Introduction:

They have said that a picture is worth a thousand words. An infographic is priceless. When an infographic is done effectively, it can sell an idea, create emotion and excite action. We have compiled this article on the importance of an infographic for your reading pleasure.

The Infographic Importance.

^[1]Breaking through the clutter of mass communication is getting more and more challenging in this age of social media, with all of its YouTube videos, Facebook updates, and tweeting. People no longer want to read lengthy prose to be informed or educated—they want to be entertained and given a “Cliff’s Notes” overview of the communicated material. But how can you possibly differentiate your product or service in 140 characters or less, or through constant “likes” or “comments”?

Technology has allowed for the collection and storage of immense amounts of information about customers: profiles, preferences, and purchase histories that may be used to better target and market to them. While providing a spreadsheet with rows upon rows of data and numbers might make a case for your brand, that message may be lost because most people won’t take the time to read, let alone digest, all of that information. It’s one thing to collect a lot of information, but if people don’t know what to do with it or can’t understand quickly what it means to them, what’s the point? A more compelling way to reach your audience is through infographics. Many might think of infographics (“information graphics”) as simply charts or graphs—something created in Microsoft Excel to show financial information. The truth is that infographics may contain a wealth of knowledge and help simplify complex data into visuals that are quickly comprehended by the audience. Infographics help people understand and filter out the most critical information—in other words, and they can quickly make your brand’s communications relevant.

^[2]Reasons to use infographics in your content.

• It delivers information visually – Infographics give people visual information that helps them understand by just seeing it rather than going through written content.
• Quickly scanned and viewed- Human beings are highly visual, and because 90% of the information that comes to the brain is visual, we need to tap into that “optic nerve.”
• They can go viral through social mediums of communication – they are usually designed with varied and vibrant colours, and the design attracts people’s attention. The information conveyed is attractive, which people tend to share on social media networks.
• Brand Awareness – Putting an infographic story about a business or a product makes a huge difference rather than just a plain text story.
• Awake one’s interest – Usually, from user experience, people tend to take an interest in visual information with colours and pictures than plain alphabets.
• Portable(Embeddable):
• When designing and developing blogs like WordPress, infographics get published with an embedded link code that lets people link automatically to link to your site.
• It reduces the boredom of reading and going through all the content and going through several pages for information. So we instead opt for infographics for the info.
• Worldwide Instantaneous Coverage – When we publish a post, the content can be seen within a few seconds. In addition, infographics give a global opportunity to spread your ideas and information that local print media could never do.
• Shows expert understanding – The research done to convert the information visually through infographics display your skills and shows a clear understanding of the information as an expert.

The only hurdle for infographics is to develop topics and ideas in a simplified, attractive and vibrant manner and create. Various tools and platforms are emerging that can help you make them more accessible. So, start working on infographics, let people know your creativity, and create your awareness of your business.

^[3]Infographics Defined

More formally, an infographic is defined as a visualization of data or ideas that tries to convey complex information to an audience in a manner that can be quickly consumed and easily understood.

Developing and publishing infographics is called data visualization, information design, or information architecture.

From a business perspective, one definition of infographics resonates above the rest. British graphic designer, author, and information design theorist Nigel Holmes refers to them as “explanation graphics.”

As a marketer, business owner, or manager, you can boil down your communication goals to explaining things to your audience. Infographics can help you communicate the following:

• Thought leadership and product features and benefits to your prospects
• Business process and service options to your customers
• Ideas and policies for your staff
• Corporate philosophy and strategy to your investors

Infographics can help your organization explain critical information to your internal and external stakeholders more effectively.

Business Uses

Now that you have a basic understanding of infographics, what are some ways you can implement them into your business communication mix?

First, it’s essential to understand that infographics are not used solely for external communication. They are an excellent medium for delivering marketing messages or insights to consumers and prospects, but they are equally effective when enhancing internal communication.

Before you figure out how to start using infographics, it helps to understand the nature of the information you are trying to communicate.

Business information can be divided into the following groups:

• Statistics—metrics such as sales, revenue, market research, surveys
• Process—manufacturing, customer service, sales funnel, lead generation, supply chain
• Ideas—concepts, theories, thought leadership, ideology
• Chronology—history, order of events, timelines, schedules
• Geography—locations, metrics by region
• Anatomy—ingredients, components, lists
• Hierarchy—organizational structure, needs assessment
• Relationships—internal, external, people, products/services
• Personality—brand humanization, corporate culture

Many people are familiar with statistics being represented as infographics because of the popularity of data visualization and its use in traditional media. However, business owners, marketers, and managers tend to overlook infographics to communicate other types of information.

The following section delves into information categories in more detail. Then, you will begin to see how infographics can effectively represent different types of business data and how they can become a powerful part of your organization’s communication strategy.

Conclusion:

Reading is boring without pictures and graphics, and so are websites. Please consider using an infographic to portray your ideas.

Article compiled by hughesagency.ca

Article reference links:

1. https://www.indiciadesign.com/the-importance-of-infographics-visualizing-successful-communications-for-your-brand/ ↑
2. https://www.prolore.com/blog/importance-of-infographics/ ↑
3. https://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1916418 ↑