In this day and age, where new data is flowing in every day or perhaps every hour, we surely have more data than before, to comprehend. Statistical studies show that we create 1.5 billion pieces of content, 140 million tweets and 2 million videos, all in just ONE day! Isn’t that a huge number?
So how do you organize, assimilate and collate so much data? Do you bookmark, file it, take it down on your iPhones and iPads or just simply jot it down on your notepad? Hence, the concept of Infographics was introduced.
What are Infographics?
Just as the word suggest, it is graphical information. It is a blend of information, design (graphics) and analysis of staggeringly high data. It is that mode of communicating complex data that is visually compelling and at the same time lucid and understandable.
Hence with a mix of data, images, statistics and design an Infographic can be created that allows for quick, effective analysis and is ought to go viral.
The rise of Data Visualization: Infographics.
Infographics is an effective visual medium to interpret and analyse information. You would have probably come across loads of them on the Internet.
Since the world of Internet and media is ever changing, there has been an exceedingly high usage of infographics to collectively comprehend so much data. Infographics have been around for a long time but it has certainly evolved. Graphic designers are using more of icons, colors, bar charts, pictoral charts, line charts and pie charts in their designs to effectively engage readers.
Most infographics come from the United States but in Europe the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands also have their fair share of infographics. People find plain text really boring. Infographics is definitely a nicer way to interpret the information available on the internet.
In a Mashable article, “How marketers can get more from infographics,” according to the author, Laura Hampton :
…infographics can communicate just about anything, so long as it’s engaging, relevant and more compelling as an image than as pure text.
Infographics come in a variety of formats, too. Layout, orientation and styling are limited only by the creativity of the designer. We’re even starting to see the rise of “information” — infographics with moving elements and interactivity that further engage the audience.
So, why this rise in popularity?
Infographics have been high on demand because of several reasons. One of the prime reason is “increasing interest in data” , that is, people find “data that is broken up in parts and represented in form of bar-charts, pie-charts or even plain numbers” easy to read and grasp. More and more businesses are opting to present the data that is bite-sized and easily digested.
And then there is a more straightforward reason that is, good infographics that tell a “coherent story” rather than just presenting a bunch of lousy facts, certainly increases pageviews.
How can it benefit marketers?
EASY TO SHARE : As mentioned above, most peope (that is 65% of people) process visual information faster than usual only-text content. And since graphically enhanced images are more appealing, their chances of being shared doubles. People might just scan through the text but something that has caught their attention is always remembered.
VIRAL CAPABILITIES:Infographics tends to go viral simply because they are more persuasive, lessens boredom and are searchable. Also it is an interesting and attractive way to present facts and figures. One of the major reasons why infographics go viral is that it breaks all language barriers. Even people who speak different languages can understand them easily.
EASILY EMBEDDABLE : After an infographic is designed and then published on blogosphere, it always provides an “embed code.” This makes it easy to embed infographics into a website or blog. It is good from the SEO point of view, as this certainly increases the backlinks and traffic to your site.
CREATES BRAND AWARENESS : A well designed and executed infographic that contains your company’s brand and logo is a powerful way to create awareness and in turn, market your company’s product and services. This will create transparency and bring the customers to trust your company better. In the best cases these infographics present solutions and subtle brand messages or endorsements.
In a Nutshell
Infographics is one of the most powerful tools for both search engine optimization and social media marketing. When done right, they can bring great benefits to the company. Do not just throw facts and some images in your infographic (they can have an opposite effect and actually hurt the brand),but develop and present a coherent story that is interesting, informative and engaging.
In the next part of this blog, we will tell you “why your inforgraphic is not working and tips to create a good one.” Till then do it right and tell how you plan to use the power of infographics (often called Scourge of the Web) for your brand.
