TRANSCRIPTION
In today’s free Facebook training tutorial, we are going to be talking about your Facebook cover image and how you can take it from dull to dazzling. The Facebook cover image is often forgotten about. You pop up your beautiful image and leave it, but this is such a missed opportunity. This is prime online real estate that you can utilise it to help build up your email list, drive people to come to events, get in contact with this business, book appointments, or even visit your website.
Facebook Cover Image Specs
In this tutorial, I’m going to go through a few examples to help give you a steer on what you can achieve with your cover image. First of all, we are going to be talking about image size. It’s important your image not only looks fantastic, but it is the right size to be seen on desktop and also on mobile. 90% of people who are going to be looking at your Facebook page are looking at it on a mobile device.
Facebook recommends that you use the dimensions of 851 pixels by 315. Now, I’ve found that if you make the image a little bit bigger, it looks a lot better when it’s shown on mobile. I would suggest 828 pixels by 465. Those are the dimensions I’ve used, and you can see what it looks like on desktop and what it looks like on mobile.
When you’re thinking of things that you can use for your Facebook image, try and keep in mind the person that you want to become a fan of that page. What is going to appeal to them, and what’s going to make them click that like button? You can also choose to change your cover photo regularly. Change it once a month, and every time you change it, it will be shown to your fans, and they can like and engage with it. This is great for if you wanted to run a contest for a limited time or you have any special offers. I’m going to be showing you some examples of businesses that are using their cover photo really well.
Add A Call To Action Button
Facebook gives you the option to add a call to action button at the bottom of your Facebook cover image. This has lots of different options. The first option, book now, is great if you provide some sort of service and people can make bookings online to your business. If you’re a dentist, a hairdresser, opticians, for example. You can select the book now button and take people directly to some sort of booking page on your website.
The next is get in touch, and this is really straightforward. You can ask people to call you, and let them know what your phone number is. You can take them to your website to get in touch onto your contact page, send a message directly using Facebook messenger, sign up so they go to a page on your website to sign up for something, possibly something to give away, and finally, they can arrange to send an email to you.
The learn more option allows you to take people to watch a video, either on Facebook or on your website, or you can take them to a page on your website all about your organisation.
If you are an eCommerce business, shop now is the perfect button for you it directs the user to your website so they can check out your merchandise.
Finally, if you have an app, you can direct people to use your app, or if you’re a gamer, you are a games company, you can ask people to play your game directly from your Facebook page.
Facebook Cover Image Inspiration
Build Your Email List
Sue B. Zimmerman is a Instagram expert, and she uses her cover image to promote her new free Instagram strategy guide. You can sign up using the blue button at the bottom, or if you click the the cover image, it takes you to this bit of text, which loads of people forget about, where you can … She’s added links to sign up and some information about the guide. This a huge opportunity that so many people miss. Use the real estate that Facebook gives you.
Raise Awareness Of Promotions
If you’re running a special promotion, you can use your cover image to get people to sign up for it, like they have done here with Pizza Express. They’re telling you about the offer. Nice visual image, and all you need to do is click the sign up button. You are then directed to sign up to their email list to take advantage of the special offer. Now, I’m going to talk a lot about email, encouraging people to sign up to email lists, because it’s so important to build your relationship outside of Facebook, because Facebook owns your page. You don’t. One day, something horrible could happen, and it could disappear. You want build that relationship and get those email addresses in case the worst happens.
Launch New Products
Canva are using their colour photo image to promote their new product. They have launched an app for the iPhone, and you get a little preview of what it looks like there. You can choose to use the app directly from the page if you are on a mobile device. It doesn’t just have to be an app that you’re launching. It can be any new product that you have to tell people about.
Promote Events
Do you run events with your business? Then your Facebook cover image is yet another place you can promote it and encourage people to buy tickets. Now, there is no restriction on how much text you can put on your Facebook cover image. As you can see here, the Social Media Examiner, I think, have balanced getting information about their event on there next to a very strong visual image, and the learn more button takes you directly to a page where you can register for the event.
Show Your Human Side
Harry’s, which is an online shaving retailer, have used their cover image to give a little bit of background, an insight into the company that you’re dealing with. People respond really well to human faces, and showing what your business is like can help break through barriers and help people connect with you more as a business. It doesn’t necessarily have to be pictures of staff. It can be pictures of your process. It can be pictures of an event you’re running. Anything to give people an idea of the type of business and brand that you are.
Show Off Your Inventory
If you’re an eCommerce, the Facebook cover image is a great place to show off your products, as Net-A-Porter has done here to beautiful effect. They have curated some images that are colour coordinated, very tonal, and made a little collage. In addition to that, when you click through, they’re using the text to direct you to their other social media accounts.
Thanks for watching, and I hope you feel all inspired to do something a little bit more interesting with your Facebook cover image. Next week, I am going to be covering all the different types of content you can post on your Facebook page, and what’s going to work best for your business. Don’t miss out. Subscribe. Join the email list, and join me, Katherine Salt, next week.