Since the emergence of visual media, we have hardly ever looked back to when mass communication relied almost exclusively on newspapers and books. Simply put, we are all pushed for time, so we prefer to consume information and knowledge in the most convenient and quickest way possible. It is for this reason that infographics have become the method of choice when consuming data and information today. The information provided with an infographic is concise yet easy to understand, and presented in a visually appealing manner. How to create a compelling infographic that will entice..
Let’s take a closer look at what an infographic is and how it can benefit us.
Infographics: understanding the basics
As you would have guessed, the term “infographic” is a portmanteau of the words “information” and “graphics.” An infographic is described as “a visual representation of information or data” by the Oxford English Dictionary. This ‘visual representation’ contains diverse elements ranging from images and vector graphics to text and charts.
The use of infographics is becoming ever more popular these days. An infographic can be found just about anywhere—on the wall of a dental clinic, in offices, magazines, and on all social media outlets. People have recognized the efficacy of this visual communication tool, and it is now used as a medium for both branded and editorial content.
However, the embrace of infographics is most evident in inbound marketing, where brands are adopting infographics as a critical component of their content marketing strategy.
Let’s look at how infographics can help a company achieve its marketing goals.
Infographic: a powerful tool for content marketing
Our brains process visual information at a breakneck speed. In fact, according to one estimate, visuals communicate information 60,000 times faster than text! (Source: Thermopylae Sciences + Technology) You can leverage this knowledge to strengthen your inbound marketing efforts and boost your cash flow. Here are some more reasons why an infographic is a powerful marketing tool in 2021:
1. It boosts engagement.
Lengthy, text-based marketing can be boring to your readers. If you want them to stay engaged, share the information with the aid of infographics. The variety of texts and images will help them in understanding the intended message. When you visualize the data, even those who despise the word “data” will take the time to look at it. With your message reaching a larger pool of people, you are more likely to get a better response.
2. It appeals to a broader range of audiences.
You can never go wrong with an infographic if you want to reach a broader market. A well-designed infographic can easily capture the eye and interest of people of all types, whether they like reading long-form content or do not have much time to read at all. Readers who have the patience and time to read lengthy and detailed blogs and journals will not mind seeing a beautiful, graphical representation of the information. On the other hand, those who dislike ambiguous information and prefer to get right to the point will also love this medium.
3. It supplements textual information.
There are times when a standalone infographic piece is not enough, and text-based content is necessary. In such cases, you can use infographics to complement your write-up. While your well-designed infographics will give readers the gist of the topic, they will also have an option to read an informative piece of content. The use of infographics only serves to improve the material that is provided in a text form. While the content prevents the infographic from being misinterpreted, the infographic makes the content easier to process.
4. You can share it on a variety of channels.
The best thing about infographics is that they are easy to share. Your site visitors can easily share the desired visual content when it is in the form of an infographic, regardless of the social network. Those who receive this informative infographic will be more inclined to read it as well. No wonder many businesses are making use of infographics. If you want more people to consume your content, you must visualize it and share it on the social media that your target audience uses.
How to create a compelling infographic?
Here are a few tips to make your infographic stand out and deliver the desired results…
The headline is one of the first things that will catch your readers’ attention and tell them what the infographic is all about. So, if you want your readers to continue to read your infographic, you must create a headline that draws them in and piques their curiosity. In addition to being witty, it should provide clear and concise information about the infographic topic.
Keep your target audience in mind. If you want your infographic to be widely circulated, you must ensure that it contains the information and solutions that your readers are searching for. It should be tailored to their specific needs and interests.
Do not keep it cluttered. Nobody will want to read your infographic if it seems like an unorganized document with pictures and charts put together hastily. You must leave enough white/negative space to make it look more organized and legible. If the infographic is less busy, even someone who just glances at it will get the general idea behind it.
Use the text sparingly. Keep in mind that this is an info “graphic,” so use as many visual elements as possible to relay the message. This will make your infographic more impactful.
Your infographic should be easy on the eye. Too many colors can be overwhelming to your readers, so stick to one primary color and 1-2 complementary colors to emphasize the intended parts. (Related Read: How To Choose the Right Colors For Your Brand)
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Since the time it was invented and introduced in the marketing forum, email has been used to attract and build leads. In the past, emails have proved a successful medium of gaining new prospects for your brand.
When other digital marketing channels, especially social media became integrated into the arena, email marketing took a backseat. However, the companies who used it right and put thought behind their campaigns, still made it work. This is especially true for companies that engage in business-to-business activities.
Despite what people believe, marketers will have you know that email marketing still works. The key to garnering a positive ROI is to do it the right way.
Just like a recipe for an outstanding dish, what you put into your email campaign changes the outcomes it produces. Here are some of the most important components of a great email campaign:
Start with a Plan
Nothing will work until you plan for it. When it comes to email campaigns, planning requires you to create;
A content strategy based on your target audience
Content calendar
Lean towards creating content that solves the reader’s problems. This includes taking advantage of industry events to connect with your prospects.
Segment the Mail
No email campaign is one-size-fits-all. Email campaign creation is a specific and focused activity. Your email campaign needs to make sense to the one who will be reading it. This is why there is a need for database segmentation.
You need to assess who will be receiving the mails, whether they fall in the category of your consumers, their interest, buying patterns, etc.
The subject line of the email is what your reader will see first. Based on what is written there, the email will be either read or put in spam.
Generic, salesy, over-the-top, and misleading subject lines seem disingenuous and spammy. The key is making the subject line concise, informative yet intriguing to the reader
Avoid using emoticons, all-caps, too many punctuation, and words like free, bonus, gift, etc. Make the point of the email clear that intrigues the reader while creating a sense of urgency.
Personalization
Salutations such as “Dear Ma’am/Sir” or a simple “Hello” seem too generic and impersonal. After the subject line, how you greet the reader is what compels them to read further.
Personalizing it with their name (at least their first name) will not only build trust but make the reader think the email is written specifically for them.
With that, use conversational language that puts the reader in focus. Use “you” more than “us/we”. It is another way you can make the reader feel like they are important.
Call to Action (CTA)
Once you’ve made clear what the email is about, you need to direct the reader to take some action. If you don’t, what’s the point of the email then?
A call to action or CTA entices readers to take some take action e.g. click on a link that leads them to a landing page.
Mobile Optimization
Responsive design has now become a compulsory part of web design. Whether it’s an app, website or an email, it needs to be optimized. This way, it appears the same way as it does on a desktop.
Not having an email optimized means out of frame images and missing text, which fails to capture the reader’s attention.
Automation
Lastly, automation is a must for all email campaigns. Once you have the email addresses of your prospects, they become a lead for you to follow and keep up with.
Email automation means aligning a follow-up series of emails that nurture the leads into becoming customers. With a content schedule, you won’t have to send out the emails each time, everything will be automated.
With these tips and components as a part of your email campaign, you can make the most out of your marketing efforts. We here are Print & Web Designer can help you along all of these elements and give your email campaign a much-needed boost.
Marketing terminology is one of the first things new Raleigh and Cary business owners must learn. And if that’s you, don’t worry! Many of these terms may be new to you. We recently talked about words relating to inbound marketing, specifically, and we’ve talked before about some more technical and website related terms. Below is a list of 10 other marketing terms that will help you succeed in business.
Above the Fold: Can sometimes be referred to as “above the scroll.” This is the section of the Web page that is visible without scrolling. Depending on the resolution settings on a visitor’s monitor, the fold may vary. At higher settings, the fold prolongs much further down the page. At lower settings, the fold is much higher on the page.
Blogging: A blog, or weblog, is an informational website or discussion that is published on a website for users to view. A blogger, or the person creating the content for the blog, discuss a topic to post on their website. Blogs can be used to advertise a specific product or service or to inform readers about it. Please note that a blog post or blog entry is the one; the “blog” is the whole collection of posts. So blog is to newspaper like blog post is to article. You have a blog on your website; you wrote a blog post last week.
B2B: B2B, or business to business, means you’re selling your product or service to organizations or companies. While you may sell to team members of those groups, those people are using it for a work purpose.
B2C: B2C, or business to consumer companies, focus on selling to individuals for personal use.
Churn: Customer churn transpires when a customer discontinues doing business with a company or service. Customer churn is an important metric because it costs significantly less to maintain customers than to seek new customers.
Content Marketing: This is a form of marketing that focuses on designing, publishing and sharing content to a specific target audience online. Proper content marketing can help boost revenue significantly.
CRM: CRM, or customer relationship management, is a software program that helps manage a company’s communication with current and possible customers. A good CRM mixes commercial and client-specific strategies via employee training, marketing planning, advertising, and relationship building.
Infographic: An infographic is a representation of information displayed in a graphical format, that is designed to make data easier to understand at first glance.
PPC: PPC, or pay-per-click, is a model of internet marketing where advertisers pay a fee every time one of their online ads is clicked. Search engine advertising is one of the most popular forms of PPC.
ROI: ROI, or return on investment, is a measure of profitability. You might determine the overall ROI for your company or examine the specific ROI for a marketing campaign by looking at the cost and how many customers were gained.
Knowing these terms can help you grasp a better understanding of your business and its marketing strategies. Questions about your marketing? Contact us to get a free consultation for marketing your Cary or Raleigh business.
Building your new business is exciting, a challenge to conquer. One of the many things you will do as you get going is market your business to potential customers. Some things seem fairly obvious, while other marketing strategies may not be as familiar to you.
Here are some of the marketing mistakes we often see from new business owners.
Mistake No. 1 – Not creating a website. Every business needs a website. Think of it as not having a listing in the phone book in the 1980s. No one would find you if you weren’t listed. Today, that’s what a website is. Some business owners prefer to create only a Facebook page. While we understand the reasoning behind that, you don’t own that page or have the same control over it as you do with a website. A website stands out as more professional and, most importantly, a website has Google search. While your Facebook page might be found via search, it’s not going to give you the same overall SEO.
Mistake No. 2 – Not setting up social media profiles. While you shouldn’t use Facebook in place of a website, you should create a social media profile on at least one platform. Facebook is the most common, though we also recommend setting up your Google+ and business pages for SEO purposes. Even if you aren’t using your social media profiles at first, go ahead and create them so you can claim your business name. (Though really, you should be posting.)
Mistake No. 3 – Using your personal Facebook page as your business page. However, many business owners just turn their personal page into a business page by changing the name. Do not do this. First, Facebook may shut your page down. Second, your friends might not appreciate suddenly seeing all your business stuff instead of you and your family. Third, as your business grows, you will probably want to keep your business and personal information separate.
Mistake No. 4 – Not keeping a list of email addresses. Email marketing remains one of the best ways to reach your audience. Start a spreadsheet of email addresses and add to it regularly: every friend you meet, every potential client, every current client. Set up email marketing on an easy platform such as MailChimp, which is free at first. If you’re not ready to do this from the start, that’s OK, but you’ll be far better off when you do get going if you have a list of valid email addresses.
Mistake No. 5 – Not figuring out a way to manage the marketing grind. Marketing takes more work than most business owners realize. A solopreneur, for example, might want to work 40 hours per week. But he or she won’t be able to bill for 40 hours. Some of that time is administrative, and some of that time he or she will be marketing. Either that person works 50 hours per week or gets paid less than he/she expected. The alternative: hire someone to help with marketing. Remember, marketing is an investment in your businesses.
What questions do you have about marketing? Talk to us to get answers.
Building your new business is exciting, a challenge to conquer. One of the many things you will do as you get going is market your business to potential customers. Some things seem fairly obvious, while other marketing strategies may not be as familiar to you.