You don’t have to be a high tech company to get the web marketing lift that comes from creating an infographic. In fact, there’s only one thing you need to have to create a great infographic… a good understanding of your customers.
Infographics are great because they are easy to understand and easy to share. They use creative visuals to communicate information that might otherwise be too dense or boring when presented in written form alone.
We’ve created a number of infographics to educate the world about our business in the past. Today I’ll outline the process we like to use. It’s pretty simple. Anyone can do it.
(Also, check out the awesome diagram to the right to absorb some visual tips)
Step 1. Survey Your Customers
The best way to have something clear and measurable to report on in your infographic is to send a survey to your customers. Ask them questions about what they like, what they do, how they use your products, what issues they face, etc. Give them a set list of options to choose from for each question. Use a free survey tool like SurveyMonkey to make this a breeze.
Assemble the survey responses and look for patterns. Are there certain answers that were most common among your customers? If so, that’s interesting, highlight it as a key point for your infographic. Find at least five interesting patterns then move on to the next step.
Step 2. Expand on Your Key Points
Write two to three sentences about each of your key points. Explain why they are interesting and tie the point back to your business wherever relevant. For instance, if you sell children’s toys, let’s say you asked your customers what concerns they have when buying a toy for a young child. If the most popular response was “safety” you might explain why you agree that safety should be a top concern. Maybe even feature a few of your products and explain how safety is one of their top benefits.
Step 3. Deliver Your Key Points to a Designer
Use an online service like oDesk or Freelancer to find a designer who specializes in creating infographics. You’ll find thousands of options to work with any budget. Select a designer and deliver your key points as well as your expanded text for each. Ask them to create a visual infographic that ties all of your points together into a single, compelling visual.
Don’t forget to send the designer basic information about your business as well. At the top or bottom of the infographic make sure to include your logo, your website URL, and a short description of what your business does. Bonus points if you incorporate your company colors into the infographic!
Step 4. Promote Your New Infographic
Start by posting your new infographic as a blog post on your website. Then promote the link to that post through your social media channels. Come up with a few creative ways to announce it, and send 15-20 different tweets and social posts over the first two weeks.
Call in a few favors to your friends who run online businesses too. Ask them to feature your infographic on their blogs. Consider calling a few reporters who cover your industry to see if their publications would be interested in running your infographic to their audience.
We’ve had a great luck getting large publications to mention our infographics when they otherwise have shown no interest in our news or text press releases. Trust the power of the image. It’s worth a bunch of words… as people often say.
Follow our four step process and you’ll create a powerhouse infographic that will deliver new marketing results for your business, right now, and well into the future too.
