The OpenWater Blog

How Changing Your Facebook Cover Photo Can Help Your Awards Marketing

Appearance is everything. Ok, not everything, but it is a crucial part of your awards marketing, especially in the social media realm.

But, where does it matter most? Unsurprisingly, your Facebook cover photo can pack a real punch when it comes to promoting and marketing your program. And, as you can imagine, when you do this the right way, it can have real, measurable benefits.

What Makes a Cover Photo Captivating?

Your cover photo makes a statement as soon as potential entrants and members land on your page. Not only is it a significant part of your screen, but it’s also a key component that can help out your program in a big way.

This is because your cover photo also offers space where you can feature unique imagery representing the core essence of what you want individuals to understand about your program.

Now, I know that you’re looking for examples of organizations who are already doing a great job and just a couple of the stellar results that we found include:

1. Pride of Britain Awards

Like The Academy example provided in one of our previous posts, the Pride of Britain Awards emphasizes the excitement of the awards by highlighting all of the winners from the evening’s events, getting you excited for the action too! And, by including the subtle imagery of the award as the profile picture, without cutting into the cover photo itself, the image remains graphically stunning, no caption or text required.

2. The Webby Awards

The Webby Awards nails their cover photo as well, incorporating a reminder of the entry period through text that takes the central focus of the photo. Because the graphics are on the right side of the page, a reader can focus on the text first and get the messaging that the creator of The Webby Awards wants emphasized. There’s no getting caught up in overcomplicated graphics either, just graphically interesting imagery with a simple message.

Simple Steps to Take Your Cover Photo From Good, to Great!

If you’ve been tirelessly working to improve your Facebook photo but haven’t yet reached your ideal result, there’s no need to stress yourself out. As a matter of fact, there are some simple tips that you can integrate into your efforts to better optimize your cover photo:

• Simplicity is Best – While you want your cover photo to be eye-catching, you don’t want to overload visitors with too many graphics, quotes, or colors. Too much to look at can drive visitors away. Decide on a few key elements to include and leave the rest for another graphic later on.

• Size Matters – Cover photos should optimally measure 851 x 315 px. By taking the time to make it this size, you can rest assured that the entire graphic will show. Don’t take your time and essential components might get cropped, stretched, or worse: blurry and grainy.

• Consider Your Profile Picture – Your profile picture will block out part of your image. Save yourself the heartbreak of finding out your design won’t work because of the profile picture and take it into account ahead of time.

• Show the Center and Right Side Some Love – Because your profile picture hides part of the cover photo, it’s important to show the center and right side some love. If you include heavy graphics or text on the left side, it’s going to look cluttered. Instead, put the main text and graphics on the center and left side to enhance your imagery.

• Include a Call to Action, But Keep Things Visual – Want to include call for entry dates, a motto, or other information about your program in the cover photo? You should. But when you do, keep it small and maintain graphic imagery throughout the cover photo for maximum impact.

You already know that social media is an essential component of your awards marketing. Now, with the proper Facebook cover photo, you can rest assured that you’re doing social media right.

Want additional guidance about how to best use social media for your awards marketing needs? If so, download our guide and make your awards program better than ever!

What have your most successful Facebook cover photo been of? Share your own success stories below in the comments!

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Miriam Hancock

Miriam Hancock
Miriam is the Marketing Coordinator for OpenWater. When she isn't writing and designing content she paints and cooks for her own personal blog.

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