by Clare Drake
It’s safe to say we’ve become a visual culture. We’re bombarded with content on a daily basis and only the most engaging will get a look in. From educational infographics to live video feeds we want good content and we want it now! Content marketing with no visual shareability will struggle – so how can we ensure our best content is found and shared? Here are my top 3 tips to create graphics for your blog with boost your credibility AND shareability.
Produce On-Brand Templates
With every blog post, I produce two different-sized graphics to encourage click-throughs on social media, with a big focus on Pinterest (if you’re not using Pinterest for your business or blog yet you really should – 80% of my traffic comes from there). The template I design has a uniform look. As I’m a designer I use Adobe InDesign for this, but if you’re not I would recommend Canva as it’s highly user-friendly.
I design a Pinterest-friendly graphic which is 800 px x 1200 px (as above). I also have the same template in square format which is 800 x 800 px (below).
With each template I change the image (more details on the images used coming up), color palette, and blog title. I keep the font and arrangement as it is. This builds on what I want my brand to be known for. I use my brand typography to build brand awareness – which means my audience knows when they see my graphic, that the content is from me!
Decide Where Your Graphics Images Will Come From
I’m not a photographer so I made the decision to use images professionally crafted to include in my posts. I find these from CreativeMarket.com, or from one of my favorite stock photography shops on Etsy called HerCreativeStudio. Well worth the investment in my opinion! The image used in the graphic above was actually free as I’m a subscriber of Creative Market. I suggest you subscribe as they do amazing freebies every week which include free fonts, blog templates, branding mockups, etc.
I always love it when I see images captured by the business I’m engaging with so if you have that talent – definitely use that skill to advance your brand! Although, if you do decide to use your own photography make sure the style is consistent throughout – and always have your ideal audience in mind.
Get Creative
Whilst I’ve focused on creating graphics for your blog posts, don’t stop there! Are there some tips you can put into an infographic or an inspirational quote that your audience would love? Brainstorm ways in which you can build brand trust with different types of content with as much visual shareability as possible! Remember to put your website address on each graphic so your business, blog, or personal name is seen wherever it goes.
I’d love to know if you produce graphics like this already – or are about to! Do let me know if you have any design Q’s – as it’s my favorite thing to talk about!
