Teach yourself how to make an infographic & promote it

Infographics are a “…graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge” – Wikipedia. I would argue pretty much anything can be turned in to an infographic, the art is making one that people enjoy reading and sharing.

Infographics are a wildly popular content marketing tactic, with hundreds released into the wild every week. The best infographics are extensively shared, discussed and linked to, which is why so many marketers and companies are attracted to them. Creating a beautiful, informative and original infographic is a skill that takes time and planning.

Here are some great articles to help you define your infographic strategy and make them a success. [mc4wp_form id=”15877″]

Infographics are also an area where SEOs are pouring a lot of their resources which means the bar is constantly raised and only the best will rise to the top.

However, this should not put you off; rather it should inspire you to greater heights because infographics are incredibly versatile, ticking so many boxes for a brand.

Infographics can be used to:

• Position yourself as an expert on a topic
• Create socially shareable content
• Increase inbound links to your website
• Start a conversation with your brand at the centre
• Boost your brand awareness
• Highlight a specific subject matter
• Showcase your products and services

Start by getting inspired

The best place to start is to get inspired by what already has been created. That is not to say you should directly copy them, but it will help you understand what is required and the latest trends. You can also get a feel for those that are widely shared.

• Huge collection of infographics
• 70 best infographics on the web
• An infographic a day
• Library of infographics

Infographic planning and strategy

Before you put a pen to paper you first need to plan. Why do you want to make one, who will it be aimed at, how will it be presented and how will you maxmise your impact?

Infographics are far more than just data listed in a pretty graphic. They should tell a story, be relevant to you, and relevant to your target audience.

As with any form of marketing they need a clearly defined strategy before you start.

• How to create a popular infographic by quicksprout.com
• Visual story telling before the design by lewsipr.com
• Incorporating infographics into your link building strategy by semrush.com

DIY Infographic tools

There are an increasing number of services being launched to cater for the DIY infographic market, however the quality varies a lot.

These two lists will direct you towards the best out there in terms of quality and value:

• 5 tools for creating your own infographic by readwrite.com
• 20+ tools to create your own infographics by hongkiat.com

Distributing your infographic

Once you have your infographic you now need to distribute it amongst the media outlets that your target audience visit. I would recommend creating a contact list segmented along the lines of:

a) The websites that publish information related to your infographic (essentially your direct target audience)
b) The news outlets for your industry that will be interested in the data
c) Secondary industries that may have an interest in the data (your indirect target audience)

• Getting the maximum number of links from your infographic by moz.com
• 6 simple tips for distributing an infographic by searchenginepeople.com
• 9 ways you can improve your infographic pitches to blogs and websites by searchenginewatch.com

These resources and links will help  get your first infographic off to a great start. [mc4wp_form id=”15877″]