8 types of infographics for your content marketing strategy
Want to shake things up in your content marketing plan? Why not add some infographics to the mix?
I know infographics got a bad rap a few years ago as they were the go-to piece of content and the internet was flooded with useless infographics just because people wanted to make them. You don’t have to follow that strategy as a well thought out infographic can be a great asset for your content marketing strategy.
Why are infographics so great for content marketing?
They’re easily digestible, shareable, and can be repurposed (or created from repurposed content). When done well, infographics can be valuable content as we process images much faster than text and can understand the point of infographic quicker than a long blog post or watching a five-minute video.
Infographics can also make your content more exciting, visually appealing, and give you a piece of content that your competition doesn’t have.
Types of infographics to use in your content marketing strategy
1. Industry research
Did you recently do some industry research or a customer survey? Show off your data and findings in an infographic! Charts, graphs, and statistics are ideal for infographics and add some pop to your research instead of just publishing your findings.
2. Case study
Case studies make for great infographics as you share the story of a client who found success with your product or service. Be sure to have number-based data to highlight what goals they met or what challenges they overcame. You can also use graphics and symbols to show what industry they’re in, annual revenue, number of employees, states they operate in, and so on.
3. Explanatory
Walk people through how your product or service works in an explanatory infographic. This style is great for complex or technical products as you can break it down step-by-step and use visual aids to make it easier to understand.
4. Comparison chart
Show how your product compares to what else is out on the market with a comparison chart infographic. Take key unique selling points and demonstrate how your product comes out on top or differs from the competition.
5. Trends and stats
If you don’t have time to do your own research, take stats and figures from others (with credit of course) and show off industry trends or highlight interesting statistics. Group your stats together so you have a cohesive and relevant infographic, like driver safety statistics in 2019, top wedding trends of 2020, or 10 stats to know about SEO.
Google Trends and Twitter are great resources for trending topics in general, but you might want to set up Google Alerts for specific keywords in your industry.
6. Timelines
Take people back in time and go through the timeline or history of your industry, company, or product. For timeline infographics, it’s best if your timeline is vertical and each bullet point alternates sides for easy reading.
7. Lists or informational
Have some awesome top 10 tips or best practice-style posts? Turn them into an infographic! For example, I could do an infographic on 10 Twitter tips, 10 things to do in your email marketing, or a breakdown of each social media network. Use headings and graphics to call attention to each new item on your list and be sure to have an introduction, conclusion, and information on how to contact your company.
8. Flow chart
Help people make their purchasing decision faster with a flow chart! This is a great sales tool too as it can help qualify if a lead is ready. If they keep getting stuck in the chart or don’t have all the things they need to implement your product or service, you can keep them in a nurture campaign until they’re ready.
Tips for creating infographics
There are many tools available if you don’t have an in-house designer to make custom infographics for you, like Canva or Piktochart. These tools have pre-built templates and drag-and-drop features to make it easy to create quality infographics for free!
Some tips for designing your infographic include:
- Leave whitespace: Don’t make your infographic too cluttered or overwhelming to look at. I know you want to include a lot of data, but be sure to leave empty space or whitespace for your viewer’s eyes to get a break.
- Layout: Keep a consistent layout through the whole thing with your use of circles, squares, or colored blocks.
- Symbols and graphics: Make sure you have a library of graphics, pictures, or symbols you want to use, or can get your hands on them easily.
- Text: Go easy on the text and break apart paragraphs for easy scanning. Keep paragraphs to just a sentence or two and use headings where appropriate.
- Branding: Be sure to use your brand’s logo, on-brand fonts, and your brand’s colors to keep your infographics similar and easily recognizable.
- Size: Make sure the image is sized appropriately for the web and won’t destroy your page load time.
Do you create infographics as part of your content marketing strategy? Tell me how use them in the comments below!
