In a world where intriguing visual content reigns supreme on sites like Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Instagram, it’s time to let boring old infographics go, go, go. Even though companies across all industries are using infographics in an attempt to provide easy-to-digest information to their followers by combining visuals and data, there are better ways to use this type of content to your brand’s advantage.

Infographics may be dead, but visual content still harnesses incredible power and reigns supreme. On Facebook, videos are shared 12 times more than links and texts posts combined, and photos are liked 2 times more than text updates. Also, photo and video posts on Pinterest refer more traffic than Twitter, StumbleUpon, LinkedIn, and Google+. If you want to draw in more followers and foster increased engagement, consider these 4 visual alternatives to those dead infographics.

1. Animated GIFs can be cute and trendy, but can they be used for marketing purposes? Is this a trick question? Of course they can! It’s difficult to catch someone’s attention for more than a minute or two, so GIFs offer the perfect opportunity to provide content quickly and effectively. If nothing else, you can always succeed in entertaining your audience.A well executed GIF can serve as a call-to-action for your company. They can lead reader’s eyes to a specific path without feeling obtrusive. GIFs can also inspire an emotional response from your followers in a way that still images usually don’t. Seeing a moving image that conveys your message is much more powerful than a photo or text content and will hopefully create a positive reaction from your fans. Thinking this can’t translate to email? Emails featuring GIFs pulled in 12% more revenue than their non-animated version and currently 1 in 2 marketers use animated GIFs in their email campaigns.
2. Vine is so popular now, there’s no way it wouldn’t catch the attention of future brand advocates. The mobile site only allows for 6 seconds of video, but it’s turning out some of the biggest online stars in this day and age. Vine can make it easier for brands to reach a younger crowd and the opportunity to go viral is usually enough to get marketers interested. Keep in mind that five tweets per second contain a Vine link and a branded Vine video is four-times more likely to be seen than a regular ol’ video.When you’re getting started with Vine, ask yourself what you want your video to accomplish. Do you want to make people giggle? Trying to promote a product or service? Simply trying to bring attention to your business? Whatever the case may be, do your best to tailor the video for that purpose. If you have a clear vision in mind, there’s a chance your Vines will find their audience and be effective. Once you’ve mastered something that best represents the brand, share the extra-short video to your brand’s social media channels. Easily shareable content will help get the message across.
3. Encouraging Facebook fans to submit photos will promote those sacred user-generated content on your brand’s socials. Consider running a contest that will get people directly involved in what your company is doing. Ask followers to post photos of your products or have them spotlight what they like most about your services. Feel free to get as creative as possible. Not only will this get people involved in the business, but you’ll also draw in new customers through word-of-mouth advertising.These types of contests can also be utilized on other social media sites, like Pinterest and Tumblr. Any social site that makes it easy to share photos and comment on contest activity is an ideal choice. With Pinterest, consider a contest that encourages fans to re-pin submissions in lieu of votes. The more re-pins you get, the farther the photos will go. Original content like this can be extremely beneficial for your company and will help spread the word about your products and services.
4. Sharing knowledge is one of the best ways to prove that you’re a thought leader in your industry. How-to videos let fans see behind the scenes of a company and help humanize a brand. Videos easily allow you to combine visuals and content in a way that’s more engaging than infographics. Show buyers how wonderful your products are through these how-to videos and remember that 52% of consumers say that watching product videos make them more comfortable in their purchase decisions.  Putting together a full how-to video might take more time than a Vine, but simple planning can make it a hit. Most computers come with easy-to-use editing software and you can choose a knowledgeable employee to be the star. Putting it all together to create engaging content will be well worth your time and effort. If you’re stuck on ideas, consider tips for using your products or ways to maximize the effectiveness of your services. Depending on what you’re selling, there are many ways to spotlight your brand.

Cultivating a nice mix of visual content will make your blog and social media sites more appealing to readers. If you want to engage fans, you’ll need to do a lot more than share infographics. Consider alternating your content to create the best results.