Social Media Banners: A Guide

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As a business owner, you know that first impressions are everything. When someone visits your website or your social media page, you want to make sure that you’re putting your best foot forward. And one of the most important tools you have for making a great first impression is your social media banner.

Why are social media banners so important and what are they?

A social media banner is the image at the top of your social media page. They form a banner (hence the name) which is used as an eye catching visual to help to draw in visitors and potential customers to your page, and encourages them to look at your page further. The platforms that currently use banners are Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, but bear in mind that they all have different dimension requirements, so you’re the banner you create should not be a one size fits all. The style of your banner will be dependent on your brand, but should be original and unique.

Social media banners set the tone for your socials and are one of the things that create that first, and hopefully lasting, impression. Social media banners should be thought of as extra advertising space, and you should use this to your advantage. The best banners encourage visitors to take an action, maybe it’s to check out the deals you have on during sales, or it could be to donate to a charitable cause. Whatever your goal, your social media banner is the best place to make that first impact.

Use eye-catching visuals

One of the most important things to consider when creating a social media banner is the visuals. You want to choose an image or graphic that is eye-catching and relevant to your brand. If you’re not sure where to start, try looking for free stock photos that you can use, or you can use free design services like Canva, which are easy to use even if you are not a designer.

Your social media banner is the first thing that people will see when they visit your page, so it’s important to make sure that it’s eye-catching and conveys the message you want to send about your brand. Luckily, with a little effort, you can easily create banners that will leave a lasting impression on your visitors.

Keep it simple

When it comes to your social media banner, less is more. You want to make sure that your banner is easy to understand and not cluttered with too much information. Use concise messaging that gets your point across quickly. Some of the best ways to make your social media banner simple yet effective are:

Bold typography or images so visitors to your page instantly know what you’re about
A consistent colour scheme that matches your brand in some way
Make sure it is high quality and properly fits the dimensions of the banner space

Some brands may not even use much text on their banners, and instead opt for a more visual approach, and some may use typography as the visual element instead. One thing we do know however, is that your banner shouldn’t be overwhelming, as this can be off putting for people who come on to your page.

Make it relevant

It’s important to make sure that your social media banner is relevant to your brand and your audience.

Take some time to consider what you want your banner to say about your business. Are you trying to increase brand awareness? Showcase a new product? Whatever your goal is, make sure that your banner reflects it. Visitors to your page should be able to connect the banner to your brand immediately, so it is important to make sure that your banner reflects your brand in the best way possible.

Not only this, but your social media banner needs to remain relevant, so in order to do this, make sure it’s up to date, and is updated if you rebrand, or if there has been a major shift in your business that would warrant the banner being changed. This is incredibly important when it comes to continuity and maintaining the aesthetic and theme of your brand over social platforms.

Use calls to action

We’re sure pretty much everyone knows what a CTA is now, and how they can be incredibly effective at turning clicks to conversions, but what about having them on your social media banner? Given that the banner is likely going to be the first thing a visitor to your page sees, a CTA can be very useful to get people to pay attention and take action. Not only this, but the fact that CTAs are short and snappy lends themselves well to banners as, like previously mentioned, you want the banner to be simple, and to make a statement.

There have been studies that show that adding a CTA can increase conversions by over 80%, therefore, they should form an important part of your arsenal. A CTA on your social media banner can also be more effective when you employ other CTAs throughout your social media page, as it reinforces the action that you want visitors to your page to take.

What’s the takeaway?

Social media banners are going to be the thing that create that all important first impression to your social media page, and their importance should not be ignored. Your banner should be instantly recognisable and should emphasise that the page is solely about your brand. Furthermore, your social media banner should be eye catching enough to encourage visitors to your page to keep scrolling through your posts, but shouldn’t be cluttered or too distracting.

The best social media banners are simple, relevant, and bold, and they should always align with your brand. Never leave the banner space empty as this lessens the authenticity of your page, and also means that you are missing out on valuable, free advertising space, which you should always use to your advantage.

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