Just because our aim is to deliver information, that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun while doing it…
If there’s one thing that the internet is full to bursting with, it’s plain black and white text. Obviously, the internet can continue to hold your company’s written updates for many years to come. But, that doesn’t mean your customers can. Put yourself in their shoes for a moment, and think about the overload of information that they’re presented with on websites, social media channels and in email inboxes. What’s there to make yours stand out? What are you doing to capture their attention, and get them to read your message over the endless other options at their fingertips? There’s a reason why videos are the most engaging of all content types. Videos and animations are precisely designed to maximise engagement, stand out from the crowd, and ensure your target market actually WANTS to see what you have to say.
What is an animated infographic?
The best way to explain what this is, is to break its name down into its three constituent parts: Animated, obviously, means that it is brought to life through animation, and is designed using the client’s preferred animation style. And infographic is a graphic that is designed to deliver information, but through the more entertaining medium of a graphic. Rather than conventional graphics, where the primary aim is to entertain the viewer, infographics have two equally important aims - to entertain and inform.
The type of information being communicated can be pretty much anything. It could be a new product launch, a product user guide, or even just an event invite - essentially, you can design and animate any key message that you or your company needs to send. A common example of an infographic in practice is highlighting the key figures from a company report. This is very popular, especially given the fact that companies want to highlight the huge investments that they’re making into sustainability. So, instead of listing this information as text, the company can use animated infographics to get the maximum possible outreach, ensuring the key figures are seen by as many as possible. They are also firmly on-brand, thereby reinforcing customers’ association with your company and a positive ethos.
Why use an animated infographic over a static infographic?
If you like the sound of infographics, your next decision is whether to invest in an animated version, or opt for a cheaper static infographic. Well, being an animation agency, obviously we’re going to be a little biased. But, don’t just take our word for it - there is a whole library of marketing research backing us up. Analyses of marketing trends and consumer buying habits have proved the power of video- based content, beyond any doubt. According to Hubspot’s video marketing report, 92% of marketers who use video say it's an important part of their marketing strategy, and 87% of video marketers say video gives them a positive ROI.
What’s more, 81% of marketers feel that video has a direct, positive impact on sales, and (critically for infographics) 94% of marketers say that videos help users increase their understanding of the company’s product or service. In short, the biggest difference between static and animated infographics is the level of engagement that they deliver. So, you could opt for static, which provides you with a good level of traction and audience attention. But, if you really want to get your infographic out and amongst your global target market (and more importantly, get them to be interested in it) animated infographics are well worth the investment.
How animated infographics benefit your marketing?
So, why do so many marketers rave about video content? Well, firstly, it’s down to powerful stats like LearnHub’s, that video content is 1200% more successful than other types of content. And, the fact that videos generate more shares and likes than image and text-based content, combined. Then, alongside this, there are also a number of other invaluable marketing benefits:
Deliver improved engagement
The stats listed above show just how successful videos are, in terms of engagement. As such, they bring an amazing boost to marketing campaigns.
Simpler, digestible content
The video format also makes the content really accessible. The combined use of visuals and audio brings clarity to complicated topics. And, it makes the content easier for customers to learn about, particularly those who have a visual or hearing impairment.
Captures the consumers’ attention
In a long stream of content and endless websites, a bold, stylish and creative animation is the perfect way to stand out.
Builds a positive brand impression
Plus, the trendy and creative nature of this content type also shows a new side to your brand. This content will help your audience to see your youthful and innovative sides.
Can be used for longer periods of time
Written content, which is just sitting static on your news page, quickly loses its ability to engage. With these animations, you can continue to reap these engagement rewards, for longer.
Can be used across multiple channels
Building on this, your animation can be published across all your digital channels, including your social
Types of animated infographics you could create
Animation is an inherently versatile medium. It allows you to illustrate any setting, characters, icons, styles and moving parts. With a creative team and a skilled animation agency at your disposal, the world is really your oyster. To give you a sense of how wide the scope is, the most commonly used types of animated infographics are:
Animated corporate infographics
These animations are designed for a corporate setting. As such, they have a more minimalist design style, the tone is much more formal, and the brand’s logo and colour palette are featured heavily throughout.
Explainer infographics
This is a type of animated explainer video. This content is designed to act as a standalone explanation of a key concept. It could be anything from a product user guide, to an internal training video.
Animated timeline infographics
These animations are framed around a timeline of events. In stark contrast to a plain, static timeline, these videos list a series of events in a dynamic, engaging way. These infographics are often used for a company’s ‘about us’ origin story timeline.
Animated story infographics
This infographic type has a stronger narrative, and uses storytelling to get its message across. For instance, an animated story infographic about reducing carbon emissions would explain this in a more emotive way, by including key characters, and setting the information within a narrative arc.
Business animation infographics
These videos are best-suited to B2B enterprises, for use within client meetings and company presentations. They deliver a key message in a neat, succinct way, which is sure to impress a prospective buyer.
Animated food infographics
Naturally, these infographics are widely used in the food industry. They include either illustrations or photographs of the dishes, and then explain their USPs in a stand-out way. They’re popularly used as advertisements for new dishes, as trending foods on Instagram garner huge audiences.
Top tips for creating animated infographics
The whole purpose of an infographic is to communicate this information in a way that your audience will want to consume. BUT, this is easier said than done. It’s not just a matter of getting their initial attention, it’s also about keeping it right the way through till the end. To maximise your chance of success, follow our experts’ 5 top tips:
● Consistent visual elements - make sure you establish a clear design style and colour palette for your animation. Then, ensure the same visual elements (be they characters, icons, or fonts) are used consistently throughout. This will ensure your infographic looks sleek and professional.
● Keep it concise - when you write your timeline and script, review them again and again. Make sure any rambling or unnecessary details are edited out. The shorter the video, the more likely that the audience will watch it the whole way through.
● Consider the user audience - different infographics will have different tones and styles, based on who they are trying to reach. While you can still reuse it across different channels, make sure your key target market is being considered throughout.
● Use your branding colours - by incorporating your brand colours into the animation, you, can establish a strong, consistent and memorable brand identity.
● Consider the value of all of your elements - do they help tell the story? Do they really add anything? If not, they’re only cluttering up your core message. So, don’t be afraid to kill your darlings.
Great examples of animated infographics
Ford.
We worked with Ford to share the key updates to their latest models, through this charming animated infographic. They wanted to illustrate that these cars were designed with innovative family features, and could readily adapt as children grow up. So, we used a traditional illustration style with an animated family of characters. This gave the information an accompanying story, and put the features in context, to make their unique benefits clear to users. What this infographic does best is create an emotive, personal link with the viewer. Through the medium of animation, Ford was able to explain these new features and help their consumers to see precisely how they would benefit family life.
Old Mout Cider.
We can’t get enough of the animated food infographics produced by the team at Old Mout Cider. What we love best about these infographics is the way that the iconic kiwi bird actually comes to life on the bottle’s label, and jumps off to wander about the landscape. Then, the setting of the video (all of which is kept entirely in the brand’s colours and aesthetic) is entirely natural, reflecting the brand’s extensive sustainability commitments. Then at the end, marking the brand’s partnership with the charity, you even get to see the WWF panda come to life, too!
Nākd.
Sticking with the theme of animated food infographics, we were thrilled with the results of the work that we’ve recently been doing with nākd. The big USP of this health food giant is the fact that these bars are made with raw fruit and nuts, in a compressed bar of healthy wholefood ingredients. So, this infographic communicates the extent of nākd bars’ healthiness, in a way that is easy to understand and makes the bars look absolutely delicious! As you can see, beyond being an immensely successful and hugely engaging marketing tool, animated infographics are also renowned for their creativity. These videos are exceptionally diverse, both in their designs and the messages that they can tell. With them, brands can build up their brand image, and really show off what they have to offer, to the maximum possible number of people.
Why work with an animation agency like OK Social?
Even if you’re completely new to the concept of animated infographics, you can see that there is major potential here. When done right, one of these animations will achieve far higher engagement than any of your previous posts. Probably even higher than many of them combined. So, when the rewards for getting it right are this high, it’s well worth getting the help of a professional. At Ok Social, our professional animation team has extensive experience in the field of infographics.
As you can see, we’ve worked with some of the biggest names in the UK, including Ford, nākd, Deliveroo and the BBC, just to name a few. This is a brilliant testament to the skill of our creative team, and our ability to create infographics that really hit the mark. So, if you’d like to find out more about any of our animation services, or enlist the skills of our team to bring your topic to life, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
