4 Effective Ways to Use Infographics as Inbound Marketing Content

Brett Kaepernick
Posted by Brett Kaepernick on March 19, 2013

IM_Implementation_ProcessIn today’s digital world, the creation of visual content has become increasingly popular as businesses have found it to be an effective way to attract and engage prospective customers.

It makes sense: people are drawn to colorful, eye-catching visuals. We’ve seen this with the creation of visual platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter’s Vine. We've even seen recently that Google Plus changed the dimensions of cover photos to allow even greater visual messaging.

Infographics are one of the most popular ways to engage prospects, primarily because they make information simple to understand and, at the same time, provide added dimension. Infographics use copy and visuals – typically icons – to tell a complex story. 

4 Ways To Use Infographics As Inbound Marketing Content:

1) Show "How To"

One of the best ways to explain how to do something – how to nurture leads or install a tipped roll detector on your conveyor line or conduct genealogy research or, even, skin a cat – is by using an infographic. Your infographic becomes a step-by-step instruction guide that helps prospects understand, appreciate and feel more comfortable with your product. This is especially effective with products that are complicated and about which prospects likely have many questions.

2) Present Benefits & Superiority

Infographics are also valuable as tools for demonstrating how your product benefits the customer, and/or how yours is superior to competitors. Ordinarily, this kind of information is presented in big chunks of dull copy that no one wants to read. An infographic will communicate the same information – statistics, benefits, ROI, TCO, etc. – in a more visual and interesting way, with detail that creates a richer, more engaging message. Even the most sophisticated concepts can be quickly communicated using visuals that show – rather than tell – prospects about your product.

By extension, an infographic is also a quick way to overcome objections prospects typically have about your product type or about your brand specifically.

3) Illustrate The Big Picture

Inbound Marketing is a process and a set of tools that attracts prospects to websites and nurtures qualified leads, then turns those leads into customers. Simple, yes, but in reality this way of marketing can be a challenge to explain to prospects. An infographic is a great way to lay out all the moving pieces, show who does what and when, illustrate the interaction of all contributors, show points of influence and those where modifications are made, indicate areas that are critical for immediate attention...essentially, present The Big Picture in a single document prospects will value and refer to regularly.

4) Provide Helpful Insights

When your industry is experiencing change, use an infographic to help prospects understand and take advantage of that change. Change has a tendency to confuse prospects, delay purchase decisions and, often, create costly misperceptions. An infographic that clearly and concisely explains the change and gives prospects valuable pointers about navigating their way through it helps position you as a thought leader in the industry.

Just about anything that can be communicated in copy can be more powerfully communicated visually in an infographic. These "at-a-glance" content pieces will demonstrate your expertise and put you top-of-mind when prospects are ready to buy.

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Topics: Content Marketing

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