In this episode of Actionable Marketing In Minutes we discuss using infographics in your marketing campaign and why you should start today!

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Problem:

Barry Feldman, of Convince and Convert, put it very succinctly when he said, “Well-played content marketing tactics will build authority, foster trust, create and activate brand advocates, and inspire referrals.”

And, we can’t ignore Google’s ever-evolving algorithm whose goals are to meant to keep online content relevant and of high quality.

Content marketing has become an influencing factor because the buying cycle has changed somewhat. In the past, B2B and B2C purchasers had lesser access to information during the buying process and so had to contact companies earlier just to get information necessary for their decisions. Now, they simply search online for what they need, and only contact companies later in the process, when they need. This is actually a problem for companies who used to rely heavily on this interception of prospects by sales, and who must now ‘fish’ for prospects, using content as the bait.

Because of that, our goal is to influence the purchaser to consider contacting us to allow us to try to sell them. Therefore, our content must be seen as a solution and an authority for various stakeholders who are in various stages of the buying process. Our brand must be present and highly visible in the sea of content available to our targeted B2B and B2C purchasers.

The challenge is in order to meet those needs, we must utilize various methods of content and several approaches to content marketing. This could include such tactics as social media, articles, newsletters, videos, slideshows and blogs. Fairly recently, new types of content have emerged. This group includes approaches like podcasts, new and different video formats and infographics.

Most of us are familiar with what an infographic is. But, have you wondered if it’s something you should add to your content marketing arsenal?

Solution:

If you are thinking about it, please stay tuned. We’re going to discuss exactly what an infographic is, including pros and cons and then determine if this is a form of content marketing worth pursuing.

Q&A:

To help us get a better handle on this topic, we’ve invited Michelle Keyser into the studio today. Michelle is Director of Social Media and Content Marketing here at DirectiveGroup. I’m sure she’s got lots to share.

Welcome, Michelle.

Thanks, Lisa

Let’s jump right in.

Ok. Shoot.

Q:

Let’s start by you telling our audience what an infographic is.

A:

An infographic is a visual image such as a chart or diagram used to represent information or data in a way that makes the information easier to consume. A well-designed infographic can help you simplify a complicated subject or turn an otherwise boring subject into a captivating experience.

Q: (follow-up)

We’ve all seen quite a few infographics. It seems more every day.

A: (follow-up)

That’s true, Lisa. Visual content seems to be taking over the web. There are a myriad of reasons for this. One being we’re living in a serve-it-up-fast society. Infographics encapsulate all the necessary data in a quick, easy-to-read and digest format.

Q:

When should we use one for our own marketing efforts?

A:

You can really use an infographic for just about anything. The best time to create one is when you have large amounts of data that you’re trying to communicate to your audience. Results from a survey or poll. Or technical information such as how to hook up your new gaming system to your TV.

I’ve noticed many infographics seem to be acting as stand-alone link baits – meaning the creator is hoping that others may like their graphic so much, they’ll link to it from their site. As we know these ‘back-links’ are good for our SEO efforts. But, using it as a stand-alone doesn’t really work as well. Infographics tend to work best if they are a value add to a wider content strategy.

Q: (follow-up)

Let’s go over a few pros and cons. Please tell us some benefits.

A: (follow-up)

If created and marketed properly, infographics can drive huge traffic to your site which will hopefully result in increased sales conversions.

Q: (follow-up)

I noticed you said, “If created and marketed properly…” What are some things we might do incorrectly that would lead to less success – or even no success?

A: (follow-up)

Well, Lisa, there are two things I can think of right off the bat:

When developing your infographic, it’s imperative to include impeccable, 100% solid facts. Your audience needs to trust you. We’ve all seen articles that are only repetitions of inaccuracies. When researching, be sure to go to trusted and authoritative sources. edu sites are always a good bet.

The second thing is, keeping in mind that developing infographics is usually not an economical endeavor, consider timeliness, relevance and your plans to promote. After all, you do want it to be seen or all your hard work will amount to nothing.

I’d also like to mention SEO. As we know, SEO is critical for your business. Unfortunately, infographics do not include text for search engines to find. It’s very important to include a text version of the infographic underneath the graphic to overcome this problem.

Also, it’s a good idea to avail an embed-code that others can use to post on their own sites.

Q:

Good stuff!

Q:

Tell us about infographics and social media.

A:

Social media platforms are starting to place greater emphasis on visual content. BuzzSumo – a powerful online tool that allows you to find popular content by topic – found that infographics outperformed all other content types in terms of online shares – especially in social media. And, the more visually-appealing a content piece is, the more engagement it generates.

This means that good infographics work well on social media.

Q:

Are there any cons to using infographics as a form of content marketing?

A:

Because infographics are becoming so prolific, and many marketers are just cranking out generic-looking pieces, they’re all starting to look the same. They used to be more unique in design. I think, too, because hiring a graphic designer is so expensive many companies have started to use one of the many affordable DIY products available.

I’m not really putting down these applications. I’m just saying a lot of infographics are starting to look pretty generic. And, that’s a problem.

Q:

Michelle, earlier in this podcast we mentioned the importance of including a variety of content styles on our sites and other marketing efforts – to include infographics. What are your thoughts?

A:

People consume information in different ways. There are four primary learning styles: visual, auditory, read-write, and kinesthetic. While we all learn using a variety of these styles we usually have one that is more dominate for us. Infographics would be especially influential for visual learns because they learn by seeing. Presenting your message in the same format day in and day out gets boring. Switch it up by using visuals like infographics whenever you can.

Q:

Michelle, you’ve given us much to think about. Thanks for your time today.

A:

Anytime, Lisa.

Benefits:

As you can see, there are many potential benefits to including infographics into you content marketing mix. As Michelle pointed out, infographics work well with visual learners – who account for about 40% of the population. And, since people tend to remember more than 80% of what they see in pictorial format, and only about 20% of what they read, it makes sense that visual content is definitely a good way to go. And, infographics is a great form of visual content to try.

We hope you’ve found this information helpful. Please connect with us on Twitter @DirectiveGroup or on LinkedIn and be sure to share it with in your networks using hashtag #actionablemarketing. Join us next time for more actionable marketing in minutes.