How to Turn Survey Data Into Stunning, Shareable Infographics

You‘ve run a survey and collected a ton of valuable data. Now what?

If you‘re like most people, you‘ll probably dump the data into a spreadsheet, make a few basic charts, and call it a day. But here‘s the thing – your survey data has a story to tell and amazing insights to reveal. The key is knowing how to present the data in a way that actually engages people and communicates your findings loud and clear.

Enter the survey data infographic.

By visualizing your survey results as an infographic, you can transform all those raw numbers into a captivating, easy to digest format. Infographics combine data with design to make complex information understandable and memorable. And they‘re highly effective – research shows infographics are 30x more likely to be read than plain text.

So how exactly do you go about turning survey data into infographic gold? Follow this step-by-step guide to find the story in your survey data and create an infographic that will wow your audience.

Step 1: Mine Your Survey Data for Insights

The foundation of any good infographic is solid data. But for survey data to be compelling, you need to go beyond just reporting the numbers and dig for the real insights.

Start by segmenting your data to look for interesting stories. Slice the results by key demographics like age, gender, location, etc. to spot notable differences between groups. Look at how responses vary among your most satisfied vs least satisfied customers, or most frequent vs infrequent users of your product.

Pro Tip: Use cross tabulation to examine the relationship between different variables in your data. This can uncover surprising correlations or trends that make for great infographic material.

For example, say you surveyed 1000 customers about your brand and found a significant difference in brand perception by age group:

Age	Brand Favorability
18-24	64%
25-34	83%
35-44	72%
45-54	58%
55+	49%

Highlighting this variation could be a compelling story angle for your infographic. You could then drill down into what‘s driving the lower favorability among older age groups.

As you explore the data, jot down key stats, important differences, and major learnings. Look for data points that spark your interest or reveal something new. These will form the core insights you build your infographic narrative around.

Step 2: Craft an Infographic Outline That Tells a Story

Finding the insights is just the first step. Next you need to weave them together into a cohesive, compelling story. The best infographics have a clear narrative arc that guides readers through the data in a logical way.

Start with a rough outline that maps out the key points you want to hit and the order you want to present them in. Give each section a header that captures the main takeaway, like a chapter of your infographic story.

Here‘s an example of how you might outline the brand survey infographic:

1. Title: How Brand Perception Shifts With Age
   Subtitle: Insights from our 2022 customer brand survey

2. Intro: We surveyed 1000 customers to gauge their perception of our brand. The results show we‘re making a strong impression, but older buyers see us differently.

3. Overall Brand Favorability

   • 72% have positive view of brand
   • 95% are likely to recommend

4. Brand Perception Gap by Generation

   • Chart showing favorability by age group
   • Callout stat: 25-34 yr olds view brand 41% more favorably than 55+

5. What‘s Driving the Generational Divide?

   • Supporting data on key brand associations
   • "Innovative" – 79% of 25-34 vs. 28% of 55+
   • "Trustworthy" – 62% of 25-34 vs 84% of 55+

6. Summary: Our brand is resonating well overall and with millennials, but we have work to do to improve our appeal and build trust with older audiences.

Once you‘ve sketched out the basic story, start adding in the specific survey data and statistics you want to include in each section. Think about the best way to visualize each data point for maximum impact.

Pro Tip: To make your data more meaningful, provide context. Compare survey results to industry benchmarks or your own past performance to help put the numbers in perspective.

Step 3: Design Your Survey Data Infographic

Time to bring your story to life! Follow these design principles and best practices to create an infographic that makes your survey insights pop:

1. Use charts and graphs strategically

The main purpose of your infographic is to make data easier to understand, so the way you visualize the numbers is crucial. Different types of data call for different types of charts:

• Bar charts are best to compare different data points or show changes over time
• Pie charts work well for visualizing parts of a whole
• Line graphs are great for showing trends and patterns

Use a variety of chart styles to add visual interest, but don‘t go overboard. Focus on the story you‘re telling and choose charts that support the narrative.

2. Stick to a simple color scheme

Colors are a great tool for drawing attention to key data points and creating visual hierarchy – but a rainbow of hues will just distract and confuse. For maximum readability, stick to 2-3 main colors plus a neutral (black, white, or gray). Use brighter shades sparingly to highlight the most important info.

3. Embrace white space

One of the biggest mistakes rookie infographic designers make is trying to cram in too much. Resist the urge to fill every pixel! Leaving plenty of breathing room around charts, text, and images makes your infographic easier to digest. Aim for at least 35-40% white space on the page.

4. Add visual aids to draw the eye

Incorporate graphic elements like arrows, lines, and shapes to guide readers through the infographic and emphasize key points. Well-placed visuals provide an instant focal point and make vital information impossible to miss. Just be sure they serve a purpose and aren‘t purely decorative.

Take this snippet from a social media survey infographic:

[visual example showing arrows and boxes calling out key stats]

Notice how it uses a few simple visual cues to organize the data and make the important numbers stand out – without overwhelming the design.

5. Include a strong CTA

The best infographics don‘t just inform, they also inspire action. Make sure to include a clear call-to-action that tells readers what to do with the insights they‘ve gained. Do you want them to read the full survey report? Sign up for your product? Follow you on social media?

Place your CTA in a prominent spot (usually the bottom of the infographic) and use direct, compelling language to encourage follow through.

Step 4: Promote Your Survey Data Infographic

You‘ve put in the work to create an amazing infographic – now make sure it gets seen! An effective promotion plan will get your hard-won survey insights in front of a wider audience and drive more engagement for your brand.

Here are some of the best channels and tactics for getting more eyeballs on your infographic:

• Share on social media, including LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Create a social-media friendly preview image and share snippets of interesting data to encourage clicks.

• Reach out to influencers and blogs in your niche and offer your infographic as a valuable resource for their audience. Many publishers are happy to post high-quality content they don‘t have to create themselves!

• Post on infographic submission sites and directories like Visual.ly, Infographic Journal, and Infographics Archive. These sites get a ton of traffic from people actively seeking out infographics.

• Pitch to mainstream and industry media. Find reporters who cover your industry or topic and offer your infographic as the basis for a data-driven story. Include a few key data points in your pitch to entice their interest.

• Use paid promotion strategically. Boost high-performing social media posts and use targeted ads to get more visibility. Promote in relevant LinkedIn groups or on industry websites frequented by your target audience.

Pro Tip: Always include an embed code with your infographic to make it easy for others to share on their own sites. This expands your reach and builds valuable links back to your site.

Survey Data Infographic Takeaways & Tools

We‘ve covered a lot! Here are the key things to remember when creating an infographic from survey data:

1. Find the story your data is telling by segmenting results and looking for significant differences or trends.

2. Outline a clear narrative that guides readers through the insights in a logical way.

3. Choose the right charts and graphs to visualize data for maximum impact and understanding. Use color, whitespace, and visual aids strategically.

4. Promote your infographic through a variety of channels to reach a wider audience and drive engagement.

Now that you have the knowledge, here are some of my favorite tools to streamline the infographic creation process:

• Venngage – A drag-and-drop infographic maker with tons of templates. Perfect for design novices.

• Piktochart – Another great tool for making professional looking infographics fast, no design skills needed.

• Canva – The popular DIY design platform also has templates and tools for building infographics.

• Infogram – Specializes in interactive and animated infographics and charts.

I hope this guide has given you the know-how and inspiration to transform your survey data into share-worthy infographics. For even more tips, templates and tools, check out my round-up of the Best Resources for Creating Infographics That Get Results.