Why infographics are a powerful marketing tool

The importance of infographics for marketing

An infographic is more than just a visualisation of data. It illustrates complex connections in a compact way through a balanced mix of pictures and text, and it guides the viewer through certain topics in a structured manner. In our Internet era, potential customers are inundated with information. The result is that users often just skim through long text online. Infographics, in contrast, ensure the user takes in as much essential content as possible – making them an effective marketing tool.

Especially when they are shared on social media is their success promising. According to Venngage, infographics are liked and shared three times more than other content and therefore have more potential to go viral. A survey by the portal shows that infographics are the most attractive form of content communication for 41 per cent of marketers.

Various kinds of infographics

Infographics can illustrate information in various ways. Often, they are a mixture of the following basic types:

• Figure graphics for visualising data
• Cartography for visualising spatial Information
• Timelines for showing chronological processes or relationships
• Flowcharts for visualising working procedures

When to use infographics

Infographics are useful for small and medium-sized B2B enterprises, too. They are an excellent tool for boosting brand awareness, for leading viewers to the company website and for positioning the company as an expert. Infographics can be used in a number of situations. They are suitable for

• showcasing the company and its business procedures,
• presenting product features or offers,
• explaining complex matters,
• illustrating individual steps of a process,
• communicating business goals either internally or externally, and
• visualising statistics.

Drawing up infographics: things to consider

• Infographics should be able to stand on their own. A graphic which only makes sense in connection with an article will not be shared online.
• A good infographic should always conjure up a “wow” effect and be broken up with entertaining facts whenever possible.
• A consistent picture language which is in line with the corporate design is important. Limit the infographic to just a few colours and font sizes.
• The content should not be too small – if the viewer has to put on their glasses first to be able to see everything, they will quickly click away. Remember that more and more people are looking at infographics on their rather small smartphone displays. If you want your graphic to be shared on social networks, keep in mind the format requirements for the respective platforms.
• The right tools can help to draw up infographics for B2B leads generation. Suitable for a simple graphic are, for instance, the infogram.com application, or the easel.ly website for creating more complex infographics. If you have not really concerned yourself with the graphical communication of information before, you can hire an agency to do the work. After all, the conceptualisation and the graphical execution of an infographic are time-consuming and challenging.

Best Practice: Infographic

Die Blutfabrik

How an excellent infographic can look is shown by the Munich-based agency SZ Scala. They developed the visual representation Die Blutfabrik for München Klinik gGmbH, which was published in the health magazine Minga. The two-page infographic clearly shows how the body produces blood, what blood is made of, and what blood groups are all about. On top of this, the visualisation is complemented with surprising information, such as why mosquitos are attracted to the blood of some people more than others.

The infographic won the Best of Content Marketing Award 2020 in gold. The jury explained their decision with the following words: “A good infographic should provide a true transfer of knowledge; it should be fun to read, easy to understand and make an impression. And it should be aesthetic. All of this can be found in this infographic.”