Why Infographics are Such a Powerful Nonprofit Marketing Tool, Guest Blog by SW Creatives

SW Creatives developed a series of infographics to represent programmatic successes in the One City Summer Initiative Report of Findings.

Guest Blog by Christine Batta, Designer, SW Creatives

In the past couple of years, infographics have taken off as a marketing and communications tool – both within the nonprofit sector and in the online marketing community at large. In fact, you’ll find lots of different websites devoted to infographics, and image-based communications in general, with a lot of the most popular pieces going “viral” quickly.

That makes infographics potentially valuable for any kind of organization, of course, but they can be especially powerful for nonprofits who want to spread an idea or message. Here are a few of the reasons they could work so well for your group:

INFOGRAPHICS REPRESENTS SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.

You can always score points for being a little bit different or offbeat, which may be part of the reason that infographics tend to be so effective. In a world that’s covered with blog posts and text content, something that uses colors and photos can easily stand out.

PEOPLE ARE NATURALLY DRAWN TO IMAGES AND CHARTS.

Speaking of standing out, our eyes are naturally drawn to images in a way that doesn’t carry over to text. That isn’t to say that your audience doesn’t read, of course, but that long blocks of words don’t make an instant impression the way a stunning image or well-designed chart does.

INFOGRAPHICS LET NONPROFITS SHARE FACTS AND IDEAS AT A GLANCE.

Infographics don’t just grab attention faster, they tell a story more quickly, too. That’s because our minds are built to intuitively pick up on imaging. So, if it can be said in pictures, you’ll notice viewers grasping concepts faster, and remembering them for longer.

INFOGRAPHICS ARE EASY TO PASS ALONG.

One of the best benefits of good infographics is that they can be posted to your social profiles, where they are easy for fans and followers to pass them along with a simple click of a mouse. If yours is interesting or impactful enough, it could reach a whole new audience that you don’t currently have access to.

THEY CAN OPEN THE DOOR TO COMMUNICATIONS.

The one limitation of infographics is that they aren’t a great medium for conveying lots of detailed data or complex thoughts. But, used correctly, they can link to other items (like case studies, for example) where viewers can find more resources.

If you haven’t tried infographics for your nonprofit marketing in the past, now is the perfect time for SW Creatives to show you what’s possible. Call or email a member of the SW Creatives team today and ask to see some of the work we’ve done for other organizations.

Share this blog! Connect with Maryland Nonprofits on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+, tell us what you think and what kind of topics you would like to see more of on our blog.

It’s a new day for a new career, follow @MDNonprofitJobs