Tools to Create Quality Infographics that Boost SocialShares

blog.dlvr.it /2014/10/tools-to-create-quality-infographics/

Debra Garber

(#ToolboxTuesday) What’s your stance on infographics – like or dislike? Fouryears ago, I had no idea what an infographic was or why you should considerincluding them in your social media marketing strategy. Infographic use is a trendthat content marketers quickly followed. Fast-forward to the present and thenovelty is starting to wear off. Personally, I find the majority of infographics belowpar, poorly constructed, too complex, and confusing. However, I’m all for mixing upblog content with an occasional high quality infographic. I actually enjoy wellthought out, entertaining infographics that are comprised of accurate data andimages that clarify or emphasize the written message. When we post one to ourblog, much to the chagrin of my writing partner, they tend to drive quickmeasurable results, which we see through an increase in our social shares andblog traffic.

Apparently, I’m not alone in my like-dislike relationship with infographics.According to Piktochart, infographics can still bring substantial website traffic.

Taking Quicksprout as an example, each infographic they did generated 41,487visitors and 469 backlinks. Furthermore, the trends of “infographic” and“infographics” searches still indicate a significant high.

What is the value of a good infographic?

If a picture is worth a thousand words, what’s an infographic worth? When donewell, they can be incredibly effective in conveying complex information in an easilydigestible format.

As part of your overall social media marketing strategy, usinginfographics permits you to reach people unaccustomed to thetechnical lingo or common knowledge associated with yourparticular industry.

In my opinion, the best infographic is tailored to convey information or an idea in afast, thorough and easy to understand way to a target audience. GrasshopperMarketing’s post on Infographic Best Practices, suggests that infographics domore than simply relay information. They tell a visual story. More precisely, they

tell the point of the story. Infographics, when done well, have earned a growingreputation for an ability to relay information that engages a target audience.

There are many basic principals to designing infographics. The type of designshould be the result of knowing your audience very well. The following threecharacteristics are key to infographic success:

1. Quality first: You must have a strategy for your infographic. Consider thetake-away. It can be a well thought out idea that serves a purpose, fills aneed or answers a question from your audience. This does not negate thatit can also be light-hearted and fun as, I hope, is the case with my post onSocial Media Explained with Coffee.

2. Data-driven: Let the data drive the topic. Most importantly, the data mustbe reliable and valid. Due diligence is vital to ensure your infographic hasstaying power.

3. Good design: Keep the design relatively simple and clean. Be creative andoriginal. Infographics are supposed to stand out, not look like everythingelse. The more original the design, the greater platform your data has tospeak to its audience.

How to create simple but good infographics on a budget

Back to my original question. Are you on the infographic bandwagon or not? If youare, Kissmetrics 19 Warning Signs Your Infographic Stinks is a must read.Assuming you have a fantastic original idea for your infographic, how do you makeit look good and stand out, especially, on a budget?

My design skills are limited and designing infographics from scratch is certainlyoutside of my pay scale. Fortunately, there are plenty of tools available onlinewhich can help you make good infographics without too much hassle. The bestpart is you don’t need to spend a penny or hire a design expert. These tools areuser-friendly and, anyone following the design principals noted above can easilybuild a visually appealing infographic.

Here are three online tools that are quite useful for quickly creating simple butgood infographics:

1. http://infogr.am/– Tagline: Infographics. The Easy Way. Free sign up, goodfor creating word clouds and bold charts. Infographics and charts are quickto use, fast to share, and easy on the eye.

2. http://www.easel.ly/– Mission: To allow users to create and share visualideas online, easel.ly, is surprisingly powerful. Features thousands of freeinfographic templates and design objects, which users can customize tocreate and share their visual ideas online.

3. http://piktochart.com/– Tagline: Making information beautiful has neverbeen easier. Although, free for casual users, you have to pay to unlock allthe options. With just a few clicks, users can convert tedious data into abeautiful infographic. It has features which enable a non-designer to designin a professional way.

Surprisingly or, maybe, not, I find myself unable to end this post without aninfographic. If you want to read and see more on why infographics are still relevantin your social media marketing strategy, check out the infographic below fromPiktochart that summarizes the compelling reasons why:

Do you have any advice on infographics best practices or any tools to share? Wewould love to hear from you.