You have A.D.D. Don’t shoot the messenger; it’s just the facts. We all do, but it’s not our fault. With thousands of emails, texts, status updates, tweets, meeting requests, and ads flying by us at any given moment, it’s difficult to focus on any one thing. For brands, the question becomes, how do you make your message that one thing?
Humans are visual creatures; we crave aesthetics – things that stimulate our minds and dazzle us with vivid images. So how do you turn what might otherwise be a mind-numbingly dull white paper or mountain of statistics into something people will gravitate towards? Enter, the infographic, or in other words, a visual representation of information, data, or statistics.
Infographics can be used to articulate massive amounts of content in a simple, easy-to-consume format, and, according to Stew Langille, the CEO of data visualization start-up, Visual.ly, the average pageview for a newspaper infographic is about 30 times that of a text-based article. So how can your brand utilize them as a tool to engage with your audience?
Financial
There’s no shortage of interest (no pun intended) when it comes to money; so of course, it’s easy to draw people’s attention to the topic. But how do you sift through all of that content and present it in a way that will make sense to the average person? If your firm specializes in retirement planning, for example, you can use an infographic to show your audience broad statistics about the number of people who aren’t ready for retirement, then use a series of smaller graphs or charts to show them how your firm has been able to help others get on the right path. Highlight things like the most stable industries for investment, profit-to-investment ratios, or the average amount of time it takes to fully prepare for retirement. The idea is to educate viewers, without causing panic.
Non-Profit
Telling people about your cause is one thing, but showing them what it’s all about can make a world of difference for your fundraising efforts. First, call attention to the number of people affected by an illness or lack of proper resources. Then, show your audience how their small contribution can make a significant impact on a family or an entire community. The visual representation of this data can pull on their heartstrings the way words cannot convey.
Nutrition
Healthy lifestyles are all the rage for some. For others, it’s just the way they’ve always lived. Your company can reach both audiences with targeted infographics. People are always amazed when they discover the massive amount of foods in our society that are filled with unhealthy ingredients, or how many people suffer from diseases and ailments that are tied to poor nutrition or exercise habits. Use this as an opportunity to educate them about the amount of natural and healthy ingredients they’ll find in your products, or by showing them what their meals should be composed of to capitalize on their nutritional benefits. By helping to educate your audience, they’ll look to you for advice and purchase your products in the future
Does your company have mountains of data that would be much more interesting once taken out of that spreadsheet? Do you have an incredible story that can be told through data and statistics? There’s no end to the creative uses of infographics, or how they can be utilized by your brand to captivate readers with a unique and engaging story.
