Did you know that social media posts with images receive much more engagement than text-heavy posts? It has been proven that more people interact with infographics and images than they do regular posts. Instagram and Pinterest use images as their primary form of content, and images posted to Facebook and Twitter are far more likely to receive ‘likes’, ‘shares’ and ‘retweets’ than those without images.
So, how can you utilise images to ensure that your business stands out amongst the competition? Keep reading to discover our top tips for getting started with social media design…
1) Optimise images for social media networks.
To maintain a strong social media presence, we highly recommend posting across a variety of platforms on a regular basis. There are loads of platforms out there – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest – so choose the ones which best align with your business.
Each platform requires slightly different image dimensions. We highly recommend using Canva for post design – it has a fantastic selection of social media templates that are specifically tailored to the optimum size for each individual network. Just upload your images and Canva will do all the hard work for you!
2) Use your logo as your profile image.
As a general rule of thumb, it is a good idea to use your business’ logo as your social media profile image. You could get creative and design an interesting variation of your logo, but make sure that your audience can still recognise your brand!
Whether through colour, imagery, text or overall mood, your cover photo and profile image should complement each other. An easy way to achieve this sense of harmony and balance is to apply the same filter to the cover photo and profile picture or use just a couple of brand colours that are uniform across the board.
3) Use consistent branding and imagery.
Consistency is vital to brand success. Think of Coca Cola’s vibrant red branding, Cadbury’s royal purple tones, or McDonald’s ‘I’m lovin’ it’ slogan. By using the same fonts, colours and style of imagery in your social media designs, your brand will be easily recognisable and look professional.
Always choose images that are consistent and relevant to your brand. Consider what your followers will like, and what imagery will fit with the product or service you are selling. When it comes to retweeting or sharing other user’s content, you should always choose images that fit with your brand’s feed to avoid inconsistency.
4) Create a variety of valuable content.
Variety and value are two key ingredients to posting quality social media content. Make sure that everything you post is relevant to your followers and will add value to your brand. Consider using inspirational quotes, industry tips, company milestones, events, competitions, and infographics in your posts.
Some tips for creating valuable content:
Provide free information or tips to your followers
Add your own spin to existing popular content
Post an inspirational quote that people can relate to
Host a giveaway or competition to encourage sharing
5) Ensure all posts link to your website.
All content that you post to social media should feature a strong call-to-action and link back to your website. As well as helping to secure sales, this will help boost your search engine ranking, as Google ranks content higher when it is linked to a website.
Some examples of strong call-to-action words and phrases:
Buy now
Shop now
Order today
Try it today
Subscribe
Get started
Learn more
Find out more
Discover more
Social Media Speaks Volumes
In today’s digital world, it is vitally important that your business has a bulletproof online presence. Social media is a totally FREE form of advertising, allowing you to elevate your brand above competitors.
Melissa’s Copy can help develop your business’ brand across multiple social media platforms. We have a proven track record of developing extensive and valuable social media content strategies, helping you to promote the messages that really count.
Click here to book your FREE consultation today!