Design Your Way to More Click-Worthy Social Media Posts

Are you finding it challenging to stand out in social media?

It could be the images you’re posting.

You might have the most compelling content in your industry, but social media is visual, even for a corporate channel like LinkedIn. Most people will only read if they’re attracted to what they see.

Of course, most business owners aren’t design pros. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t create awesome, eye-catching images. This guide explains how.

Start With the Right Pictures and Videos

You can’t create a visually arresting post unless you base it on a great image.

Many posts fail to get noticed because they feature a poorly lit photo taken from a smartphone, or the same-old stock image everyone else is using.

Make a point to base your posts on high-quality, crystal-clear, and captivating photos (and videos). Have them professionally taken, buy them from a reputable stock source if you can afford it, or get free images from a quality provider like Unsplash, Pixabay, or Pexels.

No matter how you treat an image in post-production, it can only be as good as the foundational material.

Leverage Proper Tools

Photoshop and other photo and video editing software are complex and too complicated for most non-artists and producers to master. Even basic versions of them turn off people who aren’t design professionals.

Don’t give up! Using the right tools can make it easy to get professional results.

Visme is a cloud-based platform that makes it easy to design everything from videos to images to infographics. If your goal is to create unique Instagram stories, check out Mojo. It allows you to properly reflect your brand by using templated, animated options you can populate with visuals that represent your business. Canva is another popular image-editing tool. You can use it to do everything from adding a frame, shape, or text to a picture or animation.

These aren’t the only tools available to you, but they’re a good selection to show there are simple-to-use apps that will help you create professional-looking visuals that will stand out.

Size and Scale Images For The Social Platform

One of the most frustrating things about creating social media graphics is getting the sizing right.

• If they’re too big, you might lose some content.

• If they’re too small, you could end up with an unattractive border around an image or one that’s unclear.

Either way, your visuals won’t look professional if they’re incorrectly sized.

Make it a point to check current social media image sizes before posting anything. They change frequently, and yesterday’s awesome image could be today’s unsightly one as a result.

Make Representation a Top Priority

Ask yourself: Do your visuals reflect and represent the people in your audience and that you want to do business with?

People on social media are more likely to respond to posts that feature people that represent them. Whether it’s race, sexual identity, sex, age, or any other identifier, your images must reflect your followers and the people you’re targeting if you want to attract and do business with them.

Learn Basic Design Rules

Some simple graphic design precepts can make your posts pop even if you’re not a design professional.

Color

Color is powerful. People respond to it strongly. Just think of some of the most notable brands — you could probably pick them out on color scheme alone.

Try to select images that include your brand colors. Or add them to a design element like a frame. It will help people realize a post is from you.

Also, create feelings through the hues in your images. Some colors are relaxing, others exciting, and some make viewers feel cheerful or energized. Selecting pictures purposefully by considering color can help make people feel what you want them to feel while reinforcing your brand.

Balance

Extremely balanced images often fall flat in the cluttered world of social media. Create something unexpected in your pictures using different size objects, white space, textures, or balances of light and dark on a particular area of the image.

Hierarchy

This design concept is all about emphasizing the most essential part of an image and then allowing other elements to come through. People scrolling through social media won’t take the time to understand images that are too complex or difficult to understand at a glance.

Maintain Consistency

Identify a photo style, color, font, or design element and feature it in your posts. This type of branding will help people recognize and look out for your posts.

Vary Your Visual Content

While you want to maintain brand consistency in your posts, you don’t want your brand to become dull or one-note. Try different graphic elements, design approaches, image types, video forms, and memes. Doing something unexpected within your brand will keep people interested in your posts and content.

Monitor Metrics to Figure Out What’s Working

Wondering if your visuals are getting people’s attention?

Monitor your social media metrics. Those likes, clicks, and shares are sure signs that people are responding to your posts. Look for patterns in what’s working and what’s not—it will help inspire your future post-design efforts.

Final tip: Don’t let a focus on what’s working prevent you from exploring new imagery ideas and options. Even if your results are great, you never know if something could make them even better.