I’m a visual learner and I know I’m not alone out there! And your prospects are busy – just like everyone else – so you need to give them a reason to invest time and money with you. That’s why I feel infographics are the most unique way capture attention online. Watch my video, in which I share tips from our in-house designers, content strategists and my own experiences consulting clients, on turning business goals and standard text into compelling marketing graphics.
There’s a lot goes into this process, but it starts with four main steps:
Step 1. Find the right topic
Whether our graphics team is brainstorming in-house or working with something the client brings to the table, there are a number of questions we ask. What are you using this graphic for? Trade show? Social media? To drive traffic to your site? In some cases, the answer is “all of the above.” You need to start with your goals for the graphic, and then work backwards to find a topic that fits your brand, and the intended audience. Once we nail down topic, we need to find enough data to support the idea and tell the right story.
Step 2. Do your research
An infographic isn’t effective if you can’t back up the information, so we bring the highest editorial standards to our graphics. This means sourcing from reputable organizations and research institutions, or pulling from your original studies. If you’re creating a graphic that’s stat heavily, you’ll want to pull in lots of data that can support the story you want to tell. If you’re making one that’s more illustrative, you’ll want to pick your information carefully so the takeaway is clear to readers.
Step 3. Focus on the narrative
With graphics, it’s crucial that you focus on the story you’re telling. This is heavily influenced by the audience you’re trying to reach. Depending on who you’re targeting, a graphic might be on the technical side or feature fun images. From the color palette, to the typeface, and iconography, the designer hones in on the best way to convey your message while preserving the narrative. For example, we created a Halloween-themed graphic for a data quality client that wanted to make a serious subject more approachable. This kind of approach can increase engagement and get more people to visit your site. Our team asks clients to put words to paper first. That way we can clearly see the storyline and create icons that build a compelling case. This also helps us see where words can be cut. Because when it comes to infographics, text on the page should be kept to a minimum.
Step 4. Don’t be afraid to cut text
As we work through the text-phase of the graphic, some clients have trouble letting go words. But they shouldn’t worry about losing the storyline by streamlining. Designers are pros at creating imagery that takes place of those extra phrases. Remember, the most effective graphics are those that balance text and imagery. Our graphics designers will find the perfect balance that maps to your industry and the story we’re trying to tell. A cloud technology client that’s speaking to tech-savvy audiences know viewers expect lots of information. So, we created and enhanced graphic that told a story through stats and gave context through images rather than text.
Keep in mind: People are looking at infographics to tell them what they need to know – and fast. Your audience won’t take the time to read a paragraph of text in an infographic – they want the story told visually.
I’ve found that infographics are one of the best types of content to help with conversions. Whether its getting someone to download a white paper you’ve created, add a product to cart, or reach out for more information. Part of the reason why our graphics are so effective is because our in-house graphics teams collaborate directly with clients to tell stories through statistics. We work side by side with them to find the information they want to share, and convey it in a way that will be successful as an infographic.
