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Whenever someone says Infographics, you subconsciously put “Viral” as a suffix. Yeah, that’s how it has been all this time. Every marketer expects their Infographic content to reach more and more people, amplifying brand visibility and recognition. It takes a lot of discretion and the right mix of tactics to create such an Infographic design.
Infographics – The Amazing Visual Saga
Infographics are highly shareable bits of information, mixed with captivating graphics that go viral in a jiffy. But have you ever wondered where from this virality comes? Or what are those attributes that make an Infographic viral? Why do some Infographics make people go gaga over them and why some are downright fails? Well, there are certain reasons behind this happening that need to be known.
The concept that we all know is, great Infographics go viral; but what people don’t tell you is, how do they go viral?
The Charming Tool for Content Marketing
Once there was a time when these informative visuals were the only medium for marketers to do Content Marketing. They were the ultimate source to attract traffic, get links and generate buzz on social media platforms.
But with time, this hype has died out a bit. And now, not every single design attains the viral nature. It takes more effort for a designer or a marketer to goad users to download, like and share an Infographic. But if you talk about Infographic Marketing, hell yeah, that works still!
More than 90% of information that our brain intakes, are visual in form. That said, there’s no doubt in marketers who leverage Infographics, generating more leads than those who don’t.
So if you intend to make your next Infographic a sensation, and know how to write great content for your Infographics, keep on scrolling to know the secrets. We have compiled a gamut of tips to make your Infographic be the next viral graphic on the web and social media channels.
1. Try to bring Numerics/Numbers/Figures in your Titles
Numbers in your Infographic’s title works because that creates a highly specific premise of what’s in store for the viewers. If you consider each pointer you mention to be a solution, then your viewers can get an idea exactly how many solutions you are offering them. Numbers imply quantification, which is an excellent way of driving their attention and holding their gaze for longer.
Our brain works in numbers, figures and stats – and that’s the reason headlines/titles that have specific numbers mentioned in them, get 36% more clicks than those without.
An interesting trivia in this regard – researches have found that titles that have odd numbers in them can boost CTR (Click-Through-Rate) by 20% or even more.
2. Observe the Recent Trends and Select Topics amongst those
Don’t live under the rock, come out of it and check for the latest trends going around you. Every second, something is happening, something weird, quirky, or unusual! Piggyback on those trends and identify the viral topics an Infographic can be made upon. It’s always easier to ride a trending wave and using it for your own advantage.
Keep a close check on Twitter, Google Trends, Reddit, Buzzfeed, and other social media channels and check for the things that a lot of people are searching for or discussing about. Grab a piece of that hot topic that you feel worth creating an Infographic for. Your Content Marketing will pick the momentum for sure.
3. Craft a Compelling Title/Headline
Just as I mentioned in the first point, to be as much numeric you can be, it is also a major prerequisite to be creative and compelling in creating the Infographic’s title. Stats say that, on average, only 2 out of 10 readers will actually continue reading past the headline. If you want your Infographic to pick the momentum and go viral, you need to think of a viral title.
A piece of advice for the novices out there – most people scan the first and the last 3 words of a headline. That said, the ideal length for a title should be 6 words maximum. Also, don’t forget to put your primary keyword into the title.
4. Develop a Content Marketing Plan
Before even starting to scribble down the content, you must deploy your content team to develop a proper Content Marketing plan. Because that’s what your ultimate goal is. A robust content plan and a viral content guarantee a successful ROI. So even if you attempt to generate organic traffic with your Infographic, you must at least have a clear plan as to the optimization of the design.
A robust marketing plan can bring your masterpiece in front of as many eyes as possible. Whether you want to proceed with email marketing, paid ads, a roundup post to drive backlinks, choose an apt hashtag – all these must be thought about beforehand. Planning a viral content marketing is not as easy as it said. One must be prudent enough to start developing it early.
5. Create an Eye-Grabbing Header Design
Like we say, “don’t judge the book by its cover“, sometimes it is the other way round. Often a book is very well judged by its cover. And this is all the more true for an Infographic. Usually, when an Infographic is submitted on a directory, or published on a portfolio or a Blog, a thumbnail is uploaded that, upon clicking, opens up the entire design. So all that a viewer sees at first is the header image of the Infographic.
If the header image is not powerful enough to hold the readers’ attention, your design might go for a toss. A bland header image doesn’t interest a reader, and thus your content is left unread. Remember, Infographics that have captivating and relevant header images get 94% more views than the designs without.
6. Sneak Peek Outside the Same Ol’ Box!
Yes, there are millions of Infographics under the sun. May be billions! But that doesn’t mean your content cannot stand out. Of course, it can, and it will! All you need to do is think of a concept that is unique in all sense and stands out.
Once you freeze upon a topic (keep point #2 in mind), start thinking on how you can make it ultra exciting, in what new ways you can incorporate the data visualizations, how can you instill humor in the content – think in all those lines. Concepts that are articulated in novel ways always get people talking about them.
7. Craft an Impactful Intro
If you can usher people up to this, most of your effort has been a success. Now that your readers have gone past the compelling title of your Infographic (point #3 to be referred), it’s time to hook them more.
Give them a smashing intro that sets the tone for the rest of the design. Be specific in your rhetoric, ask a question, give a shocking stat, a surprising quote, or do a quick storytelling. Try to pique their curiosity in the intro itself so that they are compelled to scroll down to find more. A captivating introduction is a significant feature of Infographic content. Never compromise with it.
8. Focus on Exciting and Latest Data
People don’t click on an Infographic to see a bunch of dated information. Instead, they click in the hope of finding something new. Infographics are usually revered for being an incredible information resource. Live up to that and dig into the data that your readers are unlikely to find before. If you are creating a new product Infographic, it’s likely that your audience might not have seen the data anywhere else.
So now is your opportunity to make the data look all the more engaging and create a compelling content. Think of the creative ways you can showcase this exclusive data and make it more memorable for your audience. A professional graphic design agency can help you in this to a great extent.
9. Select a Simple, yet Professional Color Scheme
You ought to adhere to your brand identity colors while choosing the color scheme of your design. At the same time, the colors you choose must look corporate and sober. Colors are the most integral part of any creative design that people notice almost immediately when they click on an Infographic. The critical part of selecting a color palette is, you can easily get it wrong.
Hence, keep the background simple with soft pastel colors and then some different shades of your brand colors. Your primary palette must be made of flat colors- that’s how you can bring contrast to your design.
10. Use Brand Identity Fonts that are Legible
Avoid using those fancy and intricate fonts. The more the fonts are cursive and intricate, the harder it is to read for the audience. Moreover, in case you have to resize the design for web-purpose, the fancy fonts might turn further illegible and deciphering data would become impossible. Illegibility creates a massive negative impact on designs and they are never liked or shared.
Utilize fonts that are easy on the eyes, like Open Sans, Arial, Calibri, Courier, Verdana, etc. Also, font size matters incredibly. Never use fonts below 16 points, as anything lower will make your design an unsolved riddle. While writing Infographic copy, make sure you follow these rules.
11. Keep an Ideal Size
According to the pros, the ideal size of an Infographic should not be more than 600 pixels. And the height must not exceed 1800 pixels. This is an optimum size that is acceptable in all submission directories, as well as Blog sites.
A simple hack for the beginners – Keep your design 9X longer than it is wide. This trick will get you more shares. Effective Infographics contain this trait in them, and that’s why they are lauded by all.
If you feel the height is too long, try reducing some data points. Infographics are made to showcase only the key points.
12. Think of a Sleek and Minimal Design
Understand the purpose of your Infographic, whether it is a marketing tool or an internal information resource, or a mere supporting graphic for one of your Blogs, you need to work on the design. It is worth investing in a professional graphic design agency to create a stellar work that can drive you backlinks. There are a few parameters around which you can think on.
- The way the data is organized, does it make any sense?
- Do you offer something unique through the data visualization?
- Are the texts easy to read and understand?
- Are the images web-friendly?
- Do the graphics represent your brand essence?
Make sure your investment pays off with these Infographic tips. Spend as much time it takes to create a graphic that stands out and gets shared across multiple Social Media platforms.
13. Ensure the Design loads faster upon Clicked
Visitors wait for just 3-4 seconds for a website to load. Anytime longer, they jump on to the next website on the SERPs.
Keeping this fact in mind, ensure your Infographic is light and doesn’t take long to load. Be doubly sure about the file size of your Infographic and optimize it for fast loading. The quicker it loads, the more it gets shared. The more it is shared, well, you know what happens then ;)!
14. Make sure you provide a Shareable Embed Code
If you want more shares, make your Infographic shareable. Give an embed code for your users to share the design on their own website or Blog. That way, you would subconsciously encourage sharing.
Another great way of fostering shares is to provide social sharing buttons that would easily allow the onlookers to share your design on their social handles. These are the subtle ways in which you can amplify the shares of your design and create a viral Infographic.
15. Start Sharing your Infographic
Now that you are done with your masterpiece, it’s time for the most pivotal phase.
Once you get the design finished and are satisfied with the outcome, start submitting it on the notable online directories and submission sites. These sites usually have a high traffic rate and can generate good traction for your design.
There are various such websites on the web that are free and help promote your work. Some of them are:
- Visual.Ly
- Graphs.net
- Daily Infographic
- Infographics Archive
- Infographics Showcase
- Infographic Bee
- Cool Infographics
- Infographics Journal
These submission sites are pretty much helpful in increasing exposure for your Infographic content; so spread your word and don’t forget to put a backlink. Another word of advice for the beginners, sharing your Infographic on Pinterest, is a sure-fire way to generate loads of traffic to your website.
Wrapping Up:
Viral Infographics have great potential in them to grow your audience much further in a short time. Each time you publish an exciting Infographic, you increase your audience even more. However, in the beginning, there’s much legwork to do in order to make the design viral.
Honestly, the sky is the limit when it comes to creating engaging, share-worthy and creative Infographic content. The more eye-catching your Infographic is, the higher is your chance to see it viral and create a steady flow of organic traffic to your website/Blog.
