Guest Post by Mandy Edwards
When working in social media, there are a lot of bases to cover – engaging the community, content creation, writing strategies, managing Facebook or Google ads, keeping up with the latest… the list could go on. One important element in social media is the content creation.
Content creation is creating the content that will be posted – it could be quotes, article links, promotional posts about the business, or various graphics.
Social Media Marketing Design Basics
Social media is becoming graphic-heavy. Look at Pinterest or Google+. Both are graphic-driven platforms. Facebook is catching up too with the announcement of the new newsfeed with larger graphics.
Most businesses create their own graphics with an in-house designer or they outsource to a graphic design company. Either way, different elements need to be kept in mind when you are planning and creating those graphics.
Here are a few basics you want to keep in mind… and they are not in any particular order of importance:
- Sizing – Know the sizes for what you are posting whether it be a Facebook cover photo or a Twitter background. Too small and you won’t be able to see it. Too large and part of it will get cut off.
- Rules – Keep in mind Facebook’s 20% text rule on cover photos or promoted posts. Know what can or cannot be said.
- Content – Are you staying on topic to your business or is it another countless cat meme just to get “likes” or retweets? You want content people want to engage with and that brings value to the table.
- Colors – You want something that will stand-out. Blues evoke calm while reds bring excitement & attention.
- Your logo – Stealing graphics is unfortunately popular in digital/online marketing. People will snap up copyrighted graphics from Google Images or Pinterest without thinking twice. Placing your logo in the bottom corner or somewhere it cannot be cropped out will help keep you from having it stolen.
- Pictures – Using original pictures will help to create that emotional connection; not to mention they are also the most shared type of content on Facebook. These can be pictures you’ve taken with a camera or smartphone.
- Know your audience – What you create should really resonate with your target audience. Are they college kids who can relate to eating ramen noodles or moms who can relate to the stresses of everyday life?
- Fonts – You do not want something so scripty someone can’t read it. Also, stay away from the most over-used fonts, such as Papyrus, Comic Sans, and Cooper. Do we really need another quote written in Curlz?
Small Biz Community Soundoff
I am sure there are more tips out in the web about designing. I design my own graphics and these are things I keep in mind while I’m in the creating process.
What tip(s) would you add to this list? Share with us!
About Mandy
Mandy is the founder of ME Marketing Services, a social media marketing company located in Statesboro, Georgia. A proud graduate of the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia, she has a thorough marketing background of over 10 years covering sales, event planning, local store marketing, advertising, and now social media. In the fall you can find Mandy and her family at Sanford Stadium cheering on their beloved Georgia Bulldogs. Mandy was recently named to the Statesboro Herald’s Top 20 Under 40 for 2013.