All businesses both online and offline need a pipeline of leads for economic growth. As such you need to get your message out to them in a way that is quick, pertinent and understandable. Because humans are visual in their ability to quickly process patterns, infographics serve well in conveying your message.
Basically, infographics are graphical displays design in such a way to convey information that is pertinent, truthful and accurate. It has been researched that the brain processes visual presentations 60,000 times quicker than written text. In 1971, after much research, this discovery was called the Picture Superiority Effect. So if you want to get people to take action quickly, use of infographics is paramount. Here are a few ideas on how to best use them.
Keep them visual friendly
It has been known that close to 90% of the information received into the brain is through vision. As such, this could be information overload as humans have natural filters known as Reticular Activating System(RAS) that tends to block out anything that is not important to them at the time. Your infographics need to be front and center here.
If in black and white, keep it simple with defined lines and clear text. If in color, keep it with colors that are pleasing to most people, and not too busy. If the graphics have too much detail, the possibility of people stopping to look at it for long enough to have an impact will diminish. Too many details are for fine art, not for Infographics.
Convey the Information
Your infographics should contain the main points of the information that you wish to present. It has to be truthful, honest and accurate. Remember, you are replacing written text of paragraphs with a graph. The same information that you would write a short message is what the infographic should be able to communicate.
Do you remember the coverage maps of Verizon coverage maps? Everyone knows that Verizon covers more of North America than their competitors because the infographics vividly told everyone that was the case.
Remember the Big Six
In sales and marketing, customers need to have answers to certain questions. They are as follows:
- Who – who are you and your company?
- What – what is your product or service that you are promoting?
- Where- where can I get it if I want it?
- When – when can I get it if I want it?
- Why- why is your product or service better than anyone else’s?
- How- how do I get it if I wanted it?
If you can answer these by using a combination of some text with your infographics you will have a high retention rate among consumers. The best way to do this is to write out a paragraph or two on each question. The paragraph or two should answer the question.
Next, you need to find a great Infographic that you can use to convey the same information with limited texts and high-quality graphics. This could be charts, graphs, maps, timelines, flowcharts, pictures and the list goes on.
You can use the tools that come with Adobe or Microsoft for starters. There are many online Infographic suppliers that you can check out and get great graphics from. Start using them.
One last point! Your product or service should exist to solve a problem. If it does not, then there is no need in society for it. We all know that. However, the best Infographics in the world will not benefit if somewhere in the mix there is no call to action.
Is your Infographic viral-friendly?
To have the greatest impact and create more lead generation, you want your infographic going viral. So the questions you may want to ask yourself or others about your finished infographic are as follows:
· Is this something they would share with friends or family?
· Is this something that has a definite and immediate catching of the eye?
· Is the information you are trying to convey effectively in the infographic?
· Does this help spread the word about your particular company or offering?
· Does this help someone become engaged with you as a customer or frequent visitor for more information?
If these answers are basically in the affirmative then you have a winner. However, do not wait until it is perfect. Just get your infographics out there and modify as needed.