Infographics - 6 Reasons to use them

Infographics...

If a photo can convey a thousand words, then an infographic tells an even bigger tale. Visual content plays an important role in the success of your social media efforts, and that includes infographics. Infographics, simply put, are visual images created to display a set of facts in an easy-to-understand way. They can be used to talk about essentially any topic, from the different kinds of produce a farm makes to how and why people click on images in Pinterest. In other words, no matter what info you’re trying to convey, chances are, there’s a way to use an infographic.

Easily Provide Info

In this day and age of 24/7 news updates, we’re constantly being bombarded with new stories. As such, we typically have shorter attention spans when it comes to looking at new content on the web. Infographics easily distill complex info into an easier format so it’s easier for people to scan your content and still understand what you’re trying to get across. Think of infographics, in other words, as visual shorthand.

In the website design world, an infographic can help you choose what sort of website you want to build and on what platform, based on a series of questions and your answers, for example. Or, an infographic can provide statistics on hearing loss. Really, the possibilities are endless.

Build Credibility

Since infographics are so often based on a series of statistics and facts, they instantly lend themselves to showcasing your knowledge on a given subject. Not only will you sound smart with your stats and figures about the traits people possess to get promotions, as one example, but you’ll often be looked at as an expert in that field. So do your research, and figure out how best to convey your industry knowledge.

Be More Engaging

While there’s no denying that photos speak volumes, they aren’t necessarily interacting with the user in such a meaningful way. Infographics can though, particularly if they’re asking questions and then showing the top three answers people provide (followed by the stats to back it up). In other words, people can identify with the questions asked in infographics, consider their own answers, and see how they stack up to the study results you’re providing.

They Make it Memorable

Studies show that 90% of the things we remember are due to visual content that we saw. Just think of when people give you directions to a new place. They’ll often tell you to “go right at the McDonald’s,” or refer to some other easily-identifiable landmark for you to reference. Visual content by its very nature is memorable, and visual items are an integral part of any infographic, whether it’s using forks to represent the number of people at a given restaurant, or a bar graph showing how many people visit a particular online gaming site versus another.

Increase Brand Awareness

You’ve spent the time doing research, compiling data, and turning it all into a compelling infographic. The last but most important thing you should include is something that refers to you as the source, such as a logo, website link, or even simply a byline. This way, when your infographic is shared, you’re still identified as the original creator.

Easy to Share

Creating viral content is always the dream, and infographics, like photos and videos, can be shared virally as well. That’s because like photos and videos, they are content that people can react to and easily share when they provide a response to the content found in the infographic. After all, infographics can be pinned to Pinterest too, or simply uploaded to Facebook. To keep your infographic in your domain though, so people go back to your site, consider providing an embed code along with your creation.

Now that you know why you should create infographics, it’s time to get to the drawing board and figure out the best way to convey your area of expertise. Check out other infographics to see how they’re designed, and look at Pinterest for inspiration. Then you can start creating and sharing your knowledge in an easy-to-digest kind of way.

Courtney Gordner

Courtney Gordner is a passionate blogger with a love for social media and all things internet! Follow her on her blog, talkviral.com and on Twitter!

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