Social Media Design Tips and Tricks
Social media has taken over the realm of digital marketing. With this influx of marketing on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok, the importance of design has skyrocketed. In order to draw your audience in, you need to implement design strategies that will both promote your brand and connect with your target publics. Here are three social media design tips and tricks to take your social media marketing to the next level.
Take Inspiration from your Brand
How will my brand inspire my social media design?
Looking at your branding guidelines is the first place you should start when designing your social media accounts. Maintaining your brand image is vital to a cohesive design across communication channels. However, do not feel constrained by your branding guidelines. Most branding guidelines include specific colors and fonts that should be used across all communication designs. Your branding guide may even include what design choices you make on social media.
Your company will determine how you implement these design principles on your social media. Some companies will want complete consistency on all channels, whereas others may be a little looser in their requirements. You can still be consistent in your branding and be creative. Think about what design will make the content and your brand stand out.
Use the Best Program
How do I know what the best program to use for social media design?
Now, there is not one “correct” program to use for social media design. Not everyone is a graphic designer, and that’s okay. While your social media designs and images need to be top notch, there are programs that cater to any skill level of design.
If you have a lot of experience in graphic design, then the Adobe programs like Photoshop, Indesign, and Illustrator are likely the best fit for you. In these programs you can create your own graphics, edit images, and more. Adobe now has Adobe Express that is more user friendly and can help you make effective graphics for social media.
If you do not have experience in graphic design, don’t stress, there are plenty of online design options that can suit your needs. One of the best graphic design tools is Canva. Canva has thousands of templates you can use and customize, or you can start from scratch. If you are new to design, find templates that you like and don’t have to edit much. You can customize more once you become more comfortable. There are other programs like Canva available, so find the one that works the best for you and your company.
Complement Your Content
How can I make sure my design complements my content?
In order for your designs to be effective, they need to complement your content. If your images do not make sense with your content, your publics will be confused. They will questions whether they should focus on the message from the image or the writing. Most of the time, the image will win out, so be careful that your image does not steer your audience away from your intended message.
Now, your content and images do not need to match word for word. If you create a graphic, you do not want it to display the entire message of your caption. Instead, have a teaser or put the most important details on the graphic that will make your audience want to read more. Draw your audience in with the design and make them stay with the quality of your content.
To do so, pull out the most important aspect of your message. Think about what images or graphics would best represent that message and spark consumers’ attention. Remember your branding and company values as well as your need to maintain consistency across all of your communication channels. Once you know what you want to emphasize, design a graphic that speaks to your public and representents your company well.
Design is critical to effective social media marketing. By creating appealing designs you will not only draw your customers in, but you will also communicate more clearly.
Want to learn more about social media design? RedMoxy is here to help! Contact us here to learn more.