Facebook can be a truly powerful marketing tool for businesses that know how to use it effectively. It offers opportunities for cost-effective promotion and customer engagement. One of the most important aspects of a business Facebook profile is the cover photo. It’s the second thing that people look at when they open your profile, right after the profile photo. Therefore, it’s very important to pay special attention to your Facebook cover design.
When it comes to Facebook, and all other social networks for that matter, businesses need to take advantage of every opportunity to grab the attention of consumers. Nowadays, images seem to be most appealing to people – they are more likely to engage with brands through visuals. Statistics show that 87% of all interactions realized on Facebook brand pages were made through photos.
However, with so many businesses and brands present on Facebook today, it can be hard to differentiate your business from the countless competitors. You have to find ways to build brand awareness and motivate engagement. Having a good Facebook cover design is one of the best ways to accomplish this.
5 elements of good Facebook cover design
The biggest mistake that businesses make on Facebook is not taking their cover photo seriously. Some don’t even pay attention to the quality of the photo and are not aware of the harm this does to their online image. The design of your Facebook cover is as important as your logo and website. It speaks so loudly about your business, that it can literally make or break your entire Facebook page.
Although it requires investing a fair amount of time and effort, it’s a real shame not to use the opportunity to improve your business success. Here are the 5 elements that you need to pay attention to in your Facebook cover design.
1. Technical match with Facebook’s cover guidelines
Before you even start brainstorming about the design of your cover photo, check the latest guidelines from Facebook. Otherwise, you may spend countless hours designing the perfect cover only to realize that it doesn’t fit the parameters well. In this case, it will appear stretched out or compressed, because of the automatic resizing that Facebook makes to all images that don’t fit the guideline.
Having a blurred or distorted image on your Facebook cover can turn current and potential customers away. It says that you are either unable to provide a quality presentation of your business, or that you don’t care enough to make the effort. Either way, it can seriously damage your reputation.
The current dimensions of the Facebook cover are 851 x 315 pixels. Therefore, you can upload an image of 1702 x 630 at 72 dpi. You should also remember to always use the RGB color mode instead of CMYK. After you adjust your cover photo to these guidelines, save it as a PNG file because it loads faster and can’t be easily distorted when you upload it to Facebook.
2. Right-alignment of the objects in the image
Since the profile photo on Facebook appears on the left side, you need to put the focus of the cover photo on the right side. This way, you will create balance to the first screen that your fans and customers see when they open your Facebook page. Balanced visuals are not only correct from a design point of view, but they are more aesthetically pleasing, too.
If you put something important on the left side of the cover, it may not get the proper attention because of the profile image. Moreover, everything that you put on the left side of your cover will be blocked out by the profile photo when someone accesses your page from a mobile device. On mobile, the profile photo and the name of the page appear on top of the cover photo.
You should also be careful not to put important things on the bottom right of the cover, where the like button and other buttons appear. In fact, you need to try to use some blank space around the buttons, so they will be visible for your potential fans.
3. Using the power of visual content
Although your cover plays a huge part in “selling” your image online, don’t stuff it with text. If you want to include text in your Facebook cover design, keep it short and concise. This way, your cover will be much more engaging.
It’s best if you can make a harmonized combination of visuals and text. The most powerful and engaging images are the ones that tell a story through both text and visuals. This combination is always far more successful in revealing a message than visuals or text alone.
4. Proper use of colors
In their efforts to make the Facebook cover design more eye-catching, many businesses tend to experiment with color. The result is usually a color clash with too much visual noise. Therefore, it’s very important to strive for simplicity.
The crucial thing when using colors for your cover is to keep them consistent to your brand. It is also important to take into consideration the connotations and feelings that are associated to each particular color. For example, if you want to give off a calm and professional feel, you should use cool colors such as blue, green, and purple. If you need a more energetic tone, go for warm colors like yellow or orange.
When choosing the colors for your Facebook cover design, try to align the purpose of the content with a color that has the same connotation. For example, red is usually associated with error, cancellation, passion as well as urgency.
5. Diversity
Always try to keep your Facebook cover photo up to date. This is especially important if you promote seasonal or other special offers. Keeping your cover idle or outdated will send a negative message to your online audience. Having a current cover photo shows that you are actively present and attuned to your market.
It’s very important for your Facebook cover design to be both diversified and consistent. As soon as you decide on the cover design that fits your business, stick to its essentials as a basis. Then, make variations so you can change your cover frequently. Promote current campaigns, events, or contests. Have a proper cover for each season. Use short quotes from customer testimonials.
With Youzign, you can make a bunch of Facebook covers that you can use throughout the year for your business Facebook page. You can also create all kinds of ad graphics for your Facebook ads. Get started with Youzign today and ensure you are always one step ahead of the competition with your unique Facebook graphics!
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