Digital marketing experts estimate that most Americans are exposed to around 4,000 to 10,000 ads each day. That’s a lot of brand information coming at us.
If you need to educate your audience about your product or service, persuade them to buy, or influence their behavior, then you need to incorporate infographics in your brand marketing. You’ll get your point across more quickly and effectively than by simply using text alone.
Why You Should Use Infographics in Your Brand Marketing
Far more engaging than basic text, infographics provide a visual display of information in a compelling, digestible, and memorable format. An Entrepreneur article details why these visual snapshots can help you communicate with greater success:
1. They are visually captivating.
Presenting information in a unique, compelling and memorable format, infographics tap the brain’s powerful visual processing center: The combination of images and text stimulates processing and memory.
2. They highlight important information.
While your whitepaper or webpage does include details that your audience needs to know, using an infographic calls attention to the most important data or information in a direct-to-the-point way: No need to wade through paragraphs of copy to get to the meat of your content.
3. They are memorable.
As humans, we remember up to 80% of what we see but just 20% of what we read. Appealing to our visual aptitude, infographics help drive home your message and make a stronger brand association.
4. They make statistics understandable.
When presented in paragraph form (or even in tables), data and trends can still be difficult to analyze. Infographics allow you to show multiple statistics together in a way that is clear and simply laid out, which makes your data/message more impactful.
5. They simplify difficult concepts.
Whether it’s a manufacturing process, a lifecycle demonstration or a corporate timeline, presenting the information graphically makes it much easier to digest content.
6. They’re sharable.
As social media platforms continue to push visual content, infographics can help get your message seen—and shared—increase traffic, generate new brand ambassadors, etc.
How to Create Killer Infographics
Before you dive into content/infographic development, first consider your audience and your message. Forbes says that “an infographic will only be effective if its content and context are aligned to reach the target audience and deliver the knowledge they need and want.” Here are tips summarized from members of Forbes Agency Council to help ensure your infographic content hits the mark.
1. Keep it simple.
Go with straightforward, to-the-point copy and graphics to create compelling infographics without the fluff. This clean-graphic approach allows readers to easily glean the important information and are particularly effective in social media campaigns where they can easily be digested and shared.
2. Highlight true customer stories.
Use creative storytelling to amplify your effect. “Video infographic case studies focused on the customer journey and real stories about their positive experience with your brand, product or services will generate indispensable brand recognition and value.”
3. Simplify complex concepts.
Especially effective for intricate processes or product functions: Forbes advisors suggest “compartmentalize each concept into distinct units or steps. The ability to visualize it enables the reader to gain a better understanding.”
4. Showcase strength behind the numbers.
“Numbers are how we measure value, and the magnitude of their meaning is often underrated. Infographics are powerful tools for showcasing the strength behind these numbers for visual audiences.”
5. Start from scratch.
“Don’t start with an infographic template and retrofit your information. Start with a blank screen. Be original and creative with your infographic. Use a visual hierarchy. Your most important idea should jump out as an obvious takeaway when you’re staring at the infographic; the rest of the ideas build toward it. Try creating small and simple infographics instead of making one, big, complex composition.”
6. Focus on the data.
“Two of the biggest mistakes made with infographics are cramming too much information into a single visual and confusing the key point. When a laser-focused, simple, eye-catching infographic accurately transmits intelligence, its impact on engagement and memorability is extremely high.”
7. Use precise messaging.
Forbes warns not to use graphic just for the sake of creating it. Instead, be sure your infographic uses clean, direct messaging with compelling imagery to tell a story. “Really put the energy into creating a piece that can do some heavy lifting.”
8. Incorporate in blog posts.
“Infographics are a great way to present complex ideas…and processes, among other things, and they can be very valuable to the consumer in that type of application. To provide value to you, as the marketer, use smaller infographics that are interwoven into your blog posts to improve engagement metrics and boost SEO value.”
9. Optimize for search.
“Infographics allow both search engines and users to see a piece of your website as unique, and that helps your content stand out in a sea of available information. It’s important to allow this unique content to shine by ensuring that it is optimized with alt tags and an image filename and not so dense as to slow down the page. Ensure that the page it lives on is optimized and primed for visibility and that other channels are promoting it.”
Read the entire Forbes article here.
According to HubSpot, successful content marketing generates brand awareness, builds credibility and trust, and educates audiences. Infographics are an essential part of successful brand content strategy in 2022.
At Shamrock, we develop infographics for our customers and use them on websites, in email and social media campaigns, printed materials—anywhere and everywhere a message needs to be delivered in a clear, concise, and compelling way. If you want to learn more about how you can incorporate infographics in your marketing materials, reach out to me at emoriarty@shamrockcompanies.net.
