Have you come across Facebook pages or ads with no information on them, weird blurry images taken from odd angles or maybe some highly pixelated unprofessional looking product photos that look sketchy. Did you feel confident about buying anything, based on the look of the social media page? I know I wouldn’t feel confident. As sad as it may sounds, looks and first impressions are important!

Social Media has a vital role in spreading the word about your business. How you appear on Facebook or Instagram (or on any other media) reflects the quality of your work. Your company might offer the pest products and services, but if your social media page and website don’t reflect that, people will not trust your business.

You might think that you need to hire a professional, but it is not hard to create good graphics for your business on your own.

There are a few simple steps that you can follow to create a clean and beautiful look for your social media. It will represent the quality work you do, attract potential customers and evoke trust towards your company and services.

1. Check Social Media Image Guidelines

Facebook and all social media have guidelines about the different image sizes and dimensions you can use to create your images.

This is an easy yet crucial step to make sure that you don’t end up with stretched and pixelated images.

You can find this information online. One blog post I LOVE and still refer back to is called “Your Bookmarkable Guide to Social Media Image Sizes”.

2. Adapt to Mobile and Tablet Screens

Mobile and tablet screens are smaller than your traditional desktop screen on your computer. Cover images are often cropped in a particular way when they are viewed on a smaller device.

It is important that you take into account the mobile and tablet cover image ratio and size when choosing or designing graphics for your social media page unless you want to end up with half cut-out people or text. It can look unprofessional, and you only need to make a small effort at the beginning to make sure the image and graphic you create or choose works for smaller screens as well.

3. Use High-Quality Images

You have to choose high-resolution photographs! I know that most people are not professional photographers, but it is easy to overcome that. With today’s amazing phones, you don’t even need a camera to start taking your own photos. Natural light is the best. Google around a bit, watch videos and see how you can make your photos better.

You can also utilise free stock photographs. Several websites offer free photos for download and commercial use. One of my favourite ones is Unsplash. You can create a FREE account and download unlimited free stock photos for yourself.

4. Watch Your Layout

Less is more! Remember, you don’t want to make your images crowded. You don’t need to share your entire company story written and crammed into one Facebook cover. Facebook actually recommends using minimal text in an image or graphic. The more details you cram into one image, the harder it will be for people to see what it is about. It directs the eye away from the point.

You have to think about where you are displaying an image and how people will engage with it. Is it a cover photo? Is it an ad? If you want to create a graphic for a Facebook or Instagram post, you will have less than half a second to grab attention as people scroll down their feed. If you add a lot of text and busy images, people won’t get the message and scroll away.

5. Have a Message

Do you want it to draw attention to a specific product? Do you want to upload it to your Instagram? Do you want this image to be at the center of your newest campaign?

Every shape, colour, image and graphical element can have a meaning and can evoke different feelings in people. You need to add elements to the graphic with intention. If it doesn’t match with what you are trying to communicate… just get rid of it… You will thank me later.

 6. Use the Same Colors

Sticking with your brand colors is super important. This is how people can identify your products/services and start to trust you.

There is nothing better than a professional looking brand, even if you don’t have a big company yet.  

7. Use Legible Fonts

Legibility is the most important thing. If your text is not legible, there is no point in having text in the first place. I know that there are many font families out there, and feel free to play with them, but try to use one that is not only pretty but easily legible as well.

It is best to work with only two font families. You can choose a simple, more legible font, and another more decorative.

8. Use Canva 

Canva is an excellent website where you can create your own designs using a drag and drop feature. It also has pre-sized templates for almost anything, so you don’t have to bother with finding the correct dimensions.

For more info, read our previous post about Canva here.

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These steps might feel overwhelming at first. I created a FREE pdf workbook that helps you through the branding process step-by-step. You will be able to understand your business and customers better and identify what colors and styles are suitable.

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