Looking to visually market your business on Facebook?
Want quick and easy ideas to promote your product or service?
While there are countless ways to create differentiation on Facebook, your cover photo is the first thing most fans will see.
Designing a customized Facebook cover will help you instantly stand out.
Whether you’re a local, online or small business, your cover should instantly resonate with your audience. But it needs to do it in a fun, imaginative and unique way.
Ready to rev up your creative juices? Here’s how to make a Facebook cover that creatively markets your business!
Make a Facebook Cover that Markets Your Business
1. Branding
Rather than posting a random picture, reinforce your brand by choosing a photograph, style and theme that best represents your company.
Fans expect to see something that they associate with your business; something they can relate to. When a picture does not match up with the expectation, there is a sense of disconnect and disappointment.
Understand what your company represents and then determine how you can convey that both visually and emotionally. An easy way to do this is through a new tool called Relay.
If you want to create a branded Facebook cover in a matter of minutes and you’re tired of trying to remember the exact dimensions, Relay is the tool for you.
I put this one together for an upcoming event in a matter of moments!
2. Product Announcement
Ready to roll out a new product or service? Put it on the cover photo! This will entice potential customers and hold the attention of current fans.
For example:
You sell cupcakes and your latest offering is a decadent mocha caramel brownie truffle, sharing an image (or two) of this decadent dessert will leave your fans salivating and begging for more.
One of my favorite local bakeries is Sweetsalt. While they’re known for their desserts, they also make out of this world sandwiches. This short rib roll makes be my new BFF.
3. Make a Collage
If a simple Facebook cover image just is not enough, try a collage! Create a colorful collage including pictures that represent the essence of your business.
If you’re a landscaping company, share gorgeous pictures of beautifully designed front and backyards.
If you offer small business solutions, share images of your top products and services.
Novo, one of my favorite local cafe’s, uses a collage to highlight employees and behind-the scenes pics. They make fresh pasta and desserts daily and don’t miss the opportunity to share that in their Facebook cover.
4. Fan of the Day
If your fans love your business, leverage that adoration! After all, nothing beats a third-party endorsement from a raving fan.
Whether you choose a fan once a week or once a month, add them to your Facebook cover, including their picture and description for anyone visiting your page to see.
You can be sure that they will appreciate the recognition and hopefully join in the celebration by sharing the information from your page.
5. Promote an Upcoming Event
Do you have an incredibly important date coming up? Launching a new product? Opening a location in a new part of town? Rocking a new book?
Take the opportunity to tease that event!
Build excitement around your marketing campaign by incorporating it into your Facebook cover design. Just remember, create interest but don’t give everything away.
Facebook teaser campaigns can be very effective at arousing curiosity and gaining the attention of your niche market.
6. Celebrate the Holidays
Don’t be afraid to let a day be more than just a date on a calendar. Holidays are a free opportunity to create content around a topic that people are already emotionally connected to and truly care about.
For example:
Your company loves to create jobs in America. And it’s the 4th of July. What a coincidence!
Highlight the benefits of joining your company through your Facebook cover.
It may sound hokey, but paying homage to a holiday and making a connection to your business can go a long way in creating a loyal fan base.
7. Location
If you sit at the corner of a popular location in town, make sure to feature that in your cover photo.
Through proper branding, you create a powerful identifier both offline and online.
Sometimes all a brand needs is a storefront to associate with, and as your main brand positioner on Facebook, your cover image should be given plenty of attention.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Want to stand out on Facebook? Create a customized cover photo! Here’s 12 ideas:” quote=”Want to stand out on Facebook? Create a customized cover photo! Here’s 12 ideas.”]
8. Faces of Satisfied Customers
Having a cover photo that displays your customers enjoying your company’s products or services is a surefire advertisement method.
If you have proven to satisfy numbers of happy customers, other potential customers will be interested to see and hear from them.
Not only will this apply to one of the previous ideas listed, it will also be a great way to build immediate trust with potential customers.
9. Behind the Scenes
Add that personal touch to your cover photo by showcasing your team members or staff. Behind-the-scenes photos are a fun way to allow fans to better understand your company’s operations and services.
I relate it to watching a movie on DVD or Blu-Ray. I love seeing the behind-the-scenes shots taken while the movie was filmed. It’s intriguing to see the process of an idea born into movie magic.
While your product probably isn’t a Hollywood movie, you can be sure that what you do and how you achieve your results is still very interesting to your fans and customers.
Take this tip from Buffer who uses their cover to showcase the team. Buffer, while providing an amazing social media tool, also does an fantastic job engaging with their audience.
Who wouldn’t want to know who the people behind all that success really are?
10. Catchy Slogan
Have a catchy slogan or a quirky statement that defines your company? Proudly display that on your cover photo! It will capture the attention of anyone browsing your page and is an undeniable connection to current fans.
Old Spice is a great example of this strategy in action. “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” marketing campaign was a smashing success and became a brand identifier that made a lasting impression.
Always remember that while market share may be an accountant’s best friend, mind share and the viral possibilities associated with that is a marketing department’s dream.
11. Inspire, Excite and Encourage
We all need a little inspiration now and again.
Be the one motivating and encouraging factor in a fan’s life and they will definitely remember it. Some may even become long-term customers!
It’s not hard to imagine how one simple quote, image, or combination of the two can be just the words needed to turn a bad day around.
12. Summary of Services
Is your business a startup? If so, people visiting your page may not be familiar with your services or products.
Displaying a short summary of your service offerings or highlighting specific features will give fans an at-a-glance way to quickly connect with who you are.
Your own creative confines truly are your only limitations when it comes to promoting your business through your cover image.
Final Thoughts
Are you clearly articulating what sets your business apart from the competition? Are you using your Facebook cover to tell your story?
If not, you’re missing a huge opportunity.
Determine the best ways to leverage your Facebook cover photo to create brand awareness, encourage conversation and drive traffic to your website.
So what did I miss? I would love to hear how you are using the cover photo to promote your business in the comments below!
the different paths that people can take when choosing how to leverage their company’s cover photo. Great plug for Relay, which seems like a very easy-to-use tool,
I love how you give different examples of the different paths that people can take when choosing how to leverage their company’s . cover photo
Thanks for sharing the valuable information, very helpful indeed. Keep on writing the similar articles. waiting for your next articles.
Amazing insights!!
I really liked the idea of giving a quick shots about the services your startup offers with a catchy headline. In fact that’s what we have on our facebook cover page.
For sure, going to try other ideas you have shared.
Thanks for sharing
Hello, Rebekah!
First of all, such a great content and exactly the best I found it as I am wanting to tweak up my FB page starting with the cover photo.
Now, I know I have many ideas to go through and implement on my own page. 🙂
Such that the cover photo should be the reflection of your brand. It should be something that image show the visitors what this page is all about and what they will expect from every update.
Often I have seen people use just a random, not-so-professional-looking images and immature stuff there which don’t fit at all to portray the meaning of their page.
Thanks for sharing the insight and ideas with us! 🙂
Happy to share!
~ Adeel
Rebekah,
Great post! Too often do I stumble across company Facebook pages that have underdeveloped, poorly utilized cover photos. It certainly is the first thing that a potential customer sees and it has the potential to make a powerful impact. I love how you give different examples of the different paths that people can take when choosing how to leverage their company’s cover photo. Great plug for Relay, which seems like a very easy-to-use tool, especially for small businesses and restaurants that don’t have time to develop a sophisticated cover photo on their own.
Thanks again.
Dan Stickey, anticipated graduation May, 2016
Freeman School of Business / Tulane University
Hi Rebekah!
This is great. I like the idea of giving a list of services in the facebook cover photo. It’s a good idea to let your audience know what you got for them and what they should expect from you.
Thanks for sharing this. 🙂
I use Twitter as my most common example in my blog regarding social media’s impact on marketing and business, however all social media platforms help businesses grow and reach an audience, especially Facebook. I love how you explain that a well-developed Facebook cover can do wonders for a business. Doing things such as branding, featuring a fan of the day, promoting an upcoming event, and even celebrating the holidays. I’ve always thought of these as a decoration rather than a branding move, but now that I’ve really opened my mind up and read this I realize how correct you are. Any restaurant I’ve ever worked for has had an active Facebook page with specials, photos of the food, hours, fans of the week, etc. adorning their walls and, more importantly, their cover photos. Great post!
amdewitt@mix.wvu.edu https://socialmediaopportunist.wordpress.com/
Hi Angie! Those are all really great ideas. The goal is to stay creative and keep it fresh. Rotate it out as much as possible. We change ours out every month or sooner dependent on campaigns. Give your fans something new to look at and take action on!
I love this blog post! I think it is so important to capture your target consumer with the cover photo as it is the main eye catching component of one’s Facebook account! The different ways you show to create an effective cover photo are incredibly helpful and successful! Going forward, I will refer to these different ways if I ever need to portray a brand in an engaging way!
Hey Rebekah,
This post couldn’t have come at the right time. I was thinking about changing my Facebook Cover and I was going to use Canva to make those changes. Now that you introduced Novo, I will look into this site to see what it has to offers. My cover is so 2012ish lol, and I really need to update it so it can relate to the message of my blog!
Thanks for sharing Rebekah! Have a great week!
Great ideas! I like the collage idea the best. Its good to mix it up a bit every know and then. Thanks 🙂
Hi Rebekah
Great article! Visual branding is so powerful, even in niches usually thought of as dry or technical. I work in B2B and visual branding is often overlooked in this sector. I loved what you did with Relay. I’ve currently use Canva, which I’m very happy with, but I’ll be sure to check out Relay.
Clement
Hi Rebekah. Great post, as usual. I love some of these ideas. I think that sometimes we think of a Facebook cover as a stone monument, never to be messed with again. It is a good idea to change things up occasionally, and I’ll be trying some of these things, you bet.
Your blog is always filled with such wonderful images. It’s one of the things I like best about coming here. Thanks for sharing this information with us.
All the best,
Leslie
Hi Rebekah ma’am,
Quite a post loaded with creative visual marketing ideas!
Celebrating the holidays, giving behind the scenes sneak peeks all make our brand more human and more relatable.
I like the idea of giving a list of services in the facebook cover photo. It’s a good idea to let your audience know what you got for them and what they should expect from you.
Aww Old Spice is a darling in branding and marketing!
Have a great week ahead ma’am.
-Swadhin
This is great – we try to do a lot of what you mention here on our Town Hall Brands page – but there are great ideas and tips here. As usual!
What an EPIC list of options! I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t do a damn thing with my FB cover image last year, mostly because I wasn’t at all focused on building my FB following, but allll that’s going to change this year. I FINALLY {insert happy dance} made the time to design a new cover and will continue to change it based on what’s going on over at The Branded Solopreneur. FB is officially on my radar.
I’m especially la la looooving the idea to feature a customer in your cover with their shoutout of love. How freakin brilliant!!! You sure know your stuff lady, I can’t tell you how much I continue to learn from you. {BIG ass high five coming at ya…}
Another informative post from you Rebekah.These are some simple yet powerful tips to create a perfect FB cover to represent our brand . Will surely try to implement some of them.
Thanks for sharing !
Awesome content Rebekah. Will definitely be using this info for sure. Thank you.
Just what the Doctor ordered;>)
Just launching a new podcast, “How to Buy Your Best Franchise” and debating use of my mug shot, the Cover Art, or another Mountain Scene.
Your post gives focus to what I need to do. Now, on to the execution…
great stuff! Thanks!