11 Steps to Create a Data-Driven Infographic

Infographics are the catchiest and the best way, to sum up, any given text and convert it into an interesting picture. It helps grab the attention of readers with colorful and interactive images. Apart from looking great, reading a data driven infographic takes less time. It sums up all of the important information from a lengthy article into short, eye-catching viral content.

This form of data representation has gained a lot of popularity in recent years. In some cases, it has even replaced the text content completely. Infographics can make any amount and complexity of data easily understandable to the reader. Today, it’s actually one of the most popular methods of content marketing.

A study published on infographics by Bit Rebels found that a minimum of 45% of users open the article if it contains an infographic. The same study also found that 30% of readers share an article with an infographic on social media, even if the article is not of any use or interest to them.

Check out the most important steps to create the perfect data-driven infographic below.

#1. Select the Right Topic

The first step to creating a great infographic is to select the right topic. This is the first and most crucial step for creating a great infographic.

To find the right topic, you need to understand your motive behind creating the infographic. Do you need to reach out to your audience for some specific issue? Is it just a general issue, or something more technical?

All of this needs to be defined before beginning to create your infographic.

Always remember to use relevant SEO keywords in your title. This ensures that when readers search for trending topics, your article, along with the infographic will be listed higher in search results.

Another important point that you need to remember here is that your article and its content and title should not look too promotional. People do not like to read anything that looks overly promotional.

You can also try to find recent and interesting research on the chosen topic, and include it in your infographic. This will make your infographic more relevant and informative.

#2. Collect Relevant Data

Once the topic for your infographic has been finalized, you need to collect relevant data.

The most important characteristic of an infographic is the data it is based on.

To start looking for data, all you need is the internet. You can start by searching for the data by Googling your topic name followed by the word “data.”

An image search on Google is another great way to find relevant data for your topic. Images are an easy way to gather data that’s visually appealing, and less time-consuming.

#3. Merge the Data

Once your data has been gathered from various sources, then it’s time to merge all of that data into one great article and associated infographic. Your data from various sources should have the following essential elements:

• It needs to be valid and correct, from reliable sources
• It should provide all of the information
• It needs to be unique
• Timelines mentioned in the data need to be accurate

It’s important to be careful while merging data that has been collected from various sources. You should not leave any gaps when you combine your data with your infographic content.

#4. Write the Description

Once you have collected the relevant data for your infographic, you need to write a description for your infographic. It’s crucial that the length of your infographic description is not too long.

Your description should contain the same information provided in your infographic. Though it is important to have some content along with the infographic, many posts contain infographics only. The description can provide supporting information for the infographic.

#5. Choose an Infographic Template

Choosing the right infographic template is a crucial step of creating a great infographic. There are various infographic templates available online. Another option is to merge two templates if it would work better for your topic.

There are many infographic template options available for download. They can be broadly categorized into 10 major types:

Demographic Templates

Demographic templates are used in cases when you need to use the world as a reference for showing statistics. A demographic template looks like this:

Image Credit: Freepik

How-To Templates

A how-to template can be used for topics related to describing the steps of how to do a specific thing.

Image Credit: Freepik

Statistical Templates

Great for any result-oriented content. This type of template is used for showing percentages of various elements of one topic. A statistical template looks like this

Image Credit: Freepik

Comparison Templates

Templates to compare and contrast are used when two different entities are being matched against one another. A template used for comparison looks like this:

Image credit: eLearning Brothers

Did You Know Templates

Did you know templates are used for revealing interesting facts to the readers? Facts that are bound to catch the reader’s attention. An example of this type is shown below.

Image Credit: Freepik

Tips and Tricks Templates

This type of template is used to share shortcuts and hidden features for anything ranging from cell phones to work-related software and other gadgets. These aim to enhance the user’s experience. Here is an example of this type of template:

Image Credit: Pinterest

Timeline Templates

Templates that are timeline-based are used for marking important dates. It could be a person, an organization, or other historical events. One such example is shown below.

Image Credit: Showeet

Informational Templates

The purpose of these templates is to provide information on a general basis related to any topic. Here are two examples:

Image Credit: Hongkiat

Image Credit: Freepik

Advocacy Templates

Advocacy templates are also used for depicting information but on a much more detailed level. One such example is shown below.

Image Credit: Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything

Hierarchical Templates

This type of template is used for showing hierarchical setups. One example is shown below.

Image Credit: ConceptDraw

Choosing the right template is a very crucial step. It can actually get a bit confusing at times to choose the right template due to the sheer number of templates available. Many websites offer free infographic templates that can be downloaded.

When choosing the right infographic, it’s important to keep in mind that every infographic should have three features in order to be effective:

• Content: The infographic should contain all of the related statistics, data, and relevant content in a proper and aligned fashion.
• Visual appeal: Infographics should be visually appealing to the reader. They should have colorful images that grab the reader’s attention.
• Knowledge: The infographic should contain all of the necessary data related to the topic.

#6. Customize It

Once you’ve found the right template for your topic, it’s time to customise the template. Even two different templates can be combined to create a new template according to your requirements.

If you’re not able to find the right template, you can create one from scratch.

#7. Enter Your Data

After you’ve found the right template, and customized it, the real fun begins. All you need to do is enter your data and your template is ready to publish.

#8. Communicate Your Message Effectively

When done correctly, your infographic should effectively communicate your core message to your audience. Each and every infographic should follow the three essential components of effective communication.

The 3 Most Important Components of Effective Communication Are:

• Comprehension: The language used in the infographic should be easily understood by all types of people. If the language is too complex, some readers may not be able to understand it, and it will fail to serve its purpose.
  
• Retention: The data presented in the infographic should be presented in such a way that your readers will remember it.
• Appeal: The infographic should engage its audience and compel them to read the complete article.

#9. Publish and Promote

After your infographic and description are ready, you can publish your article on the web. When your article is published, you need to promote it.

Ways to Promote Your Infographic Include:

• Have influencers promote it. Influencers have specific niches of readers and followers. So they are a great way to reach your target audience. You can find appropriate influencers using various platforms like BuzzStream, BuzzSumo, and Authorityspy.
• Promote it on social media. Some platforms on social media which are great to promote content are Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram.
• Email it to your existing readers and followers. This can also be a great way to promote your new infographic.

Great marketing is essential for increasing the views and shares of your infographic.

#10. Analyze the Results

After publishing and promoting your infographic, you need to analyze the results. Various analytical tools are available that help you gather information about the likes, shares, and views.

Some of the best are Google Analytics, Yahoo Analytics, and Crazy Egg. There are many other options available, but which ones you use depends on your focus and key performance metrics.

It’s advisable to use multiple tools for the purpose of analyzing the performance of your infographics. They will give you a better understanding of how successful it is, as well as more information about your readers.

#11. Create an Action Plan

Once you analyze the performance of your infographic, it’s time to create an action plan. Your performance results will help you determine what worked well, and where you need to put in more effort. You can also create an action plan for future infographics based on your current results.

Conclusion

Infographics are a great way to communicate. Reaching out to your readers via a bright, colorful, and informative infographic is the most effective way to engage them. If you select a great topic and follow the instructions above to create an infographic, you are bound to get a good response from your readers.