If a stat adds credibility to a blog post, but no one reads the stat, is it still relevant?
Of course, it is!
Beyond writing a great post, content marketers also have the distinct honor to promote it. The stats can serve as an effective starting point to entice people to read your work.
However, it’s not enough to use plain ol’ text. Try sharing statistics with visuals, like charts and GIFs, to capture your audience’s attention.
Let’s explore how to visualize stats and learn about a few distribution channels to share your findings.
How to Visualize Stats
You have your stats. Now what? Whether it’s a single number or a list of stats, you can draw more attention to your hard-earned research with visuals. Check out our recommendations for visualizing your stats.
1. How to Visualize a Single Number
There’s power in numbers, and sometimes all it takes is a single number to convey a powerful message to your audience. In this type of visualization, your statistic should provoke strong emotion, like shock or disgust. Countable pictographs and progress rings work best for single number stats.
2. How to Visualize Location Data
Sharing stats about specific locations is a chance to show off your creativity. Whether it’s a city, state, or country, you can use a map as your visual. Spice things up with a variety of colors. You also may want to try a bubble map. The bubble’s size represents the particular stat, giving your readers an easier way to contrast the data.
3. How to Visualize Percentages
Data storytelling centers around telling a compelling narrative. With percentages, you can highlight notable findings and offer context with creative titles. Stacked graphs and pie charts work well for displaying multiple percentages. However, don’t clutter your visual with too many numbers as it may confuse the reader. Stick to a simple design with distinct colors.
4. How to Visualize a List
Standalone stats won’t work well for all your stories. You may need to list a group of stats together to give full context to your writing. In those cases, a visual is necessary to not use the reader’s interest. Try a bubble cloud with multiple colors to compare your list of data.
Types of Visuals
Several visual types exist to help you showcase your stats and distribute your content. Depending on your distribution channel, you can try one of the following ways to highlight your work.
1. Infographics
Infographics are a valuable tool in visual storytelling. It’s easier for your readers to digest a lot of statistics if you’re using charts and graphs. More importantly, they can quickly scan your infographic to understand your narrative. A few design tips include using white space, choosing a simple layout, and keeping text short.
2. Illustrations
With less complex information, illustrations may be ideal for your stats. You can even explore using free icons to tell your story. Keep your stats as the focus, so aim for simple illustrations without the glitz and glam. Here’s your chance to use abstract art to add life to your concepts.
3. Slides
A good ol’ slide deck works well, too. You can focus on keeping it simple by adding only one or two stats per slide. You also can create a mini-presentation with five slides explaining a particular concept and why it matters to your audience. Plus, you can post it on Slideshare to expand your reach to a new audience.
4. GIFs
GIFs are unique because they can express emotions that static images cannot. Also, the repetitive nature of a GIF gets people to take a second look if they initially missed the visual. You can make a GIF with tools like GIPHY. Keep it short and simple, so people can quickly understand your message.
Create Visuals With These No-Code Tools
Okay, you’re not a graphic designer. But you don’t have to be anymore. No-code tools exist to help you create jaw-dropping graphics without the design degree. Try one (or all) of these tools to design your next visual.
1. Canva
Canva is a graphic design platform that makes it easy for anyone to create high-quality images. Its drag-and-drop interface gives you unlimited creativity to bring your ideas to life. Canva comes with thousands of professional templates, so you never have to start from scratch. Plus, if you’re working with a team, you can invite people and have them leave feedback.
2. Piktochart
Piktochart is an intuitive, web-based graphic design tool for creating visual stories with infographics, reports, and presentations. Get access to free, high-quality assets, from icons to illustrations, to uplevel the stats in your content. If you have original research, there are also robust charts and maps to translate that data into a visual story.
3. Infogram
This visualization tool helps you create engaging content in minutes. With Infogram, get a custom template to add your brand’s logo, colors, and fonts. Explore interactive content with object animations, like zoom, bounce, and flip. Plus, track your content metrics with individual tracking links to understand viewer demographics and average on-screen rate.
4. Visme
Visme is all about helping you build the brand reputation you deserve. You can add your stats to engaging charts, social posts, or short videos. The tool has a library of templates and design assets to boost your creativity. If you upgrade, you’ll also have aces to a brand kit and multiple download formats.
Where to Share Your Visuals
Content distribution is key to getting more people to read your content. Share your visuals often on multiple platforms to earn more attention. Below are a few places to start sharing your stats.
1. Social Media
Social media is an effective way to share your stats with a broader audience. Using visuals to showcase the relevancy of your stats gives followers a clearer picture. It also serves as a teaser to get people to read your full article. Whether it’s Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn, promote your stats using hashtags and ask your followers to share your findings.
2. Email Newsletter
It’s common to share links to your latest blog posts with your email subscribers. But what if you switched it up? Next time, share only the stats within your content. It’ll pique your subscribers’ interest to learn more. Coupled with the visual, you’ll grab your audience’s attention as they scroll down to read the rest of your email.
3. Communities
Community building is one of the most effective marketing strategies. Your target audience is constantly seeking opportunities to connect with your brand. Use visuals with stats to show brand authority and convey transparency to your audience. If they like or agree with what you share, your community will likely tell their friends about it.
4. Ebooks
Sometimes, short-form content just isn’t enough. To give your readers more details along with a collection of stats, explore sharing your visuals in an ebook. You’ll have more space to walk the reader through your research and the wiggle room to add several visuals. But be mindful of how many graphics you add; you don’t want to overwhelm the reader.
Visualize Stats to Boost Shareability
Go above and beyond for your readers by sharing statistics through visual aids. That way, your readers can quickly understand the data. You’ll also want to share these visuals on different distribution channels, including social media and email marketing.
