Infographics. Cool and interesting information displayed in a funky graphical way, that when done well are an awesome addition to a content campaign.
You might argue that they’re becoming too saturated and overused. Personally I think they’re awesome, but that might be because I’m from the UK and don’t get as much (or as quickly) as you guys so across the ocean. Maybe there’s too many released in the Internet Marketing community, that’s possible.
So what next?
I’ve never done this before, but I’m coining a term. (How exciting!)
“Intergraphics”
Intergraphics: An interactive graphical representation of information of data / Interactive Infographics
I want you to think about the benefits of an infographic for your site visitors:
- A nice and simple way to display information
- Increased user retention of information
- Engaging content
- Highly Share-able and Link-able
That’s just a few key benefits. But we can definitely move on from that.
Taking What You’ve Got And Making It Better
By making an Infographic more interactive, you take something already pretty awesome and make it more awesome. Isn’t that what we’re trying to do every day?
Why is it more awesome? Well firstly, take a look at some of these examples I’ve put below.
Now, to be totally honest I’m not interested at all in those subjects (maybe the 7 billion thing but anyway) but those Intergraphics kept me interested in that page. I’ve now linked to those when I normally wouldn’t have because they’re different and more interesting than a static image and I even learnt the information that was within them during the process.
So from a topic I totally wasn’t interested in, because it was funky, moving and awesome in a different way, they actually hooked me and kept me on the page… something they wouldn’t have done with an infographic.
Conclusion
Infographics : Getting saturated, static images, limited amount of creativity (because it is just a static image).
Intergraphics : Interactive, increases average time on page, increases page interest, higher levels of social engagement and linking, unlimited creativity.
I’ll be keeping an eye out for more of these, but if anyone is interested in a study of Infographics vs Intergraphics then get in touch with me, I’d love to try that out and I’m sure there’s some awesome data to back me up.
What do you all think? Will you be trying out an Intergraphic in your next content push? Do you think it’s just a fad that will never surpass Infographics? Leave a comment or tweet me and let me know your thoughts!
It’s clear from the examples of links to graphical presentation you shared above to know the really difference between infographics and intergraphics. Like, we have HTML5 as an advanced version of earlier HTML versions; these intergraphics are a new way of infographics.
Intergraphics
Take a lot more thought and care than infographics.
What’s holding them back? Outlay / investment is considerably higher for starters, skills to execute are higher etc – However the ROI is there when executed well…
http://www.evoenergy.co.uk/uk-energy-guide/ (1,056 backlinks according to Majestic) Simply Incredible.
I truly hope we see a rise of interactive / educational infographics like this (with the mobile web taking over – a static infographic is a wasted opportunity)
The challenge now is for us marketers to learn the tools, requirements, skillsets to execute on these projects.
D3.js, processing, HTML5, Data Mining etc Truly exciting times ahead!
On another note – I can’t remember the last infographic I thought was informative, useful or I wanted to pass on.
This infographic was pitched to me the other day as a resource my readers would enjoy. http://imgur.com/Cwccr
I opened the image – couldn’t believe what I was looking at. Immediately closed the laptop and went for a long walk (my eyes are still burnt).
To the future of Intergraphics
Hi Sean,
Thanks for the comment
Yes, unfortunately it is a fairly high skilled job. It might be a nice niche for a company to offer out though. With the right skill-set and prices behind it I’m sure someone would make a killing!
There’s definitely benefits to be had as your example suggests. Not just to people in the industry you’re targeting, but to newcomers and other parties too. I wouldn’t normally read an energy guide but I enjoyed looking at that, it’s just friendlier, prettier and more interesting to look at and take in the data!
I still like Infographics that are done well, unfortunately with the heightened buzz over the last few months/years they are trying to be gamed and made inappropriately. Shame.
Hopefully we’ll see more of these soon!
Thanks again for the comment
-Matt-
I like the new term
I totally agree that intergraphics (it’s catching…) are much more engaging than traditional infographics. I think they are great for brand building and getting social shares.
BUT, as a link building method there can be problems. For a start they are not as easy to embed as flat images. I found this whilst experimenting with our first intergraphic:
http://www.yesgifts.co.uk/infographics/advertise-to-a-generation-olympic-infographic.html
We got a fair number of social shares an some incredible feedback/comments, but not loads of links. The only way we could offer an embed code that actually made the embedded content work was to use an iframe, which people were less comfortable with and didn’t work nicely if the iframe wasn’t very wide.
The other issue is that mobile browsing in smartphones was not suitable for the interactive elements.
So, yes I think they are great, but the execution of an intergraphic as a link building asset presents a lot of challenges.