Most people are visual learners, and the growing influence of visual material on the web is something to pay attention to. If nothing else, Pinterest's overnight success should drive this point home. Infographics are one of the best ways to leverage this.
Just like any other popular marketing technique, infographics have the potential to be abused. If you're going to do it, you need to do it right. Here's how.
A Great Idea is Mandatory
The concept of your infographic should be the most exciting thing in the world to you. If you aren't overflowing with enthusiasm about it, odds are nobody else will feel even a hint of joy. It should meet almost all of the following criteria:
- It makes sense to present the data visually - Most of us may be visual learners, but that doesn't mean every topic is suitable for visual learning. Unless visuals enhance the topic and make it easier to absorb, the subject probably isn't suited for an infographic. A blog post with added visuals is probably more appropriate. There is a reason the blog post you're reading right now isn't an infographic.
- The idea is original - It's not enough that there hasn't been an infographic made about the subject before. The concept presented in the infographic should be completely new to most of the people who see it, and it shouldn't be easy to find the information in a Google search. At least, not all in one place.
- People are already interested - It's difficult to find a balance between a subject that people are already interested in and giving them something original, but that's exactly what you need to do in order to create a compelling infographic.
- Is it a fit for your site? - It's okay to push the limits of your field a little, but if you go completely off topic the benefits of an infographic will be minimal.
- Simplify something complicated - Infographics should take something that is difficult to understand and convey it in a way that clicks almost instantly. This is one of the reasons you are presenting the data visually in the first place.
Research and Outreach
As we've mentioned before, almost all great content relies on research and outreach. When it comes to infographics, this is probably even more important, since far more time and money is invested than in a typical article.
Focus on only the most reputable sources of information. Your sources should primarily be government and educational sites, well known sources of reputable journalism, think tanks, best-selling books, and non-profit organizations. Peer reviewed studies are another powerful resource.
Choose only the pieces of information that can be represented visually in a compelling way. Innovative ways to represent numbers are some of the most effective tools. Visual metaphors that help people absorb the concept can also be powerful. The key is to choose information where a visual representation carries most of the message, and only a few words are needed.
Contact your sources and let them know that you'll be using them as a source in an all-encompassing infographic. See if you can squeeze a concise quote out of them to compliment the visual data.
Don't Skimp On Design
An infographic without a skilled graphic designer will almost certainly fall flat on its face. There are exceptions, but only if the creator doesn't try to overstep their abilities. The only infographics likely to work without a professional graphic designer are the ones created using photographs, and even then some luck will be involved.
Use previous infographics to give your designer an idea of the feel you are going for. It's not necessary to show them examples about the same subject. The point is to give them an idea of the style you are going for.
If you already have ideas for how you want specific pieces of information to be presented, share them. At the same time, remember that graphic designers are trained specifically in finding innovative ways to get ideas across, so make sure they are heavily involved in the process and listen to their ideas.
Ask for a draft copy before they create a finalized version. This will give you an idea of how the graphic will feel and whether it conveys the message you were going for.
Promotion
An infographic needs to be promoted in order to achieve the desired results. Use the same tactics you would to promote any piece of content, together with some of these ideas:
- Ask your sources to share the content.
- Break it into pieces that stand alone on their own and share these pieces on Flickr and with your network of influencers before you release the full graphic.
- Submit the infographic to aggregators.
- Send out a segment of the graphic to your email list complete with a link back to the full image.
- Create a video version of the graphic with a good voice over and promote it on YouTube and Vimeo.
- Turn it into a PDF and promote it on Slideshare, Docstoc, Scribd, and so on.
Have you seen or created any really good infographic campaigns? We'd love to hear about them in the comments.
Linda Le Phan is an avid blogger who contributes to a number of blogs on marketing and branding, data imagery and visualization, and various other business topics.