The Foolproof Action Plan For Creating A Kick-Ass Travel Infographic

Infographics are eminently sharing content, and should be a vital part of any visual content strategy. Studies have found that infographics receive up to three times as many likes and shares as other types of content, and their image-heavy format makes them a perfect tool in the world of hotel online marketing. Travel in general is an enormously visual arena, and infographics are the perfect way to drive engagement in the industry.

If you’re planning to create a kick-ass travel infographic for your hotel, follow this foolproof action plan to create a graphic that will prove invaluable in your online marketing endeavours.

First, you need to develop an idea – a theme or subject for your infographic. You can’t just regurgitate a load of travel facts and statistics; your infographic should be relevant to your audience, and provide information that empowers, educates or inspires them. The point of an infographic isn’t simply to assemble all of your data in a pretty format – you should be presenting the data you have in a stylish way to drive a point or encourage a specific action. For hotel infographics, that specific action is likely making a booking, so make sure all of your data is angled towards that action.

Think about the story you’re trying to tell with your infographic, and try to establish the type of layout that will serve it best. Popular infographic layouts include:

• • The timeline – great for demonstrating progress in an easy-to-follow style.
  • The process – perhaps you could outline a typical stay at your hotel in a process-style infographic.
  • The informational – this summarizes a particular topic concisely and attractively.
  • Compare and contrast – usually with two or three columns, this presents the audience with choices and subtly hints at the best choice.
  • Geographical – great for travel and hotel infographics! Perhaps you could talk about things to do in the area surrounding your venue, or provide a fun map of local attractions with stats, facts and figures.

You should also consider factors like creating an information hierarchy. The most important information should be the most prominent, with other related facts and figures taking a backseat.

With so much data to convey in an infographic, it’s important to keep all the other elements as simple as possible. Otherwise, the entire thing can come across as chaotic and crazy – the total opposite to the effect you should be aiming for.

Choose a colour palette at the beginning of the design process, and stick with it – a maximum of three colours will work best. Use graphics or illustrations that are as simple as possible.

When it comes to choosing the data visualisations, try out a few different options and opt for the one which conveys your message most clearly. Some statistics will be better suited to a pie chart than a line graph, while others will work better with a Venn diagram or even a word cloud.

Just because the infographic is finished, doesn’t mean your work is over. Be sure to share it on all your social channels, and send out a message to your mailing list announcing the infographic is live. You might also want to engage in some social outreach with influencers or bloggers within your sector, who can expand your reach and get your infographic the exposure it deserves.