Do you use Facebook as a marketing platform for your brand or business? Well, of course, you are but first, let me ask yourself another couple of questions.How important do you think your Facebook banner and photo id are? How much time did you invest in creating a profile or a page that stands out from the crowd?
If you are a marketer, a business owner or a freelance worker, you probably already know how important is to give your brand a stylish look and a visual design that will be easily recognizable. At the same time, you know that most of your customers and potential customers are already on Facebook, sharing their thoughts and activities, reading their news and communicating with people and businesses. Therefore, I am more than sure that you’ve already set up a Facebook account and maybe even a Facebook page.
Why your Facebook cover matters so much
According to Social Bakers, there are almost two billion monthly users on Facebook. It’s a huge pool of possible customers and fans and this is the reason why this social media platform is still being used as a means for marketing by the majority of brands and businesses worldwide.
Since almost everybody is already on Facebook, it seems logical to start your marketing campaign here and sign up if you don’t already have an account. Plus, people spend more than a few minutes on this platform. They get up in the morning with Facebook, they check their walls and timelines a few time every day and don’t go to sleep before seeing what their friends, favorite brands or colleagues are doing. We know for a fact that 30% of the time spent online is allocated to social media, and that the average time spent on Facebook is 50 minutes a day. Thus, for a marketer or a small business owner, it is almost impossible to ignore the fact that social media is now a part of everybody’s life; Facebook especially.
Make a good first impression on social media
I am sure you’ve already heard many times that making a good first impression counts. Well, it’s true. It does. This saying, however, is not only valid when meeting new people. It’s also applicable to brands.
What do people see when they land for the first time on your brand’s Facebook account or page? They see your profile picture and your Facebook banner. Therefore, these are the two things you should take care of, immediately upon signing up on Facebook. Create a logo if you didn’t already cover this aspect of your branding process, and then proceed to the Facebook banner creation process. What do you need?
STEP 1: Choose a Facebook banner creator
If you are a designer, then things will be much easier. I am sure you are already familiarized with some photo editors and at least one designing software. However, once you have a logo image, you might want to save some time at this point and invest more in your content. It’s important to attract your fans or customers with a good first impression but it is also important to capture their attention and keep them occupied and interested on your page.
How can you save time and still design a professional looking Facebook brand page?
Well, I always use Bannersnack for banners and other types of visuals for social media accounts and websites. It has an easy learning curve but above all, it’s intuitive and helps me create great professional looking designs in just a few minutes. Let’s start with the basics:
► Create your Bannersnack account and sign in. If you already have an account, just sign in and go to the Facebook banner maker panel.
► Click on „Start designing”
► You can use the same platform to create banner ads on Facebook, similar to your cover banner or based on it.
► There are a lot of templates available in the designer panel. You can start by choosing one of these templates and add buttons, text and other visuals on it. Or, you can start anew, by choosing to upload some of your photos or designs you want to build your banner upon.
► Once you’ve settled for a template or a photo, you can use the available left toolbar in order to add more images, text, videos, buttons or shapes to your banner.
STEP 2: Get some inspiration – here are 8 awesome FB banners examples
Good ideas come out of the blue sometimes, but this doesn’t mean you don’t have to do your homework. Before you actually start working on your Facebook banner, you might want to find some inspiration. What can you do?
Visit your competitors’ pages: Find them on Facebook and check their banners. See what it is that makes each one of them unique, try to think about new ways you can stand out from the crowd. Make screenshots with what you think to be the best twenty Facebook headers you can find and save them in a folder on your computer. You can browse other social media banners from other platforms as well such as Twitter. The design is similar. Review them several times, individually and all together as well.
Browse some popular websites: You can find inspiration outside Facebook as well. Visit some popular websites, competitors or not, and check their headers and logos. Usually, they are similar to what you need to design for your Facebook account or page and therefore, they might be of help. Just like you did before, make some screenshots and save them in a folder for future review.
Browse the Bannersnack templates gallery: If you don’t have the skills or time to create your own designs, or if you don’t have any particular unique style, color or image for your own brand, you can also select one of the already made Bannersnack templates. They all look professional and stylish. Moreover, you will limit the time spent creating your banner to just a few minutes. Add your text, some shapes or buttons and you are ready to upload it on Facebook.
Tip: You don’t have to resume to Facebook templates. You can also browse Bannersnack’s Instagram banner templates and all the other galleries available there to get some hints and inspiration.
Check with friends, colleagues or employees: Brainstorm with coworkers or employees in order to find the best theme, design or photo for your Facebook banner. If you already have ideas, ask around for advice and feedback. Talk with people you trust.
Browse stock photo websites: There are several premium stock photos websites to choose from. You don’t have to subscribe to all of them right away. Browse their galleries, get inspired and subscribe to the one that has everything you need. Stock photos can be perfect for banners and advertising flyers or brochures. However, it is also important to check your competition to avoid using the same images.
Browse your own photo gallery: Everybody owns at least a mid-range digital camera these days. If you are a photo enthusiast, you may find sources of inspiration where you expect less: in your own photo folders. Don’t dismiss this option just because you think you are not a professional photographer. You’ll be amazed by how many fascinating details you can find in your own galleries if you pay attention to compositions, colors or backgrounds.
Examples of great inspirational Facebook banners:
#1 UBER
Uber chose to display a banner based on modern graphic design rather than a photo or a collage. While the graphics and colors are in line with their new brand, they also suggest simplicity and comfort.
#2 DROPBOX
Dropbox welcome Facebook fans with a graphical banner that resembles a rather handmade design which goes perfectly with their ideas and values. It’s quite simple and doesn’t really explain what the product is good for. However, these items are all taken from the original video that explained how the app works, upon launching. Thus, in a way, they are all related to Dropbox and their core values.
#3 KLM
Royal Dutch Airlines proves to us that you can do a great job with just a single photo. Ok, a retouched photo but nevertheless a photo. This is a great composition depicting their fleet of planes and clouds in the sky that describes exactly what the company is doing.
#4 SHARPIE
If you want to keep things simple and still deliver a great visual message, take the example of Sharpie, a company that delivers office supplies. Their Facebook banner is simple and yet, it manages to deliver a colorful message, and at the same time, to advertise some of their products.
#5 BUDWEISER
Budweiser’s Facebook banner can also be a great source of inspiration, especially if you are a producer of goods or a vendor with an eCommerce website. Their banner is also simple but instead of a graphical design or a composition, we have a picture of a natural daily occurrence: a man, sitting at a bar, with a bottle of beer. It is a perfect example of an image that features great colors, great angles and of course, a great advertising banner that puts in the forefront their most valuable product.
#6 GEORGE & HARRISON
You can deliver a great message as well by keeping things simple and choose a direct approach. George & Harrison, a graphic designer company from Nederland, managed to capture the exact minimalist visual look and style that makes you wonder about who they are. It also makes you intrigued to find out more about their company. At the same time, the Facebook banner text message is self explanatory for what they are sharing on their page: „News&Fun”.
#7 SQUARESPACE
A great example of a photo composition and a call to action message as well comes from Squarespace. It’s catchy, easy on the eye and at the same time, it manages to say everything about what they have to offer.
#8 J.CREW
- Crew, a clothing brand demonstrates to us that a fashion catalog image and some basic contact details can also be effective when merged together into a great Facebook banner.
STEP 3: Have an eye for details
Designing your Facebook banner may prove to be an easy task if you know exactly what you want. However, as easy as the creation part may be, you don’t have to take it as a routine task. The banner is the first thing a visitor notices when he or she lands up on your Facebook page. Therefore, pay attention to every single and apparently insignificant detail and make sure that your banner is not only attractive but also impeccable. There shouldn’t be flaws, blurred areas or misplaced lines and images.
STEP4: Be consistent: create similar Facebook ads banners
Once your Facebook banner is ready for upload, you might want to consider your future paid marketing campaigns. Should you choose to display Facebook ads, the best approach would be to design them the same way you have previously designed your banner. Create your responsive html5 banner ads by using the same images, graphics or texts. It shows consistency on your part. Your fans will also find it easier to recognize your ad this way and therefore, click on it.
Conclusion
There are almost two billion users on Facebook. It seems almost obvious that all the brands and businesses are also there, sharing news and engaging in direct dialogue with their customers and fans. Not to mention that you can create advertising campaigns able to deliver consistent results on Facebook.
However, the first thing the fan or the customer notices upon landing for the first time on a Facebook page is the Facebook banner. And this is why it is important to make sure your design is able to stand out from the crowd and be consistent with what you are doing or with your brand image.
We’ve learned together how to design your Facebook banner and where to search for inspiration. Now, I would like to also read about your opinions and inputs on this topic in the comments section available below. How much time do you spend on creating, designing and updating your profile page design? How important do you think the Facebook banner is?