Written by Becky Fitzpatrick, Marketing Associate
A cover photo is like a cover letter: compelling, creative, and to the point. Social media profiles can make or break an organization. When supporters and fans visit your Facebook page, they want to see a clear logo, catchy posts, and graphic visuals that explain what you do and why they should “like” you. We urge FaircomNY clients to update their Facebook banner with every major campaign they launch. Rotating photos ensures new content for recurring visitors and integrates any messaging being sent by the organization on other platforms.
Some things in cover photos that make us cringe:
- stretched out or cut off photos
- using the same photo for a default and cover photos
- a cover photo full of text
- using colors and messaging that contrast with the rest of the profile
- important parts of the cover photo covered up by the default photo
Recognize some of these? It may be time to revamp your Facebook page. Here are some basic tips to remember when redesigning a new cover photo.
Know Your Dimensions
Too many organizations take a basic photo and use it as their cover photo. While it’s great to incorporate bright visuals and photos into your banner, the standard 4 x 6 photo has 1200 x 1800 pixels. Using this photo as your banner will either contort it to fit the frame or will crop out parts of the photo. It’s imperative to create a new banner, possibly incorporating that image, that will fit into the predetermined Facebook dimensions. This will ensure your cover photo always fits and no parts are cut out. Use our example above as a guide for your future cover photo.
Follow the Guidelines
After planning and creating this amazing cover photo, the last thing we want is to have Facebook remove it. While social media is definitely a place for freedom of expression, we do still have to follow the basic Facebook guidelines. But don’t worry, Facebook’s major guidelines state your photo “can’t be deceptive, misleading or infringe on anyone else’s copyright”. So if you’ve followed our steps you’ll pass with flying colors!
Incorporate the Design with the Default Photo
An organization’s default photo is shown on every post and comment so it’s important to keep that photo their logo so it’s seen on every action they make. Adding variety to their profile by showing what the brand represents, what their current events are, who their fans are, what their products/services are, etc will increase engagement. Always keep your logo and default photo in mind when designing a cover photo.
