The power of one-pagers: Why infographics are so effective

One of the reasons I enjoy LinkedIn is because of Jeremy Connell-Waite. He dissects influential people’s ideas, books, and speeches, draws an infographic about them on a single sheet of paper, and posts it on his LinkedIn profile.

Commander Chris Hadfield, a veteran astronaut, taught Jeremy the value of one-pagers. He was Chief of International Space Station Operations from 2006 to 2008, after spending 146 days in space and completing 2,336 Earth orbits.

Astronauts practice making high-stakes decisions. Before they can fly, they must have PhDs in physics, chemistry, math, and cosmology. 

But none of this matters if one of their team members is injured or they need to reboot a computer using a Russian manual.

Space pilots need to solve problems correctly, as quickly as they can, with what they have, in the middle of space. A mistake could result in mission failure or the loss of lives.

How do you think they decide what information to use and how to solve the problem? Of course, they don’t have time to Google the solution; instead, they check their one-pagers.

Take a look at Jeremy’s one-pager adaptations below. If your school or workshop notes were this well-organized and attractive, you’d be more interested and likely to remember the information, right? I certainly would.

It’s no surprise that astronauts learn things faster; it’s the perfect reference tool. “I do one-pagers not to remember them later, but to remember them right now,” Jeremy clarified.

As you can see, his one-pagers are similar to infographics—a clear and well-composed combination of pictures and words. 

Jeremy was able to make a technical topic interesting to the average person by creating a handwritten infographic.

Operating a business IS rocket science

If anyone could make a business successful overnight, everyone would be operating a business by now. But no, it takes vision, patience, money, and management skills to ensure that all moving parts are moving in the same direction.

If one-pagers are effective for critical decision-making, then infographics, a more condensed version of one-pagers, can capture the attention of business owners. 

It can be their reference to help them decide on the best path for their company if it contains valuable content.

Compared to a space odyssey, when a business owner makes the wrong decision, no one dies. However, too many mistakes, especially critical ones, can sink a company and cause people to lose their jobs.

If your target market is B2B or business owners (READ: extremely busy people), a well-designed, well-thought-out infographic is the best way to reach out to them.

What makes an infographic effective?

You must answer YES to all of these questions before creating an infographic. This is an exercise to help you focus solely on the message you want to convey in your one-pager or infographic.

Is it possible to use conversational English in your infographic?

Infographics cover a wide range of topics. Using lofty language or overly technical terms will waste your efforts to make it appear engaging and simple.

You want your reader to capture everything right away. If they need a dictionary to understand your message, you should reconsider and rewrite.

Is your infographic serving a purpose?

The primary goal of an infographic is to be shareable. It’s not a school report or a thesis. The more people who see and read your content, the more they will benefit from it and remember your brand or service authority.

If you can condense your service processes, an article, or a year’s worth of valuable research into a one-pager, it will be read by more people and appreciated by decision makers who only have time to digest information with their cup of coffee.

Is your infographic visually appealing?

An infographic that lacks color or design is just a list. Because you are dealing with a lot of information, I recommend hiring a professional designer to do it. It will look cluttered and purposeless if an inexperienced designer works on it.

Get your own design team, that can understand your preferences and priorities to do your infographics. Let your designer know the core message you want your readers to take away so they can highlight it through the design.

Does your infographic tell a story?

A story makes any design human and relatable. This is what attracts people to buy a product or a service, whether it is B2B or B2C.

Business owners, like astronauts, must find value and solutions in their infographics rather than just pretty pictures and colors.

They must relate to a character who is experiencing similar issues and follow their journey, as narrated in the infographic, until they find a solution.

This person can be a case study or a group of people about whom you have conducted research. Remember that useful and valuable content is required for it to be relatable.

Who knows, some of your readers might become clients and eventually thank you or partner with you after reading content that solves their problems.

Infographic designs by Deer Designer

Design can’t save bad content

We’ve all seen them: the eye-catching, colorful, and informative one-pagers. Infographics are a powerful way to convey complex information in a simple and memorable manner.

They simplify complex concepts and pack a lot of information onto a single page. Include this design in your content marketing plan, especially if you want to show authority and presence in your niche.

That is why CEOs, founders, and executives love receiving and sharing them. This target market can be both the highest-paying and the most important client you can have.

So, if you want to impress a high-end client with an infographic, do your homework and have a professional make a high-quality design. Continue to publish valuable infographics and watch your following and authority grow.