How to Create the Best Successful Healthcare Infographic

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How to Create the Best Successful Healthcare
Infographic
We humans are visual creatures. What we see
typically has a far greater impact on us than
what we read or say. Thats why successful,
effective infographics are so important for
reaching your patient prospects in healthcare
marketing. Too often, healthcare information is
more detailed and complicated than it needs to be
for an average reader. Doctors may ask if the
data presented in an infographic is based on
primary or secondary research. They may ask
whether the study was double-blind or
placebo-controlled, and if it includes a broad
section of the population or if there a sampling
bias. Have the results of the study presented in
an infographic been peer- reviewed? An effective
content marketing strategy for infographic
creation is to cut through that kind of medical
jargon and analysis and make the information easy
to understand for any individual who does not
have an MD or PhD after their name. Why use
infographics at all? Infographics have become
one of the most effective ways to share
information thats easy to understand and
remember. An infographics purpose is to show
rather than tell. Infographics have the unique
ability to reduce complex facts and statistics
into attractive, easy-to-read, easy- to-share
information packages. Effective infographics
deliver benefits to your content marketing
strategy
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• Did you know that infographics are up to 30 times
  more likely to be read than full-length articles
  or blog posts? Did you know that infographics can
  drive up to 12 more web traffic? Its true, and
  infographics can help your practice connect to a
  wider audience.
• Infographics can be shared across many channels,
  including blogs, websites and social media
  platforms. They present important information in
  a way thats easy to understand. In addition,
  research shows that people remember 65 of what
  they see in a visual presentation.
• What makes infographics successful?
• Before you or your healthcare marketing partner
  begins your design process, consider the
  following infographic tips and tricks and take
  some inspiration from a few of the most
  successful healthcare marketing infographics such
  as those created by the CDC, Johns Hopkins
  University (infographic on stress) the Cleveland
  Clinic (infographics on health and prevention)
  and UVA Health (infographic about quitting
  smoking).
• Infographic Design Considerations
• Here are some infographic tips and tricks for
  more effective design
• Infographics always put your audience first
• First and foremost, consider what topics your
  readers and followers are interested in. What is
  causing them pain? What kind of information are
  they most likely to share within their social
  circles? Topics focused on disease prevention and
  wellness are usually great places to start for
  many healthcare practices.
• Infographics simplify topics and stay on point

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• The best infographics give readers a snapshot of
  information. They always stay on point and focus
  on just one key issue, which they should present
  thoroughly and concisely. A good example is an
  infographic from the Centers for Disease Control
  and Prevention (CDC) that explains how to
  properly apply and remove a face mask to protect
  against COVID-19.
• Infographics need single themes
• Readers should be able to understand at a glance
  what your infographic is all about. You can
  achieve this by using consistent design elements
  and simple illustrations that fit the overall
  theme of the infographic information youre
  sharing. For example, UVA Health uses the bold
  title Need a Reason to Quit? and
  straightforward graphics featuring the silhouette
  of a man holding a cigarette along with
  illustrations of various body parts. Theres no
  doubt what this infographic is all about. Its
  about quitting smoking.
• Always avoid hard-to-read text
• Use large, bold, simple fonts to attract your
  readers eye and deliver your information clearly
  so that your audience will understand your key
  points.
• Use design features that draw the eye
• Use simple shapes, colors, contrasts, and other
  visual cues to make important information stand
  out. Research shows that messages delivered in
  color are nearly 40 more likely to be read and
  remembered than messages delivered in black and
  white.
• Try thinking beyond pie charts and bar graphs

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• Of course, you can use them, but you should know
  that theyre not the only way to deliver snippets
  of good information. Part of what makes
  infographics effective is the creative use of
  graphics.
• 7 Always include your practice logo
• Your healthcare practice logo doesnt need to be
  placed at the top, front and center, but it
  should be somewhere on the infographic. Most
  practices place their logo at the bottom of their
  infographics, much like a signature. Your logo
  should not be the most prominent graphic on the
  infographic doing so sends a subtle message
  that you think your name is more important than
  the information being shared by the infographic.
• Infographic Content Considerations
• Here are some infographic tips and tricks when
  considering your content
• Avoid long text
• Remember that your audience wants information
  that they can digest quickly and easily.
• If your infographic gets too wordy and you cannot
  edit it down into bite- sized chunks, then
  consider whether an infographic is really the
  best way to communicate your message on that
  particular topic.
• Create a catchy title
• Create a clear, thought-provoking or catchy title
  that doesnt give everything away in your
  infographic, whether its about the countrys
  prescription drug crisis, quitting smoking or
  coping with back pain.

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• The best infographics should be light on text.
  However, you can give more context to the numbers
  or statistics presented using one or two short,
  well-placed quotes from your healthcare
  practices providers. This can also give your
  infographic a more personal feel.
• Add credibility by naming your sources
• Remember that your infographic is not a research
  paper. However, that does not mean that you
  shouldnt be using and citing reliable sources
  for the information being presented.
• Let your content flow logically
• Think of your infographic as a well-written short
  story. It should have a logical progression from
  top to bottom.
• Always include a call to action
• Your goal is to drive more patient prospects to
  your practice. Whether you tell readers to visit
  your website or read a related blog post from
  your healthcare practice, always include a call
  to action to let readers know that theres a next
  step they can take.
• Promote the heck out of your infographic
• While good content and design are two important
  elements that go into a successful infographic,
  your method of dissemination or distribution is
  the third. Once youve created an effective
  infographic chock full of bite- size bits of
  important information, how will you promote it in
  a way
• that promotes your healthcare practice?

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your various social media channels. If your
infographic is too large to share in a single
post, design it with sections or use screenshots
of different portions of the infographic and post
them individually to give yourself more mileage
from a single infographic. Remember to link it
back to your homepage so readers can see the
complete infographic. You can also link it to one
of your practices blog posts that explores that
subject in greater depth. You can also pull out
a few interesting facts from your infographic and
add them to your landing page, then ask your
readers to tweet about them on Twitter so you can
widen their reach. Then email the infographic to
social media influencers, bloggers and healthcare
journalists along with a summary explaining why
your infographic will be of interest to their
various audiences. You might even pitch them blog
ideas for which the infographic may be
used. When you want to make your healthcare
content punchy, meaningful and memorable, a good
infographic could be your most effective content
marketing strategy.