Social media is a very powerful tool for business. It helps you connect with your customers, increase awareness about your brand, and boost your leads and sales. That being said, special social media design will only be as effective as you make it. For the most part, these platforms are largely visual, a fact on which marketers and business owners are wise to capitalize. In fact, research has shown that when paired with a compelling, relevant visual, people are far more likely to remember information presented to them days later. The infographic below will give you a solid foundation off of which to build countless pieces of visually appealing content!
Color is the first element that can affect a patient’s reaction to your social media post. Of course, too much color can signal anxiety or confusion while too little color can signal low energy or depression. Additionally, you can highlight a feature with a presence or absence of intense color. In short, colors can create moods. Use colours in your images that guide your audience through the story of your brand. Do so by considering the appropriate colours to help tell a specific portion of that story.
When you design your social media graphics you should keep in mind your branding and use the correct fonts and colors that compliment the imagery or patterns. With regards to fonts, ensure you use your “heading font” as a heading and your “body font” as body copy – IF you choose to add a heading or body copy to any images. Consistency is key.
The brain processes images thousands of times faster than it processes text, and image-based content (especially photos of people) is proven to generate more shares on social re-tweets, Facebook shares and other types of engagement than text alone. Facebook actually used to have a rule that cover photos could not have more than 20% text. Even though the rule is no longer enforced, it’s not a bad number to keep in mind when designing your cover image. Keep the content image-based, with less text.
Social Media Image Sizes
Facebook: 852 x 315 cover photo; 180 x 180 profile picture
Instagram: 1080 x 1080 feed photos; 152 x 152 profile picture; 1080 x 1920 stories
Youtube: 2560 x 1440 cover photo; 800 x 800 channel icon
Twitter: 1252 x 626 cover photo, 73 x 73 profile picture, 1600 × 1200 background image
Linkedin: 646 x 220 banner image, 100 x 60 company profile picture
Remember, there isn’t one right way to create social media graphics. What you design will depend on your audience and your brand — but these tips are a good place to start.