Infographics part 2: how to promote your infographic effectively

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Oct 18, 2014 / by
Infographics part 2: how to promote your infographic effectively

If you’ve read our previous article on infographics, you’ll know that the primary key to success is designing an infographic that provides genuine value to people. In other words, it’s designed with an end result in mind. This end result might include: tackling a contentious issue, illustrating a complex technical concept, conveying the meaning behind statistical information and so forth.

But researching, writing and designing a compelling infographic is only one half of the battle. Aside from applications such as infographics for internal company presentations, an infographic is only as successful as its level of distribution. The best infographic in the world isn’t going to promote itself, so it’s best to have a firm grasp on what it takes to make one go viral. Here are some of the keys to success.

Robin Williams infographic

Make it easy to share

Once you’ve published your infographic on your site, the next step is to make sure people can share it as easily as possible. First, set up an embed code (as described here). Remember to include all relevant information such as references, author credits and an accurate description of the contents of your infographic. Make sure to also include a thumbnail display so that when the embedded link is posted on external sites, people will immediately be greeted with a preview of your infographic, making them want to click and see the complete image.

Robin Williams infographic 2“Providing embed codes to make it easy for your visitors to share your visual content on their own blog is not only a great way to encourage sharing. It’s also a way for you to generate some inbound links too, since the embedded image will automatically link back to your website.” – Pamela Vaughan

Include brand information within the infographic

Despite your diligent efforts to optimise your infographic so that you get as many inbound links as possible, you can be sure that some people will simply snatch the image and post it without a link. In these circumstances, it pays to have your brand logo as well as your site URL featured on the infographic. This will allow people to find your company even without a direct link. The best place to post this information is in the footer alongside your references.

Distribute to your audience

The most common channels for distributing infographics are Facebook and Twitter, but there is also a lot of value in posting it on industry forums and LinkedIn discussions. LinkedIn is a social network for professionals, so if there is a particular group for your niche industry, you’re likely to find a receptive audience. Using your regular is another good way of promoting your infographic. However, try to avoid copying the infographic into your newsletter; instead provide links to your site to reap the SEO benefit. As previously mentioned, Infographic submission sites are also helpful for increasing the exposure of your infographic.

Shoot for the big fish

While social media campaigns can generate a lot of interest in your infographic, a far greater buzz can be generated by targeting specific individuals who have a large following. If you can get an industry-leading blogger to cosign your infographic, the promotional benefits will be tremendous. Instead of contacting the blogger in a shameless attempt to promote yourself, try to engage them in the process of creating the piece in the first place – ask them for a quote or for their feedback on the work in progress.

Conclusion


While there are a number of ways to get your infographic to go viral, the most critical step is to create an infographic that people will actually want to see. While this sounds obvious, it’s very easy to fall into tunnel-vision while working in a particular niche to the point that your idea of what people will like and what they actually like are two different things. Sufficient market research will help you to avoid falling into this trap. There’s nothing worse than paying your hard earned money to an infographic agency only to receive a great looking infographic that no one is interested in! Unfortunately, agencies aren’t mind readers and they probably don’t have insider-knowledge of your industry. Carefully consider your options when picking the topic of your infographic and don’t rush it – you’ll be rewarded when the links and mentions start to accumulate!

(Images from “The man who made the world laugh” by Mammoth Infographics)

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