Throughout the past few years, infographics have been everywhere and for good reason. Statistics are often necessary to add credibility, and infographics make it easy to break down data that might have otherwise been very cumbersome for an average reader. By employing infographics, data becomes educational and even fun to read.
As 2013 is about to come to a close, infographics are once again changing how people digest knowledge. Now, infographics are not just comprised of bright colors, eye-catching fonts and sleek designs. Some, appropriately called interactive infographics, include animation, links and other elements that make it easy for people to absorb the details of the infographic itself. These advanced infographics also point people in the direction of where to find additional relevant content. Keep reading to learn a few reasons to make them part of your future content marketing strategies.
They’re Easy to Design
Because interactive infographics are so visually appealing, people may assume the design elements are very complex. Fortunately, technology such as responsive design has helped make interactive infographics simple to create, and some programs make it more efficient even if you’re trying to build one without a background in computer coding.
They Could Help Your Brand or Message Go Viral
You can probably think of a few examples of YouTube videos or memes that were relatively unheard of one day and then suddenly being talked about by everyone from late-night talk show hosts to all your friends on social media. Often, the momentum for such occurrences is related to how the content is delivered.
One advantage of interactive infographics is that they allow you to use both words and moving images to drive a point home. If enough people take notice, your message or name could be on everyone’s lips in just days. In one instance, activists in Syria used an interactive infographic to demonstrate areas and types of non-violent resistance, comprised of beautiful colors, a pleasing layout and helpful links that described efforts of particular causes in more detail.
They Aid in Information Retention
Many interactive infographics have been designed to have portions users scroll through, equipped with areas that expand when touched with a mouse pointer. Besides helping capture attention, these features improve the likelihood people will linger and learn, rather than just click elsewhere. Interactive infographics allow the view to control their experience and the rate at which they learn. CJ Pony Parts created an interactive infographic dedicated to an innovator in the automotive industry, Carroll Shelby, and his crowning achievement, the Shelby Cobra. This infographic allows the viewer to “drive” a Shelby Cobra around the world.
The interactivity can also be helpful if you’re trying to convey differences between quantities. If users can move their mouse over part of a graphic and watch it expand to represent a particular number, it could make the data more likely to stick in the memory, rather than be quickly forgotten.
They Could Help You Generate Leads
Have you ever thought of using an interactive infographic as a sales tool? That could be the way of the future, especially for people who sell things that can be delivered to purchasers instantly, such as e-books. Whether you’re trying to get people interested in a collection of quick tips for landing the perfect job or want to boost the number of people who subscribe to your blog’s premium content, an interactive infographic could let people know what to expect if they buy something.
Just let the infographic emulate the tone and style of content found in the items you’re selling, and make sure to add a link that takes people directly to a page where they can buy an item.
You can even alter this strategy slightly by adding an interactive element that lets someone sign up to your newsletter with just one click. Try this when you’ve just presented an infographic full of fascinating facts, and you want to make sure viewers know how to find more of the same sort of content.
They Can Shift Perspectives
A company that provides health insurance for people in the Philippines also relied upon an interactive infographic to caution how costly it can be to get sick as an uninsured person. The goal was to appeal to people who might just be hoping they stay healthy and deciding the cost of health insurance coverage is too great to bear. By carefully comparing the costs associated with major ailments versus health coverage, the creator clearly hoped to change the perception that health insurance is an unnecessary expense.
You could plan to do something similar to reach out to customers following a slight misunderstanding or even to highlight certain benefits of your products that might have previously been unknown to most of your target audience.
The examples above are just a few reasons why it’s wise to use interactive graphics in your upcoming marketing strategies. Some marketers have already used them to get great results, and their prominence seems set to continually rise in the coming months.