As a small business owner or entrepreneur, you are busy. Busy managing payroll. Busy sourcing materials. Busy doing whatever it is you loved enough to transform into a business. The result? It’s sometimes hard for even the most passionate small biz blogger to find time to develop engaging social media content—the kind that grabs readers and makes them want to start a conversation.

Enter infographics. You’ve probably already seen these visual representations on business blogs or news websites. But you can use them, too, as part of your small business blogging strategy. Here’s why you should love incorporating infographics into the content roster:

• Infographics are easy on the eyes. Sentences packed with ho-hum data and stats? Yawn. Sound-bite sized tidbits wrapped up in a fun, colorful package? Marketing awesomeness!
• Infographics highlight easy-to-miss but important stats. Not only does a deluge of data produce a deluge of yawns, it also makes it hard to identify need-to-know information. Visuals like infographics highlight critical info that might otherwise be missed.
• Infographics engage busy people. As a working mom I know how tough it is to find time to sit down and slog through a report. I appreciate being able to look at an infographic that delivers clear, useful info. Chances are very good that your small business prospects, clients, and buyers will appreciate it, too.
• Infographics are simple to share. If Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and other social networks are part of your social media strategy, then infographics are an ideal way to encourage sharing. Social media users will direct their readers back to your blog or include links to it in their own messages, like tweets or posts.

So where do you start finding infographics?

Create your own.

If you have a visual bone in your body, use a design website (Creately is one popular site) and programs (like Photoshop) to build your own. Be warned that the DIY infographic requires careful consideration of data sources and visual elements. It might help to ask a friend or colleague to review it for clarity before posting it on your small business blog or website.

And always be sure you have permission to utilize any images you’ve chosen, and be sure to credit data sources.

Share someone else’s.

As you read blogs or news articles, keep your eyes open for infographics that your small business blog readers might enjoy. When you find a compelling one, share it on your blog (credited and linked, of course) and add comments that present your own unique take on the info it presents. Already have a topic in mind for your small business blog? Simply enter keywords into a search engine along with the word infographic. Then sift through the results to find one that’s share-worthy.

But not all infographics are created equal. It can be tempting to post any ol’ infographic you come across because you’ve had a long day and the mere thought of writing a blog entry makes your brain cramp. But just because someone illustrated data points doesn’t mean the visual is useful, interesting, or readable. So don’t share unless it provides clear value to your target audience.

Here’s an infographic from Social Strategy1 and business community OfficeArrow that highlights findings a study on the state of social media in small businesses:

Do you like getting info through infographics?