As the name infographics implies, this approach to content is highly visual, relying heavily on charts, tables and other images to express messages. Marketers have been flocking to the form of communication. Indeed, each day infographic creation increases by 1%, reports Business2Community.
At the same time, marketing executives have been sold on the merits of infographics, with 65% of senior marketers saying they think visual content is a core strategy for conveying their brands’ stories, also according to a post from Business2Community.
Many digital marketers, meanwhile, make impressive claims regarding the effectiveness of infographics. For example, technology provider HubSpot maintains that brands that use infographics grow their web traffic 12% faster than other brands. Business2Community, furthermore, maintains that people are 17% more likely to be persuaded by visual imagery. Other marketers add that the human brain processes images 62,000 times faster than text, which is illustrated by the concept that it’s much easier to draw a circle than describe it.
The most effective infographics tend to use a minimal number of colors and weave a theme from image to image. With those points in mind, HubSpot ranked the “Whistle While You Work” infographic as the best infographic of 2016. The infographic presents statistics that illustrate why listening to music while working can make employees more effective. It also provides tips for which types of music individuals should listen to depending on the type of work being conducted.
Not surprisingly, infographics must download quickly to be effective. According to Apollo Matrix, 40% of consumers will abandon a website that takes more than three seconds to load. In addition, a one second delay in an image can reduce conversions by 7%. Google, furthermore, prioritizes websites by responsiveness.
Digital marketers can avoid those types of blunders by limiting how many images are simultaneously loaded, which means that brands may have to prioritize web content and minimize pop ups and overlays. Brands must also develop strategies for promoting infographics, just like any other type of content. That can involve building email campaigns, launching public relations efforts, and engaging in social media initiatives to promote new infographics. Brands can also promote their infographics with free directories, such as Mashable Infographics, Fast Company Infographic of the Day, Reddit Infographics, Marketing Infographics, and Daily Infographics, according to the InfoGraphic Design Team.
With the flashy, high-tech nature of infographics, it’s easy to dismiss the format as being difficult to implement, but various vendors provide free resources and freelancers can be hired for the projects. HubSpot, for example, offers 15 free templates that can be used with PowerPoint while SuperTasker claims it can provide an initial draft of an infographic in less than 24 hours and for only $199.