Sales in 8 seconds

You’ve probably heard what an infographic is, after all it’s become an increasingly popular way of presenting data recently. If you think it’s just a picture and a dose of text, as there are plenty of, you’re missing the point. Research clearly shows that using infographics in your content marketing strategy helps to increase website traffic. What’s more, according to the research, a good combination of text and image makes an issue easier to understand by 89%. Surprising? Maybe it’d be a good idea – for example, now -to think more deeply about what an infographic is and how you can use it.

What do a space probe and an infographic have in common?

Infographics have been present in human life since prehistory, but in different forms. The first forms were painted on cave walls and used for communication purposes. The next stage of development was maps. The oldest – Çatalhöyük – dates back to 7500 BC. In 1626 Robert Scheiner used various diagrams based on astronomical research to explain the mechanism of the sun’s rotation. A few decades later, in 1786, William Playfair created infographics using mathematical graphs – these were the first data graphs in history.

The real breakthrough for infographics came in 1925, when Austrian sociologist Otto Neurath created the Isotype, a method of explaining the modern world using visual language. It consisted of various pictograms and symbols carrying different meanings. They were also designed to form complex signs in juxtaposition, just as words do. In 1972, an infographic even appeared on board the Pioneer 10 space probe – it depicted a naked man and woman and a map with the location of Earth in the solar system. It was intended to be used by extraterrestrials for information purposes.

A picture speaks more than a thousand words.

Infographics can undoubtedly be used as a marketing tool in various industries. It can often be difficult to convey a large amount of information and get potential consumers interested in a product, brand or service. Research by Miscrosoft shows that the attention span for one thing lasts only 8 seconds. That is why it is so important to arouse the recipient’s interest in the shortest possible time. This is where infographics come to the rescue. Undoubtedly, its biggest advantage is that even the most confusing and complicated data can be transformed into something easy to digest and understand in the blink of an eye. In a matter of moments, your audience will get information that would take at least a few pages of text to explain without visuals. How else can infographics help your company?

• Building brand awareness – visually attractive infographics with your company logo are sure to be memorable,
• Enhancing SEO – a good infographic on your site will get more people to start looking at it and can be an invaluable part of your content marketing strategy,
• Engaging and capturing new audiences – intelligent infographics with unusual information will certainly arouse interest and imagination,
• Showing the features of your company and products in a new, creative way.

Researchers at the Missouri University of Science and Technology have discovered that people spend about 2.6 seconds scanning a web page before focusing on a particular area. As a result, people only run their eyes over text and headlines without reading them. Now that you realize how much you can gain by using infographics in your marketing strategy, try to put that knowledge to use. Remember that infographics are first and foremost a source of – sometimes very complicated – information, but presented in a clear and understandable way.