ll get. Make sharing as simple as copying some code or hitting a social media share link. As long as the person sharing somehow credits the infographic to you, and hopefully links back to your site, allow widespread use of the visualization.
The entire idea behind an infographic is to teach others something about your industry or how to use your products, etc. Distribute your design to as many people as possible for the most traction.
Run A/B Tests
Once your infographic is ready to go, run some split tests and refine it. For example, if you have some data visualizations in red, test what happens if you add the color blue. Rearrange things and do some more testing. Split and multivariate testing is your best friend to ensure your infographic gets the most engagement possible.