How to Create the Perfect Marketing Timeline Creating a marketing project timeline template where everyone knows what they're working on (and when it's due) can help ward off campaign scope creep and nail those important deadlines. As a marketing manager, I can tell you the smoothest way for your marketing team to succeed despite the chaos of multiple campaigns, shifting priorities, and tight deadlines is to have a steady hand and an eye on the timeline. To help you ensure that your next marketing project stays on schedule, I'll cover the essentials of setting up a marketing project timeline template, the best formats to use, and several marketing-specific examples to inspire your future campaign planning. Table of Contents What is a marketing project timeline? Why create a marketing project timeline? Marketing Project Timeline Template How to Create a Marketing Project Timeline Marketing Project Timeline Examples What is a marketing project timeline? A marketing project timeline is a visual display that tracks the completion of various steps in a marketing campaign or initiative over time. It provides a meta-view of all marketing tasks in achieving campaign objectives, enabling a marketing manager to better direct the team members responsible for each deliverable and report the campaign's status to stakeholders and executives. Why create a marketing project timeline? Time management is one of the top skills marketing employers look for in candidates across all levels. Missed deadlines and rushed marketing deliverables can set...

How To Create An Infographic In Powerpoint It can be intimidating to create your own infographic when you don’t have a design background. You could always commission an agency or hire a designer — but that can get pricey fast. To create professional-looking infographics and captivate your audience, you can benefit from learning how to create your own infographics in PowerPoint. PowerPoint can be a marketer’s best friend when it comes to visual content creation. In fact, Infographics are the fourth most used type of content marketing. And it’s plain to see why, marketers who align the topic, content, and style of their infographics with the needs and preferences of their target audiences are still finding success among their audience. So you may be thinking, where do I start? We’ll guide you through how to create your own infographics and even give you examples of different types you can work with using our 15 fabulous infographic templates for free within PowerPoint. For better comprehension, we’ll walk through how to make a simple timeline infographic in PowerPoint. 1. In the Design Tab, adjust the Slide Size to best fit your infographic. To begin making an infographic from scratch, you have to readjust the size of the PowerPoint Slide to give you more space to work with. Begin by opening a new PowerPoint, in the top navigation bar, click on Design and select Slide Size. Then in the drop-down menu, select either one of the predetermined...

The Ultimate Guide to Infographics Did you know that people retain 65% of the information they see, but only 10% of the information they hear? Also, people follow directions 323% better with a combination of text and illustration than instructions without illustrations. That's why, as a marketer, it's important to display information in a combination of visual and text, in an easy-to-consume way. A great way to do that is through infographics. If you've wanted to create and publish an infographic, you've come to the right place. I know you might be thinking, "I'm not a graphic designer" or "I've never made an infographic before." But you're not alone. And that doesn't mean it can't be easy for you to learn. In this post, we'll take you through everything you need to know about infographics, from what they are to what kinds of infographics there are to how to promote an infographic once you've created it. Table of Contents What is an infographic? Infographic Examples Infographic Dimensions Infographic Ideas and Topics Infographic Tips Infographic Templates How to Share an Infographic Infographics typically use engaging visuals to quickly and clearly communicate what the graphic is about. People use infographics because they can provide a quick overview of a topic, explain a complex process, and display data easily. Infographics are also great for comparing two opposing concepts or ideas. As a marketer, you might've experienced the feeling of indecisiveness...

9 of the Best Infographic Examples of 2020 There's a whole lot to like about well-designed infographics: beautiful typography, succinct messaging, clever layouts, bold graphics. Not to mention that people follow directions 323% better with text and illustrations than without illustrations. As the fourth most used type of content marketing, infographics pop up all over the place — from social posts to whitepapers. But don't be fooled. They require just as much strategic thinking as a blog post or video. Yet, as this list of the best infographic examples shows, the effort is absolutely worthwhile. Adding them to your marketing strategy can increase web traffic by 12% and help you stay competitive in the B2B crowd, where 65% of marketers use infographics. Luckily, there are numerous resources to create beautiful infographics of your own. To help inspire your next visual creation, here are a handful of stunning branded infographics to kickstart your creativity. 9 of the Best Infographic Examples of 2020 1. How SMB sales teams are keeping up in 2020, by Zendesk We all know 2020 led to massive changes in the way we work, buy, and enjoy leisure time. But this infographic by Zendesk hones in on a specific group (SMB sales teams) to show how they keep up with the times. Through research-backed data, clear visuals, and concise copy, the main point comes across crystal clear: Know customers' expectations to meet them where they are. This infographic does a good job following one theme...

How to Design a Process Infographic (And Where to Find Templates) Have you ever wished you could just use a picture to explain a process instead of words (or your hands)? A process infographic could be just what you need to show your audience how to do something or how a process works. A well-designed one can establish you as an authority on whatever subject you choose to cover -- whether you’re trying to show how your business’s coffee is sourced or train the new hire remotely. Even better, they’re easy to create using a template or from scratch, meaning you can get started on one today. What is a process infographic? A process infographic simplifies and explains the steps of a process in primarily visual terms. Generally, it illustrates what happens during each step or phase with an intuitive layout that’s easy for the viewer to follow from start to finish. A well-designed process infographic makes the concept you want to share more accessible and saves you and the audience time. Chances are, you encounter process infographics in some form pretty regularly in your daily life. Just imagine how much (more) complicated it would be to build your new Ikea desk if the instructions only included words and no visuals. Pretty daunting, huh? Process infographics allow us to visualize how a process works more quickly and with more clarity. This makes them excellent training and educational tools -- but also a smart marketing strategy. Here's an example of...

6 Ways to Use Icons in Your Infographics Whether it’s an explainer on solar panels or the farm-to-cup process of making your favorite coffee, infographics compress a world of information into one simple, digestible format. But designing an infographic that successfully communicates a lot of information in a simple visual format requires more than a quick idea and a template. Fortunately, there's one design element that the best infographics all have in common, and it can help you build a professional infographic that gets your point across and looks good doing it. Icons are the secret tool that designers use to take your eye from one point to another so that all that information comes to you in just the right order. Icons form the secret language of infographics, and once you learn how to speak it, yours will be more effective and (hopefully) widely shared by your audience. Why Do You Need Infographic Icons? Infographics can be a great source of information when you’re introducing a complex topic to an unfamiliar audience. People love sharing them because they can communicate a vast quantity of information in an elegant, easy-to-digest format. However, it’s easy to create an infographic that is overwhelming or which simply falls flat. Icons streamline the process of creating the infographic and ensure that it effectively communicates the information it’s meant to share. Infographic icons give structure to your infographic and can be used to highlight key pieces of information. They can also efficiently explain...

How to Make a Timeline Graphic in Google Docs, Word, Excel, Google Sheets, and PowerPoint Infographics are a great way to capture user attention and communicate key concepts. Why? Because they combine relevant information with graphic impact to increase retention and engagement. Data backs up this common-sense assertion: Research found that people retain 65% of the information they see — but only 10% of the information they hear — and spend 39% less time searching for the content they need when it’s displayed in infographic format. One of the most compelling uses for this functional format? Timeline graphics. These date and data delivery vehicles offer a way to quickly communicate important information — from key dates in your company’s history to upcoming project milestones or predicted market trends. Of course, it’s one thing to see the value in timeline graphics and another to actually create attractive and effective visuals. In this piece, we’ll tackle timeline tactics for familiar applications including Google Docs, Word, Excel, Google Sheets, and Powerpoint. 3...2...1...let’s go! What is a timeline graphic? While there’s no single format for timeline graphics, the most common composition uses four parts: Data Visual Header Description Each timeline element contains all four parts, and elements are then arranged in left-to-right order of oldest-to-newest events. This format offers simplicity of form and function — elements are easy to read and identify, and the “flow” of time is simple to spot. Let’s say you’re creating a...

The Best Free Graphic Design Software for Marketers and Beginners When it comes to website success, what you see is what you get. While compelling text, blog, and social media content can help set your brand apart from the competition, the visual appeal of your site is the first thing users see when they follow backlinks or click through on search engine results. Recent research found that it takes just 2.6 seconds for users’ eyes to focus on a specific area of your website. What’s more, it takes just 0.05 seconds for visitors to form a general first impression of your site — meaning you’ve got just one opportunity to change their minds or reinforce this impression, and it happens in the first three seconds of arrival. As a result, it’s critical to create webpages that are both aesthetically appealing and contextually relevant. For larger businesses, this often means hiring dedicated graphic designers to develop eye-catching designs and deploy them consistently across web pages, but SMB budgets may not support this type of spending. What it Takes to Have a Great Design Advanced graphic design skills require practice, practice, practice. Great designers can take one look at your webpage and see where current visual elements aren’t performing, then create visual content options that capture both your brand position and aesthetic style. But what about website and business owners who can’t afford the skills of a master graphic designer? How can they jumpstart the process of improving their site’s...

How to Conduct Research for an Infographic: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. In reality, a picture is worth closer to 84.1 words depending on a variety of other factors, but let’s face it, that’s not as catchy. The original point of the saying still stands, though: Images communicate information more effectively than text alone, and they’re best when working together. And, brands agree with the statement above. In fact, in 2020, infographics were considered the third-most effective type of marketing content, just behind blogging and video. But before you design an eye-catching infographic, you must first do the research to determine what story you’re going to tell, and how you’re going to tell it visually. And that research stage can be pretty tricky -- especially if you don’t have a plan. That why we put together a helpful guide that’ll walk you through how to conduct research for an infographic, without driving yourself crazy. Why Marketers Should Use Infographics There’s a reason infographics are such a popular form of content: Viewers love, engage with, and remember them. When people hear information, they're likely to remember only 10% of that information three days later. Meanwhile, if a relevant image is paired with that same information, people retain 65% of it after the same timespan. This is clearly a type of content your readers search for, so how do you make an infographic that’s informative, beautiful, and shareable? Siege Media conducted a study on what makes infographics inherently...

7 Helpful Resources for Creating Beautiful Infographics Visuals have a huge impact in marketing. Not only do they make content more sharable -- 40 times as much -- but they help us retain information. When details are paired with an image, we remember 55% more of it. That can be pulled off with infographics -- the nifty images that visually break down complex statistics. They're customizable, sharable, and they're easier to create than you might think. Sure, you could hire a professional to create the infographics for you. But if you're restricted by budgets or time, there are some great DIY resources out there for making compelling visuals. To help visual marketers, we scouted the web for some of best sites and tools for building infographics. Check them out below.  Helpful Resources for Creating Infographics 1. Canva Cost: Free with limited features, $9.95/month for Pro, or $30/month for Enterprise. Oh, how we love the ease and intuitiveness of Canva. From the very beginning, it asks you a series of simple, colorfully-illustrated questions about what’s brought you to their site. (Today, it’s infographics, but there’s a ton of other stuff you can create there, too.) Once you’ve let Canva know what you want to do, the site generates several templates you can use as a foundation for your infographic. Plus, it’s got a library of roughly 1,000,000 images that you can add to your project. From there, you can edit the text, background image, shapes and other aspects of the...