The internet has become an incredibly visual place.
The images you choose to include in a blog post can make or break how it performs on social media.
With the popularity of Pinterest and Instagram and the growing use of images on mainstream social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, there’s also been a rise in the use of infographics.
Infographics blend images and text to convey a concept in a memorable and engaging way. They cover any topic you can think of ranging from top recipes to how to build a window garden to how to choose your next computer.
Writing infographics is an untapped opportunity you may want to consider.
Companies Need Valuable Content
Now, more than ever, companies of every kind and size need well-crafted content that is relevant to their audience. This content can come in many varieties, such as blog posts, sponsored articles, podcasts, and videos.
When content includes an image or visual, it performs better online. But stock photos can only do so much to give visual interest. Many people don’t like stock images, because it’s often obvious they’re re-used and not unique to a brand.
Because of this, many companies are turning to infographics to create unique, visually interesting, useful content.
What Is an Infographic?
Infographics are often presented in a long, vertical rectangle, with several statistics or steps, each paired with a visual element. They’re usually very research-heavy and are great for sharing on social media.
In a recent survey, 40% of marketers stated original graphics, like infographics, drove the most engagement. This is even higher than video or stock photos.
These are becoming very popular among B2B companies, especially.
In the Content Marketing Institute’s most recent B2B Content Marketing Benchmark Report, 65% of B2B marketers now regularly use infographics.
This is a growing opportunity for web writers. You can use these projects to offer a new service, as an upsell, and as a way to grow the relationship with your clients.
All About Writing Infographics
Most infographics are used to give important, easy-to-understand information about a single idea. They explain a trend, a new piece of technology, or a new application of something that exists already.
All of the information needs to be easy to understand and clear. So, that’s the first step… to gather your information.
Cite Your Sources
The most important part of writing infographics is keeping track of your sources.
You want to build authority and social proof. Your client needs to show the information they’re sharing is real and valid.
In general, most infographics will have the source information on the bottom of the image.
You don’t need to link your content within the infographic, but you do need to keep track of what you included.
Whenever possible, use the original source, which is not necessarily the first place you saw the statistic or quote.
If a piece of information is linked from somewhere else, continue to follow the links until you find the first place something was published.
This is another way to show your credibility. It can also help your clients avoid using content from direct competitors.
Create Simple Explanations
Everything included in an infographic needs to be understood with a quick glance. This means you’ll be writing very short blocks of copy.
Each new fact should be listed by itself. Similar or related content can be in the same area of the infographic, but it should be easy to read each piece of content without reading the rest.
Give Design Tips
Infographics work well, because they’re a visual. It’s not just a collection of information presented in pretty colors. It needs to be interesting to look at, as well as easy to understand.
If you’re not a designer, don’t worry. You don’t need to be.
When writing the copy, give your client an idea about how the information should be organized.
Use [brackets] to state the layout and any special font notes. For example, numbers on an infographic tend to be much larger, so you can state:
[centered] 54% of companies use content marketing [number above words, bigger font]
Whenever possible, give information about the layout for each piece of copy. This helps your client “see” what the final image will look like and provides value, as you’re highlighting the most important information.
When to Offer an Infographic
Infographics make great giveaways, content add-ons, or repurposing tools.
For example, B2B companies often need a visual to go with blog posts. You can offer to make an infographic as an add-on for the post. It’s an upsell, but it can increase traffic to the site by 12%, so it can be worth the extra cost.
Or, you can create a full piece of content, such as a case study, and offer to create the infographic as a giveaway to gather email addresses.
This gives readers the highlights of the information. Many casual visitors to a site aren’t ready to enter information in multiple fields, which is common for requesting big documents like a case study.
Instead, they can request the infographic with just their name and email. The company is able to gather email addresses and then ask for further information for those who want the full study.
They make great social shares, as well.
If you host the infographic on its own page, you can lead people to your site and guide them to further information as well, while still creating unique shares. Or, you can share the image itself on social networks.
How to Add Writing Infographics to Your Services
To create a quick sample, go through any content you’ve created for yourself and decide on one to turn into an infographic. Use your own research and then a tool like Canva to create a sample.
For your next content project, offer an infographic as an upsell or as a bonus to increase the value of the project. Position the infographic as a tool that can be used in many different parts of a customer’s journey… one that can help the client extend their reach on social media and capture more leads.
When you propose it as an add-on, it’s an easy way for you to increase the size of a project with very little work, since you’re already doing the research for the original project.
And, you’ll create a positive, long-term experience with your clients, where they see you as an idea person and a partner in establishing their marketing direction.
