Attention spans are short. Keep your readers engaged with these 5 infographic layouts.
“Click.”
That’s the sound of your readers losing interest mid-paragraph and moving to the Twitter notice that just showed in their feed. No matter how dazzling and well-researched your copy might be, it’s a fact of social media life that attention spans are meager when it comes to online content.
So what’s an online marketer to do? In a word, infographics. This text/image mashup is a proven way to grab eyeballs and hold them to your page by breaking data-heavy messages into easy-to-digest bits of info. They can be fun to read and require less time commitment, and can also stand alone or be paired with an article.
Here are five types of infographics to help achieve your messaging goals.
General Infographics
General infographics liven up any message by adding a “face” to your data through charts, graphs and other images. Keep your copy succinct and to the point; text is used to merely give the data context, after all, or as a narrative tool to move eyeballs from north to south.
Comparison Infographics
Comparison infographics are great for comparing, of course. See how two similar things stack up side by side by contrasting their differences, whether it’s political candidates, smartphones or ride-sharing services. You can also use it to tell an effective before-and-after story, or show a “what to do” versus “what not to do.” Keep the design symmetrical, and use colors and shades to divide content.
Data Infographics
Data infographics tell a story through various charts, such as line graphs, pie charts, column charts and bar charts. This infographic is especially suited for content that might be considered a tad nap-inducing. Keep the topic focused and specific to a single message. And like any good narrative, you want the graphics to flow down to a conclusion.
Timeline Infographics
Timeline infographics are typically a horizontal or vertical bar that tells a chronological history (and sometimes future projection) of something, be it a place, product or trend, such as “evolution of the swimsuit.” Keep the timeframe manageable, and do include thumbnails or other images if possible.
Flowchart Infographics
Flowchart infographics show “if/then” type actions flowing through a series of results in a decision-making process. In general, the positive “yes” responses flow to the left, while the negative responses are on the right, with both progressing downward to a logical conclusion. But don’t get carried away or the whole thing becomes an unwieldy tangle of boxes and arrows.