7 Ways Infographics Transform Businesses

It’s obvious that infographics are designed to be eye-catching and convey key information, but they can also serve powerful purposes in branding, digital marketing, online business and more.

This article will break down why infographics have benefits to online business and organisation owners and shares ideas on how to make the most out of them when implementing them as part of a digital brand strategy.

Information Graphics, also referred to as Data Visualisation (6), are visual pieces of content combining data and graphics in order to communicate info and knowledge as quickly and clearly as possible, enabling users to see complex patterns and trends more easily.

We can encounter infographics as part of daily life, from the news, marketing content, survey results, awareness campaigns, company timelines, CVs, comparisons, maps, signage, online training courses and more.

Infographics have a rich history, dating back to the early cave drawings during the prehistoric era (circa 30,000 BC.). Humans painted scenes of nature, animals and life on walls, to make sense of the world around them.

Around 3,300BC, Egyptians used hieroglyphics to document life, work and stories, progressing to more advanced forms containing a visual alphabet.

William Playfair was a prominent pioneer in the history of infographics. A Scottish economist and inventor, he created forms of basic visual data such as line graphs and pie charts to help people understand economic contexts including labour and product costs.

“Data should speak to the eyes…they are the best judge of proportion, able to estimate it with more quickness and accuracy” – William Playfair

There are a few other prolific names in the invention of infographics, born out of a need in helping people make data driven decisions, charting statistics in such a way to inform key decision makers to quickly see the core of the message, influencing them to action (Read more here and here).

From a more modern perspective:

People are 30 times more likely to read an infographic than a regular article.(1) In addition, people remember 65% information on pictures they see.  (2)

Online business can be considered the business of attention-grabbing. Therefore, everything put out on behalf of your brand reflects back on your online image.

Facts and visuals that communicate your brand’s message, along with statistics backed up with scientific polls or data can strengthen your brand’s identity.

Infographics can also play a part in brand positioning and authority, conveying useful expertise in a particular sector. (2)

Side effects include trust-building and opportunities for resonating storytelling. (3)

Infographics generally introduce a level of ease which people can understand your message without a web of clutter or bore users with plain information.

Research shows that visual content is 43 percent more persuasive than text alone (7)

Combining design, concise info and meaningful stats is an ideal visual format for platforms like social media, easily consumed on nearly all topics in every industry. From website landing pages, blogs to email marketing for consistent messaging across platforms.

Bear in mind cultural shifts – the human attention span has on average hit 8.25 seconds (shorter than an average goldfish).

All the more reason to create scroll-stopping infographics – especially when people who buy professional services rely on data during buying research. (7)

We can encounter infographics as part of daily life, from the news, marketing content, survey results, awareness campaigns, company timelines, CVs, comparisons, maps, signage, online training courses and more.

Google ranks websites higher if they contain widely shared content.

Infographics can form part of an SEO strategy, attaching the right text, titles, descriptions and searchable keywords to them to boost website visibility on mainstream search engines.

They can also be tweaked for several ranking factors for your website’s SEO including:

• Adding outbound links to your best sources of info in your infographic, further establishing credibility and authority according to the search engine,
• Other websites and blogs sharing your infographic providing valuable backlinks(4)
• Increase user engagement and conversions
• May encourage your users to stay on your website for longer
• Complementing brand strategy, boosting traffic and profits

Their engagement can be tracked, tested, analysed and help build valuable insights on what type of online content your users prefer from your brand informing a part of your content marketing strategy. (2)

Infographics can make your message more memorable, creating top-of-mind memories that lead to marketing conversions, true fans of your brand and faster decision making. (5)

Breaking down information that is hard to understand or absorb into more manageable chunks, increases accessibility to a larger proportion of viewer consumption and more accurate comprehension of relevant information for their consideration.

Infographics can be a way to overcome language barriers, communicate effectively and be understood on a larger scale, which can create opportunities for companies with international clients or offerings.

If you need help creating a great infographic for your website or other touchpoints, get in touch to discuss a customised infographic that will help you communicate valuable information while helping to boost your brand in a unique way.

References:

1. A look back at the history of infographics Questline
2. 7 ways infographics can benefit your online business Bocasay
3. 5 Things that You Should Always Include in Your Infographic Infographic Design Team
   
4. 41 Infographic Examples & Explanations Semrush Blog
   
5. Infographic By Katie Terrell Hanna TechTarget
   
6. What is an Infographic? Examples, Templates & Design Tips Venngage
   
7. Yup, Infographics Still Work: How Visualizing Data Can Create Demand by Lauren Milewski Scribewise