Think back to the days when you were a child learning to read. At that age, most of us gravitated toward books that primarily consisted of vibrant illustrations or photos. As a young child, it was often pictures that truly helped us understand words and stories. Now, flash forward to your adult life and you’ll find that not a lot has changed.  

Infographics, which are visual representations of data or information, often present challenging topics in a way that helps us digest the information quickly and clearly. While the notion of infographics has been around for quite some time (think cave drawings, or map-making), they’re an integral part of how information is accessed and absorbed on the Internet, serving as an effective medium to relay messages or concepts in a visually compelling manner. They’ve gained so much popularity over the last few years that the Huffington Post even created a news page solely dedicated to highlighting the latest and greatest infographics. 

With the evolution of social media, which has helped create an environment where information is published and consumed faster than ever, PR and marketing professionals can leverage infographics as an effective way to add visual appeal to content. Here are few reasons why organizations should consider harnessing the power of the infographic:

• They complement stories. Reporters are often looking for interesting graphics and/or images to accompany their stories. Infographics can be a great tool to enhance a story by providing both supporting points and related visuals.
• They go viral. Once an infographic is published, they’re easy to share. If the content is compelling enough, other sites will often pick it up and embed the image, therefore driving traffic to the site it was originally published on and increasing search engine optimization.
• They’re multi-functional and deepen understanding. Whether you’re highlighting the latest social media stats or your own personal experiences through the latest trend in infographic resumes, infographics can be used to communicate almost anything. 
• People enjoy them. Who doesn’t appreciate a simplistic visual that helps you understand a complex topic? They’re a powerful vehicle for sharing your information in a compelling way.

So ask yourself, would you rather read a five-page article that describes a complex concept such as the, “Social Media Effect,” or, would you rather digest the information from a pretty picture? I guess there’s really something behind the old adage, a picture’s worth a thousand words.

Now, in case you’re wondering how to go about creating an infographic, check out these great tips for designing infographics and free tools to help get you started.