7 Tips for Creating Awesome Infographics Not all infographics are created equal. Here's how to make yours stand out from the pack.

Infographics are all around us.

Although they have come under some scrutiny in recent years, done well they are an extremely useful way of presenting data in a cohesive way that allows you to easily compare and contrast key findings. With good creative work, they can also be a really attractive piece of marketing communication.

When pulling your data together for an infographic, you must focus on a topic that is engaging to your target audience. However, once you have all the data, have created a beautiful image, and have it all set to go, you'll want to maximize its effectiveness, so here are our top seven tips for doing just that:

Size matters

Always provide a high-resolution version of your image. If press or bloggers want to share it, they'll need it in high resolution, so don't limit your options before you start.

It's also a good idea to build a smaller version of the infographic, or an "infogram," which will appear as a small, attractive image when shared on Facebook and Twitter. Typically an infogram is a concise part of an infographic that can be viewed as standalone content.

Though not essential, this will make outreach a lot more successful, as you can offer bloggers an infographic to host on their site and an infogram to share online. The infographic must look great, but you should make sure it is also the right size for your website.

What's in a name?

Get your title right. The page should have a catchy title and an introductory paragraph, as well as a few more paragraphs outlining the highlights. If posting into a blog, make sure you have a catchy post title that can be easily shared on external sites and by bloggers who may want to reference your work.

Brand it

Don't go overboard with the branding; less will usually be more during the outreach process. Bloggers will appreciate being affiliated with an established brand, but they know their worth and won't feel comfortable providing free advertising for you. Make a judgment call that makes sense for your audience.

Break it down

Breaking down the infographic into sections can help make data easier to digest. If you take this approach, you should still provide the full infographic at the bottom of the page so that users can still view your creation in all its glory. A great example of this can be seen here.

Offer your insights

Don't leave your infographic as a standalone piece of communication. It's the perfect opportunity for you to showcase data-led insights.

The infographic is also more likely to be shared and linked to if it offers real value to people. Adding extra tips/stats/data could turn the onsite page into a resource that would be easier to pitch to bloggers and journalists. The bonus info also will encourage people to share it.

What's more, providing insights to back up your statistics will increase the topical relevance of the page, enhancing the chance your content will rank well in searches.

Reference

Enhance its credibility by referencing all the great data sources you've used to compile your infographic. Make sure you use clickable URLs so that blogs/sites can actually find all the information in case they want to add something when publishing the infographic. This includes referencing research that you may have completed in-house as well. These should be placed at the bottom of the page.

Build it, and they will come?

Finally, you must consider the visibility of your infographic; after all that hard work, you'll want to tell everyone about it. Make sure you share it across your social networks, as well as engaging with your influencers to share it through their sites.

The content will generate SEO value for your brand, so ensure that appropriate links are included.