As the Internet further connects the world, more people can access and share information to a much greater extent. This comes with its fair share of drawbacks as internet users are likely to suffer from information overload and constant distraction. Business owners and marketers still need to capture the attention of Internet users and get their message across as quickly and as effectively as possible.

The best way to do this is through the use of infographics.

By quick definition, an infographic is a visual representation of data, involving charts and imagery with minimal text that gives an easy-to-understand overview of a topic.  Infographics are great in conveying a wealth of complex information in a simple snackable way. This is because human beings are visually wired and our brain seeks patterns in visual information to make sense of it.

Ruth Rosenholtz, a Principal Research Scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) put this into perspective in a simple way, “A fundamental constraint on our performance of visual tasks is what we can see in a single glance.” As most Internet users would normally quickly browse through pages taking quick glances, Infographics help users gather and retain as much information with a single glance as compared to plain text.

Let’s take look at some interesting stats. 

• Almost 50% of your brain is involved in visual processing.
• 70% of your sensory receptors are in your eyes.
• It takes 1/10 of a second for you to understand a visual scene and,
• It only takes us 150 ms to process a symbol and 100 ms to attach a meaning to it.

Infographics help us process a wealth of information easily because they are more engaging, more accessible, more persuasive and easier to recall. 80% of people remember things they see and do compare to 20% of what they read.

So what does this mean for business owners and marketers?

Sharing information that would seem complex to your audience can be done with a simple infographic, which can be in the form of an image or a quick video.  Also, it’s good to note that the right combination of images and words will help convey complex data in a simple yet impactful way. With this in mind, designers should use familiar visuals (scenario images and icons) in infographics to help readers understand and retain this information better. In order for marketers to strike the perfect balance between informative and fun with their infographics, a few design practices need to be followed:

1. Group related information using lines, borders or shapes.
2. Draw attention to important points by using contrasting colours.
3. Take advantage of the different font styles and personalities to create a text hierarchy.
4. Use familiar icons, images, and illustrations to make key bits of data memorable.

Your audience is more likely to interact with an infographic on social media than plain text, and that interaction helps you achieve your web and social media KPIs.

The Tribe of Brands team can help you create a personalised content marketing campaign that effectively navigates the complex waters of the internet. Our marketing agency can help you with further ideas of how to design world-class websites, seamless user journeys and digital marketing campaigns.