Top 3 tips for making killer visual content for the Web
So, you want an infographic, do you? Something to show people that your brand is the Next Big Thing? OK, but let me tell you something first. Infographics are great, but they do little good if they're relegated to a blog post on your company's website. If you really want to spread your message, you need to get as many people to see your graphic as possible (measured with what we in the biz call the "number-of-eyeballs-on-it metric").
Although it's impossible to guarantee that a graphic will go viral and get millions of views, here are three things you can do to make sure you're producing killer visual content to drive brand awareness and engagement.
1. Be story-driven
Don't try to do everything in a single graphic. Although this might seem counterintuitive—we're trying to up the eyeball metric, after all—it's important that your graphic tell a cohesive story. Just spewing unrelated data points at people doesn't make an engaging experience. It invites users to pop in and pop out without fulling interacting. Think of an infographic like the plot of your favorite movie—you need an interesting hook at the beginning, content that builds towards something, and a release from that tension (in the case of infographics, this is often the take-home message or a call to action).
Use a story to help drive home your message.
2. Be social
The real trick to making that great piece of content is to acknowledge that, after you've done what you can, it's up to the Internet to spread your message. Like the parent sending their child off to college, you need to give your graphics as many tools to thrive as possible before you send them out into the world.
Make sure that the graphic can easily be shared from wherever it lives (for example, in a blog post). Have an appropriate preview image that looks good on social media when that "Share" button gets clicked. Reach out to social media influencers who would be interested in your topic and ask them to promote it (but don't be a nag).
3. Be sexy
Finally, your graphic needs to have whimsy. That isn't to say that you can't treat serious topics or real data (we love big, data driven projects here at Beutler Ink), but it means that you need to make your content enjoyable—enjoyable to look at and enjoyable to read.
Although great content can't be boiled down into three simple tips, these insights will still help you make sure that the graphics you produce are fun, engaging, and lead to an increase in the key eyeball metric.
