Infographics are huge. They’re popping up on blogs, they float by in
your Facebook stream, and a quick search through Google News this
morning showed no less than 15 articles that Google deemed newsworthy,
all with the word “Infographic” in the title, all published within the
last 24 hours. But, in their quest for the next piece of viral content,
are bloggers really just shooting themselves in the foot?
There’s no question that infographics grab the readers’ attention. At
first glance anyone would rather look at a colorful picture than read a
page filled with text. But not all infographics are created equal and a
flashy design does not an infographic make. Most of the infographics
I’ve seen lately simply beg the question:
Does this lazy blogger really think I’m stupid enough to buy this crap?
When you write a fact-based article or blog post you back it up with
research, you link out to relevant sources so your readers can see how
you came to your conclusions. Apparently, when you’re creating
infographics, anything goes.
An infographic that came across my Facebook stream this morning
blasted: Facebook Posting Rule – The Trifecta For Retailers. No relevant
sources were quoted, no statistics, and no experts. Yet, according to
this infographic there are new rules for posting on Facebook. I should
post 10% promotional content, 20% shared content, and 70% of my content
should be something that builds brand recognition.
This blogger is suggesting I throw the 80/20 Rule out the window,
even though it’s been the rule of thumb for every successful business on
the planet since the dawn of time, simply because they put together a
nice, pretty infographic. He’s also suggesting that his method is better
than mine, but you don’t see me needing to spend a pile of money on an
infographic to get my message across, do you?
What’s worse though is the fact that he’s telling me what to do but
he’s not backing it up with why I should do it. So either this blogger
is very lazy and doesn’t want to do the research so he’s going to bury
that fact under a pretty picture, or he thinks I’m really stupid and
wouldn’t understand. Either way, I hope he’s not counting on me to be
one of the people who helps his infographic go viral.
My Point is This: Bravo for those bloggers who have
the time and money to invest in infographics. But you’re doing it wrong
and you’re actually hurting your blog and your reputation. Your
infographics, while pretty and eye-catching, are breaking all
the rules of blogging.
To illustrate my point, I went to Visual.ly and found an infographic that takes a sarcastic look at “10 Ways to Make Your Infographic Totally Awesome”, designed by a user named Neomam. Open it up in a new window so you can follow along if you like. It’s really a great infographic.
More is Less: The rule of thumb in blogging has
always been to choose one keyword and answer one question with your blog
posts or articles. It makes it easier for the reader to quickly scan
and absorb your content and it’s better for SEO. Yet most infographics
I’ve seen lately have so much information packed in that it’s impossible
to fully explain anything. Your readers are only getting part of the
story.
Use as Many Fonts as Possible: Using multiple mixed
and colorful fonts, tilted at angles or inside bubbles just makes your
graphic that much more difficult to read and understand. You don’t do
this in your blog posts. Why would you think it would work in your
graphic?
Tell, Don’t Show: What’s wrong? Can’t find a picture
to illustrate your point? Exactly! There are times when text is the
best way to convey your message.
Copy and Paste: If all you’re going to do with your
graphic is paste some old style bar charts from Word then why other?
Use it as an image to break up your informative blog post.
Copyright is for Losers: Again, this is a rule
everyone is breaking with their infographics. You don’t use copyrighted
images on your blog because you know, you’ll get caught and you’ll risk
having Google take your blog down. So why is it OK to use stolen images
in your infographic? It doesn’t make sense. You created it because
you’re trying to create viral content. Viral means a lot of people will
see it.
No Need to Check Facts: And here we go. The biggest
mistake I’m seeing, but I’ve already talked about this up above. This is
where bloggers are shooting themselves in the foot. That pretty
infographic is going to draw more attention to your weak, thready
content. Infographics are not a solution for lazy bloggers. Your readers
are not stupid and the fact that you think they are, is insulting and
only shows how little you know about your audience.
You can Stretch the Truth: Creating an infographic
takes a bit of artistic talent, but it doesn’t give you an artistic
license to fudge the facts to make your infographic look more
impressive.
Style Over Substance: Take a look at that
infographic you just created. If you were to take all of the real,
solid, information off of it and paste it into a blog post, would you
publish it on your blog? I rest my case.
Don’t Bother Proofreading: Again, if you wouldn’t
publish it on your blog, why are you putting it in a graphic that you
hope will attract even more attention than your blog posts? Are you
assuming your readers are too stupid to notice.
Originality is Overrated: Your infographic is content, just
like your videos, your articles and blog posts. As such, it still needs
to be original and unique and you still need to credit sources.
Personally, I like the idea of using infographics – sparingly. But
lately, I’m just seeing a long page of disconnected pictures pasted into
a file with no relative, informative content attached.
A successful infographic should be:
* Focused on one keyword or issue – just like your blog posts
* Fully researched – just like your blog posts
* Fact-based with statistics and resources – just like your blog posts
* Easy to read and absorb – just like your blog posts
* Brief and to-the-point – just like your blog posts
Most infographics I’ve seen look really pretty – on the surface. But
if you’re not getting the results you expected then the problem is most
likely your content.
These graphics aren’t meant to be used in place of good blogging
practices on those days you’re too lazy to dig in and do the work. When
done properly, an infographic should actually take more time and effort
than a written blog post because you’re not only compiling the
information, you’re also creating the graphic.
When you put the time and effort into creating that great infographic
you’ll get the results you’re looking for, just like you do when you
put the time and effort into an awesome blog post. But if you don’t
you’re just wasting your time and money, and shooting yourself in the
foot.
Donna Anderson, Post from: SiteProNews
