Infographics vs Explainer Videos and What Works Best for Social Media

Published on 05.09.2025 by Chizoba T

When using data storytelling to captivate your audience and drive engagement on social media, you're likely to consider infographics and data videos. This is an essential consideration as your choice of media can determine how well your message is received and its clarity. With each of these data visuals having its pros and cons, you need to know how to choose the right one. This article compares these two data visuals and helps you choose the right one.

Understanding the Meaning of Explainer Videos vs. Infographics

Infographics are visual representations of knowledge, data, or information that make complex information easy to understand. They combine charts, images, and little text to make certain information more digestible in a static image. 

On the other hand, explainer videos are short and animated videos that explain a product, service, or concept in a simple but engaging way. The videos usually last between 60 seconds and 3 minutes and combine narration, visuals, and music to convey their message.

While both options are powerful tools, they serve different purposes and appeal to various audiences. Understanding their benefits and drawbacks is essential to choosing the correct option.

Benefits of Infographics For Social Media Marketing

Infographics can have a wide range of  benefits for your social media marketing, such as:

  • Understanding ease. Infographics' primary role is simplifying complex data and making it more accessible. They are handy for presenting processes, statistics, and comparative data in an easy-to-scan way.
  • A higher engagement level. Compared to texts, infographics offer more. Due to their striking visuals, they can improve social media interaction.
  • Higher customer retention rate. Data and images work together to improve cognitive absorption, ensuring better information and knowledge retention in the audience's minds.
  • Highly shareable. Infographics have a tremendous visual appeal, making them shareable on social media platforms.
  • More brand recognition and visibility. Infographics often consist of visually appealing images and captivating stories that will bring your brand to life and drive engagement in an ever-changing social media environment.
  • It can be scanned easily. With infographics, you can scan some key points even without investing much time, making them suitable for busy social media audiences.

Brands can also enhance social media marketing by combining strong visuals with informative content to create video infographics. Infographics are an excellent choice for:

  • Presenting data in a more visually appealing manner.
  • Audiences that need fast and efficient shareable content.
  • Brands with a limited budget but need an affordable medium.

Benefits of Explainer Videos in Social Media Marketing

Explainer videos are among the most effective forms of social media marketing. Studies indicate that 77% of viewers tend to watch a complete explainer video that is one to two minutes long. This is especially true for 60-second explainer videos with the highest customer retention rate.  They are especially effective for breaking down complex concepts, product introductions, or guiding users through a process. That said, here are the main benefits of explainer videos:

  • Can simplify complex concepts. Explainer videos are a good choice for simplifying complex concepts, enabling viewers to understand better what the business offers, and increasing brand awareness.
  • Higher conversion rate. When audiences understand the value proposition of a business, they are more likely to convert.
  • More cost-effective. Since you will share the explainer videos on social media, they are usually more affordable.
  • Explainer videos are more engaging and memorable. Since they consist of various audio and visual elements, they add an element of engagement and memorability compared to static text or images.
  • Dynamic and versatile. Videos convey different emotions, context, and tone in a manner that static images can't.
  • Higher reach. The social media algorithm favors video content, giving it a higher reach than other content formats.

Explainer videos are a perfect choice for:

  •  Complex topics that need a more detailed explanation.
  •  Emotionally connecting with your audiences.
  •  Having the necessary resources for video production, and would like to ensure a maximum social media reach.

Videos should be part of a content strategy combining organic and paid.

Choosing Between Infographics and Explainer Video

Between infographics and explainer videos, which is suitable for your social media marketing? The choice you make will depend on different factors, such as:

  • Audience. You need to have a good understanding of your target audience. This will give you a hint of the content they are more likely to engage with, whether visual data or story-driven videos. For instance, when you realize that most of your audience is younger, they are more likely to engage with visual data. On the other hand, a professional audience may prefer infographics.
  • Complexity of messages. An infographic may be enough if you have a data-centric or straightforward message. On the other hand, if you want to share a narrative or explain a particular process, an explainer video is the right choice.
  • Budget and resources. It takes more time, effort, and resources to create infographics. Therefore, consider whether you have a budget for producing high-quality videos.
  • Channel of distribution. Consider where you will be sharing your content. An explainer video might be a better option if it's on social media. On the other hand, infographics can be a good choice for presentations and reports.
  • Higher level of social sharing. Since explainer videos are more shareable on social media, they can be a good voice for increasing your brand's reach and attracting new customers.
  • Better SEO. Explainer videos can improve your website SEO due to their high engagement rate, increasing the time spent on your site and reducing the bounce rate. 

Final Thoughts

When selecting between explainer videos and infographics, there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer, as each option has its pros and cons. The different options are also suited for various types of audiences and content. Therefore, ensure that you select your audience, messages, and resources to communicate your message more effectively. You can sometimes combine both mediums to maximize your social media marketing campaign and achieve the most significant impact.