Utilization of Infographics by PR Professionals

Although I had mixed feelings going into this week’s class discussion topic of infographics, I came out of it feeling relatively confident. I don’t consider myself to be very design-oriented or creative when it comes to this type of work, so I was somewhat nervous at first. I assumed all the colorful, clean and informative infographics that I have seen on Twitter and even Pinterest were created by scratch, but I was slightly misinformed.

Come to find out there are great websites, some of them even free, that can be used to create an infographic to bring to life any topic of choice. When it came time to picking which site worked best for me, I went with Piktochart. The layout of the infographic-making website is easy to understand and navigate, which was necessary for me in attempting my first infographic.

So in a nutshell, an infographic combines a visual aspect, including graphs and charts, with information, like data and statistics.

After creating my infographic with statistical content, informative charts and a pretty layout, I began to ask myself exactly how public relations professionals would utilize an infographic.

First of all, being that an infographic is what it is – short, easy to read, eye catching and filled with information – it is already appealing for any audience, but of course a way is needed to get it to them. Twitter and Pinterest is a great way to do this. On Pinterest, individuals are able to see the whole infographic and decide if it is actually something they would like to find out more about. If it is something of interest, they can click on the picture, which takes them to a link with more information about the subject. Pinterest is full of numerous infographics about any topic one could possibly imagine.

Another way an infographic can be shared with an audience is through Twitter. It basically accomplishes the same goal as sharing on Pinterest, but to a broader audience. I personally share a lot of infographics on Twitter, like this one. Sometimes the picture of the infographic, doesn’t show up, but if it clearly states that it is an infographic in the tweet, people will be more inclined to look at it

So what exactly does an infographic accomplish?

• It allows a company, organization or brand to stand out in a crowd. In a room full of people all doing the same thing, you want to differentiate yourself. Sure, anyone can put together a press release, but can the same be said about infographics? It shows that an organization was able to take the time to create something their audience will actually look at.
• In creating and sharing an infographic, it shows that you are first and foremost thinking about your audience. If your customers were likely to look at infographics, it would be useful to both parties involved to create something worthwhile.
• It shows that your organization or company is moving forward in the direction of creating content for technological purposes. Infographics are useful for apps and social media, so it shows growth.
• Infographics build awareness for your brand. Keep the infographic aligned with the overall goals, ideas and design of the company to boost morale for your brand. This will also increase traffic to the company website.
• Lastly, it shows that an organization has done its research on a particular subject. Nothing is worse than a public relations professionals putting out wrong information, so it is important to have correct details on the infographic.

Sources:

1. Bullas, J. (2013, June 20). 9 reasons to use infographics in your content marketing. In Ragan's. Retrieved February 28, 2014, from http://www.healthcarecommunication.com/PublicRelations/Articles/9_reasons_to_use_infographics_in_your_content_mark_10802.aspx
2. Miltenberg, B. (2013, March 4). 9 Ways That PR Pros Can Capitalize on Infographics. In PRNewsOnline. Retrieved February 28, 2014, from http://www.prnewsonline.com/water-cooler/2013/03/04/7-infographic-styles-you-can-create-in-house/
3. http://piktochart.com/
4. http://holykaw.alltop.com/evolution-of-news-media-social-media-infographic?tu3=1