A couple of weeks ago, a few others and myself were assigned to create a PowerPoint presentation on the UK music industry. It was my job to acquire economic statistics about the industry (boring, I know). If you have been in a similar situation, you will know that all teachers advocate a similar idea: to not just write all your script and statistics on the PowerPoint. Therefore, I had to find a way to convey all this economic information in an interesting and compelling way. I came across this picture (see below) that portrayed the different elements of the music industry that contributed to the UK’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It was not until a few weeks into my digital marketing module that I realised this image was an excellent example of an infographic! UKmusic.org managed to simply illustrate the different revenue streams of the UK music industry that would usually be provided through a mundane paragraph or tedious table. Through the use of a single infographic, I was exposed to the same amount of information but through a more user-friendly method.
Source: UKmusic.org, 2013
Smiciklas (2012, p3) defines infographics as “visualization of data or ideas that tries to convey complex information to an audience in a manner that can be quickly consumed and easily understood”. Essentially, infographics are taking normally confusing figures and statistics and transforming this information into a simple and visual representation.
The term Infographics is only a recent phenomenon; I used Google trends to view how the keyword “Infographic” has evolved in popularity over time (see below). There are now over 13 million search results for the keyword “Infographic” on Google (Bullas, 2012).
Click image below to enlarge
As you can see from the graph, only 10 years ago there was practically no interest in the keyword “infographics”. It was not until 2011 that the popularity for infographics began to increase; now in 2015 the term infographics is a widely searched word with forecasts suggesting it will only become more famous.
With 65% of the world being visual learners (Forbes, 2013) businesses have begun to understand the advantages that infographics can bring to their digital strategy. Through careful creation of an infographic, businesses can loose all the pages of lifeless statistics. Thus, capturing the attention of the masses through a single visual image representing the same information. The notion of bringing information and a graphic design together is illustrated by Smiciklas in the image below:
Autonomy of an Infographic Source: Simiciklas, 2012
To read more on Simiciklas’s paper on “The Power of the Infographic” click here.
Creating an infographic may be simple, but for the infographic to have a true impact on strategy businesses should follow the criteria outlined by (Long, 2013):
- Be unique: Create an infographic that is eye catching. Consumers will see numerous infographics a day; a business must create a creative and unique design that reflects the information.
- Be simple: Ensure the infographic is easy on the eye and consumers can understand the message that is trying to be proposed. Do not overcrowd the infographic with a substantial amount of text, as this will distort the overall message.
- Easily shared: Provide a HTML code so the infographic can be shared across the Internet.
Below is an example of an infographic “What Happens in an Internet Minute?” that I found to be very effective:
Source: Stewart, 2014
A brilliant use of colour and visual elements, this infographic clearly portrays information on the different digital occurrences that happen within “an internet minute”. All statistics are viewed easily and the use of selected imagery would be deemed eye catching to your average everyday Internet user.
So why would a business adopt this type of initiative? Bullas (2012) outlines several benefits for including infographics in your digital marketing strategy:
- Viral capabilities: As infographics are visually alluring, the capacity for them to be shared and made viral is much higher than that of normal text content.
- Brand Awareness: Including a logo in your infographic can increase brand awareness.
- Increased Website Traffic: Creating a interesting infographic and including a link to your website can increase traffic to your website.
- Builds Credibility: Dependant on the relevance of the infographic and the amount of knowledge conveyed within, it can boost the credibility of your brand.
However, Infographics can also be ineffective. The example below…well it speaks for itself. Remember that you want to build credibility and create awareness for your brand in the right way. Creating an infographic with useless information like the one below will create awareness for your brand for all the wrong reasons.
Source: The Guardian, 2013
There are many positive outcomes that can derive from using infographics in your digital strategy. However, marketing teams need to ensure that their infographic portrays relevant, simple and credible information.
References:
- Bullas, J. (2012). 9 Awesome Reasons to Use Infographics in your Content Marketing. [online] Available at: http://www.jeffbullas.com/2012/03/07/9-awesome-reasons-to-use-infographics-in-your-content-marketing/ [Accessed 29 Mar. 2015].
- Forbes, (2013). Why Infographics Rule. [online] Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/tjmccue/2013/01/08/what-is-an-infographic-and-ways-to-make-it-go-viral/ [Accessed 29 Mar. 2015].
- Long, J. (2015). Why Your Business Should Be Using Infographics. [online] Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-long/why-your-business-should-_b_4192309.html [Accessed 29 Mar. 2015].
- Smiciklas, M. (2012). the Power Infographics: Using Pictures to Communicate and Connect with Your Audiences. [online] Available at: http://www.teacher.ssru.ac.th/ekapon_th/file.php/1/CJR2303/Document/001_The_Power_of_Infographics.pdf [Accessed 29 Mar. 2015].
- Stewart, C. (2014). The 83 best infographics [online] Available at: http://www.creativebloq.com/graphic-design-tips/information-graphics-1232836 [Accessed 29 Mar. 2015].
- The Guardian, (2013). 16 useless infographics. [online] Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/gallery/2013/aug/01/16-useless-infographics [Accessed 29 Mar. 2015].
- UKmusic.org, (2013). The Economic Contribution of the Core UK Music Industry. [online] Available at: http://www.ukmusic.org/assets/general/Summary_Document_-_The_Economic_Contribution_of_the_Core_UK_Music_Industry.pdf [Accessed 29 Mar. 2015].