Increase brand and traffic with infographics
While there is no denying that words are an extremely powerful tool for building a brand or driving relevant traffic to your site, they are but one piece in the overall marketing equation. Why does your brain crave infographics? As humans, we are very visual creatures. And in today’s online ADD society, marketers must be smart and adept at how to grab the attention of potential customers.
While the digital form of infographics is relatively recent, explaining an idea in the form of an image is nothing new. Infographics are the smart new digital way of communicating ideas, data and knowledge.
Did you know that global information currently doubles every two years? It’s no wonder people experience information overload.
The use of displayed information has increased dramatically.
– 9900% on the Internet (since 2007)
– 142% in newspapers (between 1985 and 1994)
From 2010 to 2012, infographic search volumes increased more than 800%.
In 2013, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gareth Cook was hired to edit the first volume of The Best American Infographics.
So why do infographics work?
1. We live in the information age: in one day, we create 1.5 billion pieces of content, 140 million tweets, and 2 million videos. But we have less and less time and attention span to read and assimilate all the content we want. Most people decide to stay or leave a site in just 2-4 seconds. With infographics, your content is much more likely to be remembered.
2. We are visual: an infographic collects data, organizes it and turns this information into an easy-to-understand visual element. A well-researched and designed infographic allows readers to divide complex ideas into visual groupings. Stunning images or well-designed graphics simply make a bigger impression.
3. Show and convince: Want to learn how to moonwalk? You could read about it, but it would be much easier to see an infographic with step-by-step images. An infographic can also easily tell a story, behind the statistics of almost anything you can think of. They facilitate the understanding of even complex concepts.
4. Brand awareness: Infographics have embedded company logos for instant brand recognition. And built on the same principles of content marketing components, it should tell a good brand story.
5. Get links: Due to the visual appeal, infographics can be easily shared on all social profiles. They allow sites in niche industries with minimal natural linking to obtain links from other markets. Infographics can provide global coverage, at a much lower cost, than print media.
6. Become an authority: The research required for an infographic will help you become an expert on your topic or industry.
7. Measurable Results: Infographics are bound to go viral. A good infographic equates to improved search visibility and higher SEO. Infographics deliver quick measurable results from social shares, backlinks, and traffic.
Some great examples:
1. 50 Years of Space Exploration – Massive infographic showing the last 50 years of space exploration. Designed by Sean McNaughton and Samuel Velasco for National Geographic.
2. Grand Mosque – This is an infographic press release from Gulf News (Dubai)
3. The slowest loading website in the Fortune 500: Here are the loading times for all Fortune 500 companies.
4. The Big Questions of Climate Change: This detailed and data-rich infographic by Adolfo Arranz shows the true impact of climate change.
The information has to be digestible for it to go viral. Create a unique connection with your visitors with creative, animated and educational infographics. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words.