A (social media) banner day

What’s your social media banner strategy?

Don’t have one? Here’s some suggestions for you.

One of the first things that viewers of your social pages notice is the banner image at the top.

It’s a good spot to provide your potential clients an opportunity to be introduced to your world…

…and yet, for many, they fail to capitalize on creating a chance to capture their audience’s attention. 

In my case, I have a banner image that I use across all of my platforms - a picture I took of Seth Godin delivering a keynote. 

I’ve been using it for a couple years now. 

Why so long?

Well, I’ve had several folks comment on the fact that that image immediately captured their attention. 

Why?

For those I serve, Seth Godin is held in the highest esteem within the world of marketing and is immediately recognizable. 

This one photo has sparked at least 20 conversations in direct messages since it’s served as my banner image. And that’s the whole point of having a social media presence…

Get connected with people that need your help. 

Now, when it comes to an effective banner strategy, the possibilities are endless, so long as you don’t settle on a black banner, of course (I see you folks out there rocking the empty banner!)

Some possibilities to create an eye-catching banner include using:

• Your logo as a full-bleed image across the entire banner

• A lifestyle portrait of you working one on one with a client

• An event photo of you on stage in front of a large audience

• A portrait of you with an expression and outfit that contrasts your profile picture

• A lifestyle portrait that contrasts your professional photo with a personal look into your life - meditating, engaging in a hobby, or being with the family, for example

• A collage of everything listed above and more

What’s the best way to figure out what works best? 

Well, my suggestion is to simply rotate in and out various different photos over the course of a month or two and see which ones draw the most attention. 

I know - not very concrete, but this is pretty much how I settled on mine.

I rotated through dozens - including smartphone photos - over time, and eventually, I decided to stick with this one based on the attention it created. 

For your next attempt, don’t overthink it. Just give it a try and see what happens.

And, if you want to add some contact information such as your business number and website address, or share some logos of the companies in which you’ve served, go for it. It’s worth a shot. Just don’t go overboard and obstruct the view of your faces in the photos with logos and graphics. 

One thing to keep in mind when creating one consistent banner across all your platforms:

The pixel dimensions are different from platform to platform. 

I know, it’s a bit of a pain in the ass, but it’s worth finding that one solution for all platforms, as it creates less to-do’s for your marketing team while also offering visual consistency from platform-to-platform. 

All with the goal of getting more conversations started :)

Over to you…

What is your social media banner strategy? Do you have a social media banner strategy? Not sure where to start? Post your questions about it in the comment section below.