While the channel is different, the focus on design still remains the same –clever designs are a must-have in your social media campaign. You may have assumed that witty, succinct copy is the most important in social media in gaining attention, but awesome copy without just as awesome visuals will fall flat.
Furthermore, as the attention spans of people on social media are notoriously short, given the nature of the medium that encourages constant scrolling and quick reactions, eye-catching and properly thought-out visuals are more important than ever before. If your window of time to attract someone’s attention lies in a short few seconds, beautiful design is definitely your best bet to do so.
- Here is what works!
Maintain a consistent colour palette, font and feel throughout the campaign. If your brand already has a colour palette or a defining font, we recommend sticking with this, for consistency and recognition. Especially on social media where feeds are flooded with images constantly being scrolled through, you’ll want your brand to be instantly recognisable. You’ll achieve this with colours, since this is the first thing that catches the eye in an image. For instance, Google ensures that its brand colours of red, blue and yellow are visibly used in all campaigns. Even the image used as the header on its Facebook page reflects Google’s strong branding, comprising only the 4 primary colours and making the page feel undeniably familiar.
The feel of the image used in the campaign is also important, as it should tie in with the brand’s overarching identity. For example, Google is about fun and innovation, and the images on its landing page reflect that, being bold and witty yet keeping the same clean style throughout.
- GIF us something that moves!
GIFs are all the rage on social media these days, and why not? They’re interesting, often funny, and most importantly, people love them. Engagement rates are high when GIFs are shared, and rightly so, we say! These dynamic little pops of fun are a great way to catch hold of fleeting attention and they’re emotive in ways a static image isn’t.
While anyone can share viral GIFs, not everyone can make them well, and that is where you need a designer’s expertise. You want something that is eye-catching but not mind-numbingly complex, fun but not tacky, memorable – in a good way! There are many brands that did it right, such as Starbucks and Kraft. Design your GIF well and you’ll reap the rewards on your social media marketing efforts!
- The little things do matter
There are differences in the recommended image resolutions for the different social media networks, and you’d do well to remember that. Get your designer to make tweaks to your image to comply with the different resolutions of the different social media platforms – a properly sized image goes a long way in conveying your brand’s professional image and showing that you have got it all covered. Using the same image without making the adjustments to the size will leave your customers with a bad impression of your brand, as it looks sloppy and makes it seem like you’re ill-prepared. For example, Instagram now allows images that are not of the standard square size but you’d still best adhere to the square, cos the image still shows up as a square on your feed – the edges are chopped off and the full image is only shown when it is clicked on.
Use lines and space to draw attention to what you want to highlight in the image for maximum impact. Especially since images show up small on mobile screens which is the platform of choice for many people who use social media, slight variations in proportion make a big difference.
Our designers know all these and lots more! Connect with us today to find out more about how you can maximise your social media efforts with the help of clever and visually pleasing design!
