Increase your social media engagement by improving your cover photo game!
Social media cover photos are basically your greeting in a digital marketing scheme. Have a good one and you are off to a great start, have a less than average one and maybe you have already lost a potential customer.
If you are a marketer or a social advertiser and you do not what you are doing wrong, perhaps you may have overlooked the quality of your social media cover photo. You may find it hard to believe, but poor graphic design, in general, is one of the top reasons online users unfollow accounts, with 49% of them saying so. Therefore, if there is anything that you should be doing right at this second, it is to review, remodel, and remake your social media visual designs.
However, cover photos will be the main focus here, because it will be your first step in this mission to refurbish your brand. Cover photos are large banner-like graphics that appear at the very top of your account, and you may have the option to change your cover photo adjusted to your liking. The thing is, it will be the first thing people see once they go to your profile/page, so you can not be reckless and just put anything on there.
It is one of the few ways you receive first impressions, so if you want to learn how to create great cover photos, follow these six smart ways to get more out of your social media cover photos.
6 Easy Ways to Get More Out of Your Social Media Cover Photos
1. Color
We are talking about visuals here, and when we talk visuals, we talk color.
There is perhaps no simpler and more basic tip for any illustrator or advertiser than to master the color wheel and what color fits what or which color is best matched to another. Being able to determine the values of a specific can help your brand in more ways than one since the color is something that can be very psychological, and the careful application of it can lead to some great amounts of marketing success and boosts in page popularity.
The few concepts you should try to master are complementary colors, analogous colors, and color harmony.
Also read: How AI is Help in Visual Online Branding
2. Text and typography
The next thing you should try out for your cover photos is text and typography. Applying the right message using the right font in the right amount is a task that may be harder than it sounds, but the benefits you will be gaining are something that should not be underestimated.
The text helps create context, and tho you should not apply an amount that covers up entire photos, it is advisable that you add a phrase or two to help set in what your brand is all about. Moreover, making it look good by using the right fonts (serif fonts are a hit right now ) with the right color and background, you can even make your cover photos pop out even more with a boost of purpose and professionalism.
3. Consistency
At the end of the day, cover photos are just a part of building your social media identity. If you are in a business, you are in the process of developing your brand identity, which, for any veteran in marketing, is one of the most crucial techniques in getting your brand up there amongst the giants.
But how does one achieve a solid brand identity? There is only one true answer to that, and it is consistency. This applies to your cover photos as well, being as big of a part as they are to your pages and accounts, you need to look and feel consistent.
The many ways you can achieve consistency in your cover photos are…
- A unique and consistent tone. Your cover photos need to feel like they belong to you; that they always advocate for the same things and try to convey it to an audience using the same approach in voice, style, or message. You can achieve this by using the same color schemes, same humor, or the same
- Using the same filters will allow you to subtly settle in a familiar feel to your cover photos that online users might just be able to pick up on if you use it consistently In due time, you may own this specific filter and, considering the popularity of filters across social media, have people synonymize this filter to your brand so you can be recognized anywhere.
- Watermarks are always a great way to make things your own, though you should apply it lightly so as to not feel overbearing or restrictive. Make sure to make it transparent and not too centered on your cover
4. Dynamic photography and representation
Social media is all about people and creating connections with these people, but when you add a business into the mix, then it becomes a principle that should always be carefully administered into your business plans.
In the context of photography, the best way to connect with an audience way is to allow them to feel seen. Representation in graphics is a fantastic way to gather people together not only for your business but also to build loyalty and rapport to the point that they feel personally touched by this gesture.
So, if you are marketing a product or service, you can represent a specific audience by…
- Including photos of people
- Being aware of worldly issues that need addressing
- Create culturally-inspired designs
- Add text that sends a relevant
5. Scale and resize
Cover photos are probably going to be horizontal images. They fill up the entire upper third of most devices like phones, computers, and Ipads. They are going to be glaring at people, so if you want the best possible-looking cover photo, you should be able to scale it perfectly to the device.
This may vary from app to app, such as on Twitter where the ideal scale would be 1500px by 500px, on Facebook, it is 820px by 312px for desktops and 640px by 360px for mobile.
This helps render the quality of your photo and will also help the photo pop out and include all the possible elements and qualities you want to be shown. After all, it is not going to send a good message to customers if a letter is cropped from your text. So, make sure this is a step that you should never skip.
6. Illustration software
For illustrators and marketers who are still lost in the world where graphic design continues to become more and more prevalent across all industries, the one friend you are going to need is a good illustration software
We have gone on and on about colors, texts, resizing, but how exactly can you do that without having some sort of illustration software? Yes, having illustration software may just be as important as being able to hold a pencil, because it is gonna be the one thing you are going to depend on to do all the tasks for you.
The many things that illustration software can do for you include…
Create high-quality images
The one thing illustration software is good at is taking a mediocre image and turning it into something that extraordinary. With tools such as white-label editors, deep color wheels, automatic resizing, and various filters, the possibilities that you can go with if you want to spray some magic over your photos.
Save time
Along with the ability to beautify images is the hidden merit of saving your time. Most illustration software has an advanced interface and program that the process of creating images becomes quick enough that you can still squeeze in two other tasks you need to do, and in the grand scheme of things, this may decide whether or not you will burn yourself out or actually have fun in this field.
Collaborate with other artists
Illustration software becomes a true professional prospect when you learn that it allows you to share documents with other people and you can all work on a project simultaneously anytime, anywhere. A few decades ago, this was not possible without mile-long drives and tedious interruptions such as endless printing and schedule changes. That is all obsolete by now because illustration software allows you to edit, post comments, and individually download all projects to your convenience while not disturbing other collaborators.
Store your work
Most illustration software will include the feature of having a deep vault of storage. This allows you to maximize creativity by removing the worry about where to store your work after you work on it, the program will automatically save it for you along with the hundreds of other projects you have been working on.
Acquaint to the rules of graphic design
Now if you are a rookie in the graphic design world, illustration software can act as your tutor, acquainting you to all the things needed to become a professional. Most illustration software will include AI that assists you if you need help, as well as a recognizable and easily understandable interface that beginners can tamper with so they can learn how to handle brushes, color palettes, and what dimensions are available for what project.
Also read: 5 Amazing Logo Design Ideas for Your Business Brand
Takeaway
You may not think of it as much at first, but investing in your cover photos will do wonders for your brand. Cover photos have the potential to make or break, so if I were you, it would be best to at least greet your customers with a well-made, creative cover photo that can give them early signs that you do care for what they want.
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