Make the most of the new Facebook cover page

In the latest digital marketing article from Lewis Smith & Co. client Arrowsmith Marketing, the focus is on Facebook.

Arrowsmith’s Gareth Edwards says that Facebook has made a small but significant change to the layout of cover pictures (the large banner picture) at the top of company pages.

“Previously the profile picture and a row of tabs overlapped the cover picture.  That obscured the picture and made it awkward to add text to appear in the right places.

Now you have the full picture to show off something about your organisation and its products or services.”

In the past creating nice looking graphics would have involved getting to grips with complex software like Photoshop.  Now there are free and easy to use tools that give everybody the chance to make their Facebook pages look great.

One of the best of the free tools around (there are paid for elements – but you won’t need to use them) is called Canva (www.canva.com).

Canva has a variety of templates that match the size and proportions of pictures used on many different social media tools including Facebook.  It can also be used to create graphics for lots of other marketing uses as well.

All you have to do is is select a template, upload a photo if you want, and then add text, shapes and icons. Canva provides a range of free (or cheap) templates that have been pre-filled with attractive picture, text-boxes and icons that you can then edit.

Here’s an example of what can be achieved.

Local disabled children’s charity, The Friends of Alfie Johnson,  held its annual Summer Ball and raised a massive amount of money.  It was really important for the charity to promote the success and to say thank you to all of the people who helped out.

It was straightforward to upload a picture of the beautifully decorated function room and then add some relevant text.  The “Thank You” call-out is a free option and Canva boasts a selection of up-to-date fonts, which in this case were used to give a “friendly feel” to the message.  Colours were chosen to match those used in the charity’s logo.  As an added tip there is a Google Chrome (browser) extension called Eye Dropper that makes it easy to find out exactly what colours are used on websites.

One of the big benefits of the ease of use that Canva offers is that you can change your Facebook cover page in line with your marketing activity.  The Friends of Alfie Johnson Facebook page is now being used to promote its next big fundraising event, its annual quiz.

You can use it to show off new products, promote special offers or highlight new customers.

Remember Canva can be used to create graphics for use right across social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.  It also helps to provide a splash of colour and eye-catching information on blogs and websites.  Take a look at some of the news items on this site: the graphics are frequently Canva-produced.

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Call 01384 235549 or email info@lewissmith.com to set up an initial discussion.

Lewis Smith & Co. – Tax planning and reporting experts.