How to Make an Infographic for Less Than $90

In this article I am going to share with you exactly how to make an infographic for under $90! In fact, the title is a bit misleading because I am also going to show you how to market and build links with your new infographic… all for UNDER $90!

 

The human brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than text, so it’s no surprise that infographics, which use art instead of just words to communicate facts and figures, are so effective and so popular.

 

Just how popular? Check out this infographic on infographics to see how infographic social media posts dwarf traditional social media posts when it comes to tweets, shares, and pageviews.

 

So why haven’t you created one yet? Many people are under the false impression that putting one together is time-consuming and costly, but it doesn’t have to be. I recently put together my first infographic – and marketed it –for less than $90 as a test run. I wanted to experience firsthand how to make an infographic and use it to drive traffic and links, and go through the process of finding an infographic designer. The goal was to create a model for generating inexpensive, quality infographics over the long term.

 

The final products from the designer looked great, and the efforts more than paid off:

 

• The infographic was the 3^rd most trafficked page on the website
• High user engagement – visitors spent an average of 5 minutes on the page
• Over 950 entrances on the site in the first 3 months
• Over 4,000 views on Facebook and 200 Likes
• The infographic continues to drive traffic even months after publishing

 

How To Make An Infographic, & Market It, In 4 Simple Steps

How do you build your infographic? Here’s a basic guide.

Step 1 – Selecting Your Infographic Content

First, you need a good topic. Think about facts and figures that can be displayed in a visual way. Topics that work best often involve comparisons. You also want to avoid obvious information. Even if your topic isn’t new, you can find a new or interesting way to present the information or view the topic.

 

In my example, we were looking at the U.S stockpile of nuclear weapons versus the Russian stockpile, as well as how it built up over time. To gather the data, you want to find credible sources. They are surprisingly easy to find. For example, for our infographic, we started with Wikipedia, which provides references for all their information right at the bottom of the article.  Since the information was readily available, there was no need to do extensive research or investigation.

 

Remember, you should consider your keywords when crafting your infographic. I found, that my infographic ranks really well for the keyword “Nuclear Arms Race” and has multiple keyword placements on the first page of Google.

 

Step 2 – Finding Your Infographic Designer

We found our designer through oDesk, an online freelancer community, and arranged a flat rate of less than $80. When selecting a designer, always ask to see samples of their work.

 

Our designer, Gino Selva, had a clean, straightforward style that made his infographics easy to digest – exactly what we were looking for. Plus, he had the experience I needed to guide me through my first time putting together an infographic. I could rely on his opinion and expertise with confidence.

 

 

You’ll start by providing the designer with the information that you want displayed in the infographic as well as any goals you have for the project. Don’t give the designer too much text to include. After all, less text and more visualization is the point. Don’t let your message get bogged down with too many words, or your ultimate message may be lost. For example, check out this infographic about Americans’ sugar consumption. Each section has very few words, but it is incredibly effective at making an argument. Similarly, you don’t want to give the designer too much data to “cram” into one graphic. A recent study found that a graph that has 5 or 6 main points or sections does best.

 

It can also be tempting to go overboard with the instructions you give to a designer, but remember, you’re hiring this person for their expertise in taking ideas and making the visual. It is his or her strength, so let your designer come to you with ideas for the most effective ways to display the information that achieves your goals.

 

However, here are a few key points to keep in mind. Infographics do best when…

• They are vertical
• Use complementary colors
• Use large fonts

Be sure that your designer will provide a sketch of the idea for your approval before starting on the final product. It gives you an opportunity to make sure you’re both on the same page before things get too far along.

 

And last but not least, credit your designer. It helps them find new work, and it helps you build credibility since you used an experienced graphic artist. Everyone wins.

 

 

Step 3 –  Market Your Infographic In Advance on Your Blog and Facebook

When you get that first sketch from your designer, take the opportunity to solicit feedback. Post it on your blog and Facebook. I also offered credit on the infographic for those who contributed. This not only helps to improve the final product but also generates buzz. Those who helped will feel a sense of ownership when it is released, giving them more incentive to help you promote it.

 

For as little as $10 you can get some significant exposure for your infographic on Facebook using Sponsored Posts.

 

 

Even before the infographic is created, you’re making use of it as a way to generate content for your social media and blog. You want to leverage this content as much as possible as often as possible to get the most from your investment.

 

Step 4 – Promote Your Infographic

Once you’ve given the feedback to your designer and received the final product, it’s time to get the word out. You can have the world’s best infographic, but it won’t matter if no one knows where to find it.

 

Here are the main avenues I used to promote my infographic:

• Blog Post
• Email to Subscribers
• Sponsored Story on Facebook (I set a maximum budget of $10.)
• Submission to Infographic Websites including:
  • http://www.visual.ly
  • http://www.dailyinfographic.com
  • http://www.coolinfographics.com
  • http://www.infographicsarchive.com
  • http://www.infographicjournal.com
  • http://www.infographicsshowcase.com

 

If you have relationships with other blogs or websites that might be interested in the infographic, send them an email. Make it easy for them to share it. One site that’s done a particularly good job at this is Search Engine Land with their SEO Periodic Table. They offer two versions – the full infographic and a condensed version – and offer code to embed it as well as PDFs. You don’t have to go that far, but do provide them with a link directly to the page where the graphic lives.

 

Also, make sure to include your logo on the infographic. That way, if someone doesn’t link back or give you credit, people can still find their way back to your site.

 

When websites do pick up your infographic, send them a thank you and make a note of their contact information. That way, when you put together your second infographic, you already have a mailing list of websites that may be interested in sharing it, making it even easier to surpass your first infographic’s success.

 

Quantifiable Results

So how does the math work on when you take into account the cost of the infographic and the amount of traffic generated? 9 cents per visitor! This is just calculating the first 3 months of traffic based on “entrances” to the site from the infographic. I am not calculating the actual total pageviews.

 

 

Of course, that’s only part of the story since these aren’t just your average visitors – these are highly engaged visitors who are staying on the page for a longer amount of time. If you take into consideration volume and quality, that makes this infographic the top traffic source for the website.

 

In future articles, I’ll be sharing more detailed advice for how to put together your own infographic. If you have any comments or thoughts, please share them below, I would love to hear from you.

 

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