If you’re still not using infographics for content marketing, you’re missing out on something big. Infographics are visual representations that combine concise text with vibrant imagery to promote products/services and increase brand awareness.

If you plan to improve your content marketing strategy, we’d be glad to show you how to make infographics. Below is a list of tips to help you out.

Pick the right topic.

Before you start designing your infographic, you need to come up with a good topic first. Start with what’s trending in your industry.

If you’re not sure how to do that, you can use Google to search for the top topics with the most number of search inquiries lately. Sites like Reddit and LinkedIn Plus are awesome sources, too.

Alternatively, you can repurpose old content. Go through your old presentations, blog posts, and white papers. See which ones can be turned into an infographic. Use those that talk about evergreen topics.

Do your research.

To make an effective infographic, you need to do proper research, vet the data you gathered, and find the right sources. As much as possible, stick with the credible ones.

Citing the statements of known experts or quoting an article on a credible website will increase your credibility. Making sure your supporting data is current will also make your infographic relevant.

You can find tons of online resources that can provide you with really useful data. For example, there’s Google Scholar if you’re looking for research papers and studies.

You can also add quotes from industry experts and leaders. They will make your argument a lot more credible. Think of it as your social proof.

Start writing.

Avel Chuklanov/Unsplash

Once you have selected your topic and prepared the data to support it, you can start turning your idea into a powerful visual narrative.

A great infographic has visual elements to support the text. However, this part is a bit tricky. You need to make sure that your visual elements won’t distract your audience. For that to happen, you need to start thinking visually.

When it comes to writing your narrative, try to put yourself in the shoes of your target audience. The narrative you tell should encourage your readers to experience your infographic.

Start by writing a headline with a strong impact. It should impart valuable knowledge to your readers.

Present a brief introduction. This is usually the part that’s text-heavy.

Break up the infographic into sections that are easy to digest. It should allow your readers to move from one section to the next easily.

Don’t forget to proofread. Check for spelling mistakes and go over the facts you shared. If possible, ask a co-worker or a friend to take a second look and spot any mistakes.

Design your infographic.

Venngage

Your infographic shouldn’t just be about aesthetics. For your copy to be effective, it needs to be functional, too.

Avoid adding too many images, data points, and texts. A cluttered design isn’t visually appealing. It may even send your readers away.

You should also be careful about choosing font styles and colors. As much as possible, use a color scheme that matches your theme.

Think about this: If your infographic is about a sensitive topic like mental health, you can’t use bright and flamboyant colors.

If it’s your first time creating an infographic, there are tools you’ll find useful. Venngage is one of the best infographic makers these days. It has a good selection of user-friendly infographic examples as well as lots of high-quality stock images and icons. No design experience is needed to edit an infographic template and customize it based on your brand elements.

Promote your infographic.

Once you are done with your infographic, you can start using it for your landing page optimization. You can add social media buttons below your infographic so that people can easily share it on different platforms.

Alternatively, you can also use your infographic when doing blogger outreach. You can do a quick Google search to find bloggers who post about similar topics. Once you have your list, you can contact them to let them know that you have an infographic on a similar subject they might like.

If you have a mailing list, you can also drop a message with your infographic’s thumbnail to everyone on the list. Link it back to your landing page or any relevant page.

Infographics are hot these days. When done right, they can greatly boost your content marketing efforts.

To get the most out of them, you need to come up with a design that’s easy on the eyes. The topic should be relevant to your target audience to make sure they’ll click on it, or the social media buttons or links to your site. That way, people won’t have a hard time sharing your design.