An infographic is a visually pleasing display of information. You can think of it as a colorful and informative chart or graph with words and images, or a visual article. Infographics have grown to be a highly popular and essential tool for content marketing. People love and respond well to both visuals and stories, so marketers are using that to their advantage. As more and more marketers get in on this trend, competition increases. For the best results, keep this advice in mind!
1. Create a Focus
What is the story you are going to tell with this infographic? What is the message you want to get across?
These are questions to ask yourself because that’s how you’ll decide on the infographic’s focus. Once you decide on your infographic’s main focus, limit yourself to only that one. Don’t lose sight of what the infographic is about or you will lose your audience’s attention.
Ultimately, your infographic’s headline should be based on that one focus as well, short and to the point. Take this infographic for example, “Superheroes in the Work Force.” This title implies that the infographic is going to tell a story about what each superhero would do if they had a job. The infographic doesn’t state every fact about superheroes, it stays true to its focus.
2. Highlight the Most Important Information
If your infographic contains statistics, make sure you highlight the most important ones. Your infographic should flow from the most shocking statistics to the least. Since infographics are a visual tool, accompany these statistics with graphs or images, and of course a little blurb explaining what the statistic is. Also, double check the statistics. Verify that they’re current and that the source you pulled them from is reputable. Just like a press release, don’t hide the lead. Put the most newsworthy piece of information at the top.
3. Keep it Simple
Simple is the way to go when it comes to infographics. This includes your information, color scheme, fonts, and images. Part of keeping it simple ties into the thought of highlighting the most important information. You may think you’re creating a useful infographic by loading it with facts, but the truth is, you’re making it too congested. It’s also important to stick to a color scheme, one that isn’t all dark colors. Too many colors is distracting. The same goes for fonts. Choose two or three readable fonts and stick with them. Last but not least, images. They should be one style throughout the entire infographic. This way, the infographic is consistent and clean.
4. Cite Your Sources
Give credit to your sources! It’s likely you’ll need to do some research while creating your infographic. List those sources at the bottom. If it doesn’t conflict with the flow and appearance of your infographic, you can cite in the middle as well.
5. Make it Easy to Share
One of the main points of making an infographic is for people to share it. That’s why it’s crucial to make it easy to share. In order to accomplish this, you should embed the completed infographic into a blog post, share it on your social media channels, share it with bloggers in the industry, and submit it to infographic sharing websites.
The process of making an infographic can be fun, but it’s the most fun when you realize your infographic is being shared all over the web. For the best results, and the possibility of it going viral, consider all of these tips while creating your infographic. The world of content marketing is forever growing, so learn the skills you need to grow along with it!
Featured photo credit: http://www.freeimages.com/ via freeimages.com
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Source: Lifestyle
