If you’re looking for a good way to kill at least an hour of your time, type in the word “infographic” in the Pinterest search bar.
Thousands of clever graphics will pop up on everything from “how to make a salad taste awesome” to a baby’s first year in a review. There’s even an infographic that answers the pressing question, “Is your dog sleeping a little too much?”
Then, after you’ve admired the genius creativity behind them, take a gander at how many repins and likes each of those infographics receives. Thousands upon thousands.
In fact, infographic volumes have increased by over 800% in 2 years. Publishers who use infographics grow in traffic an average of 12% more than those who don’t.
What is it about infographics that makes them so appealing? And better yet, how can you come up with some clever infographics for your business so it gains more exposure through likes and shares?
I have all the answers for you in this post.
What is it about infographics that makes them so appealing?
It takes us a lot less time to process them.
Text takes more time and effort to understand and absorb than visuals.
Studies show that most people only remember 20% of what they read. They also show that our brains process visuals 60,000 times faster than text.
Let’s play a quick game. Would you rather:
- Read a long, fact-filled blog post about ice cream OR
- Consume all of those sweet facts through an illustrated infographic?
Even for those of you who love to read, the choice above is a no-brainer. Why spend the time reading a page of text when you could take in the same information in a much more entertaining way?
Deciphering text feels like work. Deciphering infographics isn’t work; it’s entertainment.
Being able to visualize data helps us understand it and remember it.
65% of people are visual learners. They consume information and understand it best when it’s expressed through illustrations, demonstrations, and exhibitions.
Infographics help you show rather than tell.
They help simplify difficult concepts and transform boring topics into something much more exciting. They bring to life and visualize content that would otherwise be shared as text.
Unexpected content catches our eye.
Studies show that our brain filters out 99% of all sensory information almost immediately.
We’re used to reading text. We usually end up skimming articles and large groups of wordy content to save us time (and if we’re honest, a little boredom, too).
So when an engaging, unexpected visual - like an infographic - pops up in a blog post or in our Twitter feed, we take interest. It catches our eye and draws us in.
You’re probably now well aware at how effective infographics can be for your business. But there’s probably a more pressing question on your mind:
How can you create clever infographics for your business?
First, determine which type of infographic you’re going to create.
The format of your infographic will depend on the information you’re hoping to share. So before you get to work on designing your infographic, take a moment to read this helpful post from Visme and identify which of their 10 types of infographics would work best for you.
Then, check out this Elle & Company infographic on how to create an infographic.
And if you’re still intimidated by the thought of creating an infographic...
For those of you who don’t have the time, resources, or confidence to tackle a branded infographic from scratch in a design program like Adobe Illustrator, I highly recommend checking out Visme.co.
Visme helps businesses create better visual content through customizable infographics, reports, product demos, presentations, etc. Their templates are simple and easily editable - just plug in your brand colors and fonts, update the information, and baddabing baddaboom! Your infographic is ready to publish and share.
However you go about it, infographics should be a part of your marketing efforts. They’re engaging, shareable, and memorable. They have great potential to catch the attention of your target audience and create more clickthroughs to your site.
And if you’re interested in learning more about the power of visuals, be sure to check out Elle & Company's new course!
Have you implemented infographics for your business? If so, how did you go about creating them? If not, what's holding you back?
