Including Graphic Design To Make Your Social Media More Effective
by Claire Stevens of Crunchy Social
Whether you are a private person looking to grow your personal profile on a chosen social media platform, or you are a big brand wanting to spread across multiple channels, you shouldn’t overlook the importance that graphic design has in creating a quality social media presence.
When you begin your research on the subject, you will probably come across the same mistakes that other profiles make, over and over - and that is not paying enough attention to the aesthetics of their content. In such cases, where photos seem too unplanned and unprofessional, the audience is likely to doubt them as a brand and even overlook the profile.
Another pressure that today’s world of social media contributes to, is the fact that you have to compete with the best of the best in the field, even if your business is small and may lack the staff or resources for this. Remember, you only have a few seconds to get the your audience’s attention in amongst our noisy social feeds.
Luckily, graphic design can get you a long way. Before you hire a graphic designer, here are a few tips on how you can prepare yourself and your brand, to give your designer all the information they need to help your social media profiles represent your brand in the best way possible.
1. Create a Strategy
The first step of any business process is to create a strategy. This needs to focus on what will work best for your brand and in this instance, your social media.
Simply create a plan of the things you want to accomplish while you engage and/or educate your audience. Ask yourself some different questions to get to that information, such as ‘What kind of emotions am I trying to convey?’ ‘What is my brand about?’ ‘Am I selling products, services or just an image’, and ‘What occasions will I need to keep an eye for?’
For example, if your business is in book publishing, you will need to keep an eye on current literary events, book fairs and book releases. You will also be reaching out to a specific target audience and you’ll need to research the best social channels, types of content and the overall tone of your brand that you need to use to reach those people. This will also help you determine which social media platforms you should put your efforts into the most.
As long as you have a strategy, all future decision-making will fall into place.
2. Pick Your Aesthetics
Now that you have a strategy, you can make a choice on what type of aesthetics to incorporate into your posts. Look into the profiles of those people or brands you follow. What do you like about them most? Research the profiles of brands that are in the same field of interest as you are and consider what you could do to make your profile stand out.
Pick a colour scheme that is in line with your brand image and research possible photography options. If you have an eye for good photography, you might like to take pictures yourself, otherwise, think about hiring a professional photographer.
Whatever you do, research, research, research and then come to a decision you know will work for your business, with your other commitments and time restraints in mind.
The important thing to know here is that while there are rules about things that please the eye, there are also exceptions to those rules, so you don’t have to treat all your gathered information as if it was set in stone. By knowing those rules, you will know exactly how and when it is okay to break them in order to create something new.
The good news here is the fact that each and every one of us has a different voice and a unique expectation of aesthetics, meaning everything you and your graphic designer come up with together is bound to be special.
​3. Don't Pressure for Words and Typography
Typography focused images has proven to be very much in style in recent times, especially if your profile or your brand is in the lifestyle niche. Motivational quotes, sayings, and wise words from inspirational influencers, not to mention calls to action are even more motivating and attention grabbing when presented in a beautiful way.
However, a lot of businesses make a mistake when creating visual content that include lines of text. As a brand owner, you will need to be careful of whether or not you want to use any at all because no matter how important you think your text is, it’s best to keep it for the caption complementing the post.
When it comes to writing on pictures, text can often detract from the image, and is often the result rather than making content seem artistic. This is why you should only implement typography when you think it is absolutely necessary and remember to stick to just a few words.
A good graphic designer will know exactly how to guide you and how to style your content.
If you’re looking for help in managing your social media updates, get in touch with the experts at Crunchy Social for affordable and timesaving social media management.
Writer is Social Director from Crunchy Social, a Sydney based agency, specialising in social media management and enhancing your brand image through social media marketing.
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Tag: social media marketing, digital marketing, graphic design, content marketing
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