A significant amount of research has been conducted on how our brain interprets visual content as compared to written content. According to a recent study, 65% of internet users are visual learners. The reason behind this fact is that visual content is processed 60,000 times faster by the brain as compared to plain text. Research has shown that 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual.
Another research conducted by BuzzSumo showed that people preferred to share articles that had images in them as compared to articles with no images. This research was conducted by analyzing over 100 million articles. Moreover, the analysis showed that articles that contained infographic content had the most number of shares as compared to articles with other types of content. On average, articles with infographic content had 14500+ shares.
As we have come to know that infographics are a leading factor in increasing shares, we have to learn how to use them to boost our overall webpage traffic.
Infographics help people learn complex things quickly and easily. And this is the reason they have become an imperative part of any content marketing strategy!
Infographics have made it easier for bloggers and marketers to reach out to a wider audience in a shorter span of time. In the previous 5 years, the search demand for infographics has increased swiftly with the number of searches for infographics going beyond 27,000 in the year 2013. Between the year 2010-2012, 800% increase in demand for infographics was recorded.
In 2010, KISSmetrics started experimenting with infographics and as a result they generated 2,512K visitors and 41K backlinks.
However, infographics do not guarantee you success right away. There are 2 important factors that determine if your infographic will be a successful one in boosting your shares and website traffic.
This article contains information regarding:
To create an engaging infographic, you must keep in mind the following factors:
To help you keep your infographic in balance, check out “The Guardian’s” review on ‘A Selection of Useless Infographics’.
Statistical data shows that your work is indeed accurate and that it comes from authentic sources.
Do a little bit of research to build some credibility for your story and see how it affects the overall analytics of your infographic.
For example, if your niche is health and fitness, you can choose a topic like, “Here are 10 things you should do before your breakfast to keep yourself fit”, “Check out these 10 amazing health tips”, etc.
An example of an evergreen topic would be “25 Ways to Learn Faster”. As students will be looking for a guide to improve their "process of learning", you’ll get endless visitors.
Some controversial topics include:
Through your research, you can create infographics with eye-catching headlines guaranteed to attract users. However, this isn’t enough. Your infographic must be something worth sharing!
A useful infographic generally has the following characteristics:
This graphic shows percentage of emotions shared by the audience.
These are only a few resources to find authentic and latest data. You can also search and use whitepapers, ebooks, industry blogs, and latest research to support your infographics.
The infographic must provide an actionable advice. Informative infographics have the quality to tempt users to share them. For example, you can create an infographic telling users how to create a website.
OR
The infographic must provide entertainment. You can provide entertainment through introducing your audience to a game or maybe telling them some fun facts!
If you’re not sure how to structure your infographic, follow this outline provided by Lab42. This structure divides the infographic into 3 sections: header, takeaway, and resources.
The header contains the title of your infographic. However, it can have a subheadings or a small paragraph which gives a little bit of explanation regarding the main topic.
After the headline, you can add your key points in the First Section. In this section, you should use the data you have collected through your research.
You can add more sections based on the amount of content you have to add. Give relevant headings to each section and add your researched content under these headings. While adding new sections, make sure they lead to a Call to Action.
The last thing you need for a well-structured infographic is the use of sources. Add URLs or name of the sources you have used to build a credible and authentic infographic.
Chart created in Visme.
Creating an infographic with Visme is very easy. You can do it in 3 easy steps.
Step 1: Pick a Template
Visme gives you the choice to pick one of its existing templates for your infographic or to create your own design with its easy and wide range of tools.
Step 2: Visualize Your Information
Visme provides a wide range of graphs, maps, widgets and icons to choose from. Pick the ones which suit your style and bring your information to life by representing it with visuals.
Step 3: Edit And Customize
The edit and customize part is the best one Visme has to offer. You can:
As we are done with designing our infographic, let’s go ahead and publish it!
Hiring a freelancer to promote your gig or to direct visitors to your infographic post. Freelancers at Fiverr and Upwork offer these services and this can really help you boost your traffic.
Following this guide by QuickSprout on how to submit your infographic yourself.
Uploading your infographic on document-sharing websites and popular blogs such as: Slideshare, Scribd, and Visualistan.
Posting them on Pinterest group boards.
Using social bookmarking sites such as Reddit can also help you boost exposure for your infographic.
Advertising your infographic-post though Facebook and Twitter ads.
You can also check out this infographic directory list to see where you can submit your infographic.
Conclusion
Infographics are taking over the visual web. People rely more on an image containing only the useful information rather than reading long paragraphs of text. Infographics have become so common that many smart content marketers have already adopted them. The best part is, infographics really give you more traffic and increase the chances of virality! Moreover, with the availability of online infographic creation tools, the process has become so much easier.
Have you used infographics? If so, what is your creative process? What tools do you use to create them? How do you promote your infographics? I’d love to hear your experiences.
Another research conducted by BuzzSumo showed that people preferred to share articles that had images in them as compared to articles with no images. This research was conducted by analyzing over 100 million articles. Moreover, the analysis showed that articles that contained infographic content had the most number of shares as compared to articles with other types of content. On average, articles with infographic content had 14500+ shares.
As we have come to know that infographics are a leading factor in increasing shares, we have to learn how to use them to boost our overall webpage traffic.
Infographics help people learn complex things quickly and easily. And this is the reason they have become an imperative part of any content marketing strategy!
Infographics have made it easier for bloggers and marketers to reach out to a wider audience in a shorter span of time. In the previous 5 years, the search demand for infographics has increased swiftly with the number of searches for infographics going beyond 27,000 in the year 2013. Between the year 2010-2012, 800% increase in demand for infographics was recorded.
In 2010, KISSmetrics started experimenting with infographics and as a result they generated 2,512K visitors and 41K backlinks.
However, infographics do not guarantee you success right away. There are 2 important factors that determine if your infographic will be a successful one in boosting your shares and website traffic.
- Your infographic must be relevant to your business
- Sharing your infographic is a must. You should aggressively promote your content to earn that ‘viral traffic’.
This article contains information regarding:
- Infographics essentials
- Choosing a topic for your infographics
- Ways to create sharable and useful infographics
- How to design and publish your infographic
- Promotion of infographics
- Infographic Testing
1. Infographics Essentials
Creating and publishing an infographic isn’t all there is to guarantee your success. According to Francesco Franchi, you should have the ‘infographic thinking’. What most infographics lack is this thinking and this is the main reason why most infographics do not perform well.To create an engaging infographic, you must keep in mind the following factors:
- Consistency
- A unique story
- Accuracy of statistical data
Consistency
Everyone loves consistency and visual unity. While creating an infographic, keep in mind that your format should be consistent. If you’re using flowcharts in one section, try to use them throughout your design process. The same goes for sequential data and graphs. Choose one and stick to it. Do not mix all of them in the same infographic. You will confuse your audience this way.To help you keep your infographic in balance, check out “The Guardian’s” review on ‘A Selection of Useless Infographics’.
A Unique Story
To engage your audience, emotional attraction is the best way. You can add a story to your infographic to make it look more appealing and informative. You can even add cartoon characters to your infographic and create a story that conveys your message in a fun and efficient way!Accuracy of Statistical Data
No one would believe a fake story, right? That’s why you need accurate and up-to-date statistical data to support your story.Statistical data shows that your work is indeed accurate and that it comes from authentic sources.
Do a little bit of research to build some credibility for your story and see how it affects the overall analytics of your infographic.
2. Choosing a topic for your infographics
The first thing a reader looks at is the topic of an article. If your topic isn’t appealing, you immediately lose that reader. Here, I’ll show you how to search for a topic that not only grabs your reader’s attention but also makes them read all of it!Choose a Trending Topic
Choosing a trending topic is the best way to get a high number of visitors on your website. Analyze your niche and see what’s trending in it. You can use sources such as Google Trends to see what people are talking about these days and then work on creating an infographic based on that topic.For example, if your niche is health and fitness, you can choose a topic like, “Here are 10 things you should do before your breakfast to keep yourself fit”, “Check out these 10 amazing health tips”, etc.
Choose a Topic That Never Dies
It’s hard to come up with an evergreen idea. However, if you work on such topic, you’ll earn a never ending stream of new visitors.An example of an evergreen topic would be “25 Ways to Learn Faster”. As students will be looking for a guide to improve their "process of learning", you’ll get endless visitors.
Be Controversial
Sometime choosing a controversial topic is a nice strategy to attract more visitors. As soon as someone comes across a controversial topic, he/she will immediately start reading it. Choosing a controversial topic is guaranteed to turn an infographic into an ‘audience-generating’ machine.Some controversial topics include:
- How to get 6 packs in a month!
- Is Climate Change Real?
Choose Most Viewed Content
Research, research, and research! Look what’s being watched and read the most. Dig deeper and find out specific topics and create infographics on those topics. To find most viewed content, you can take the help of YouTube or search for what people are asking on Quora or you can try some other content discover tools.Through your research, you can create infographics with eye-catching headlines guaranteed to attract users. However, this isn’t enough. Your infographic must be something worth sharing!
3. Ways to create sharable and useful infographics
After selecting our desired topic, let’s move on to creating a sharable and educational infographic.A useful infographic generally has the following characteristics:
- It should be based on accurate and up-to-date research
- It should contain actionable tips to engage the audience
This graphic shows percentage of emotions shared by the audience.
Find Useful Data
To find useful data, you must know where to look. Here are some sources that can provide useful and authentic data:These are only a few resources to find authentic and latest data. You can also search and use whitepapers, ebooks, industry blogs, and latest research to support your infographics.
Defining a Structure
A good infographic is always well-structured. An infographic must have at least one of the following features:The infographic must provide an actionable advice. Informative infographics have the quality to tempt users to share them. For example, you can create an infographic telling users how to create a website.
OR
The infographic must provide entertainment. You can provide entertainment through introducing your audience to a game or maybe telling them some fun facts!
If you’re not sure how to structure your infographic, follow this outline provided by Lab42. This structure divides the infographic into 3 sections: header, takeaway, and resources.
The header contains the title of your infographic. However, it can have a subheadings or a small paragraph which gives a little bit of explanation regarding the main topic.
After the headline, you can add your key points in the First Section. In this section, you should use the data you have collected through your research.
You can add more sections based on the amount of content you have to add. Give relevant headings to each section and add your researched content under these headings. While adding new sections, make sure they lead to a Call to Action.
The last thing you need for a well-structured infographic is the use of sources. Add URLs or name of the sources you have used to build a credible and authentic infographic.
Keep an Eye on Color Combinations
Use colors carefully. As an infographic is all about visuals, your color combination determines what message you are trying to convey. Take a look at below visual to learn what colors you should use in your infographics:
4. How to Design and Publish Your Infographic
You can design an infographic all by yourself by using different tools available on the Internet. For professionals there are whole set of graphic designing suites like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and Inkscape, but they required good amount of time and skills. And if you are beginner you can use Visme to design your infographics (though it can be use to create presentations, charts and graphs, but I'm not going to get into those details). Visme provides templates which can be used to quickly design an infographic based on your needs.
Creating an infographic with Visme is very easy. You can do it in 3 easy steps.
Step 1: Pick a Template
Visme gives you the choice to pick one of its existing templates for your infographic or to create your own design with its easy and wide range of tools.
Step 2: Visualize Your Information
Visme provides a wide range of graphs, maps, widgets and icons to choose from. Pick the ones which suit your style and bring your information to life by representing it with visuals.
Step 3: Edit And Customize
The edit and customize part is the best one Visme has to offer. You can:
- Change the text
- Change the background color
- Add or remove icons
- Add or remove other visuals
- Choose from 100+ fonts or upload your own
- Insert videos
- Add or record audio
- Embed maps, surveys, and polls
As we are done with designing our infographic, let’s go ahead and publish it!
Publishing Your Infographic
Publishing your infographic is the actual part of attracting an audience. You can choose to publish your infographic directly to your website or blog. Or, you can share it on social media sites. I'd suggest you to upload it on your website/blog first and then share the link along with a preview of your infographic on major social channels. Hubspot’s research shows that 52% of businesses use Facebook to acquire customers, 62% use LinkedIn, 44% use Twitter, and 57% of business uses company blogs to gain customers.Distribute your infographic
Distributing an infographic can be done in various ways. These include:Hiring a freelancer to promote your gig or to direct visitors to your infographic post. Freelancers at Fiverr and Upwork offer these services and this can really help you boost your traffic.
Following this guide by QuickSprout on how to submit your infographic yourself.
Uploading your infographic on document-sharing websites and popular blogs such as: Slideshare, Scribd, and Visualistan.
Posting them on Pinterest group boards.
Using social bookmarking sites such as Reddit can also help you boost exposure for your infographic.
Advertising your infographic-post though Facebook and Twitter ads.
You can also check out this infographic directory list to see where you can submit your infographic.
Infographic Testing
The last part in boosting your traffic is to create more than one infographic on a single topic or niche. You can use different styles to create the same infographic and observe which style gets you the highest number of visitors. Make it a habit to follow this strategy so you can learn which style to use for a particular niche.Conclusion
Infographics are taking over the visual web. People rely more on an image containing only the useful information rather than reading long paragraphs of text. Infographics have become so common that many smart content marketers have already adopted them. The best part is, infographics really give you more traffic and increase the chances of virality! Moreover, with the availability of online infographic creation tools, the process has become so much easier.
Have you used infographics? If so, what is your creative process? What tools do you use to create them? How do you promote your infographics? I’d love to hear your experiences.
