Did you miss this month’s episode? Or maybe you’re just looking for a short memory refresher? Either way, welcome to the Spark Compass Blog! A place where we summarize the key takeaways from every episode and share some memorable behind the scenes moments. This month’s episode featured Catherine Colasimone, the Director of Digital Marketing at The Small Social Company, who helped us explore the importance of quality visuals on social media. The Small Social Company works with businesses of all sizes to keep their marketing and media communications in tip top shape. Through her time working with local businesses, Catherine developed an eye for best practices and common challenges when creating social media visuals. Why do good social media visuals matter?Effective visuals play the leading role when it comes to using social media platforms. It’s a crucial step in establishing your brand, one that quickly allows your audience to consume information about your business. That being said, it’s equally important to understand when and how this information should be shared with your audiences. In a post-pandemic society, affiliating a face with your business is an easy step towards humanizing your brand. For individuals who can’t visit you directly, or especially if your brand is focused solely on e-commerce, then building that connection early can be critical for your business. Social media provides a convenient platform for highlighting the face behind the brand and connecting with your audience, which is just one of the reasons why good visuals matter. How do you get started with social media visuals?Photography setups and preferences vary from person to person. For the absolute beginner, Catherine recommends starting with three simple items, one of which is already found in most of our pockets:CellphoneTripodRinglightMobile tripods and an array of ringlights can be found online at affordable prices. You don’t need to start with break-the-bank levels of expensive gear since the key to this stage is simply getting started. Tripods keep your phone steady and the frame consistent while taking photos or videos. A good ringlight provides even lighting to help product shots look their best with minimal edits. An alternative to buying ringlights is using natural light sources, such as spaces near windows, to take well lit photos. When it comes to graphics, platforms like Canva make it easy to take and modify templates. That being said, it can also be difficult to stay consistent when there’s so many attractive options available for use. To stay faithful to your branding, Catherine recommends keeping these three things in mind when designing your graphics:Start with brand colours and fontsKeep your style consistent and authenticCreate something that resonates with your brandStarting with brand colours and fonts means you can quickly tell if a template will work for your business. If it doesn’t work then don’t try to force it. It’s okay to not use every template out there. In fact, curating a collection of similar-looking templates is a great way to keep your graphics consistent. Have you branded yourself as a handmade artisanal business? Then using templates focused heavily on technological themes probably isn’t right for you. No matter how cool a template might look, be sure to stay authentic to your business. What are the no-no’s of social media visuals?There’s no one-size fits all approach to posting on social media. Each platform is distinct from the next in caption length, graphic ratios, audiences, and more. Creating a visual in a single size and expecting it to look great across all platforms isn’t a recipe for success. When creating your visuals, be sure to review the size requirements of each platform and plan accordingly. You should also consider auditing your audiences on each platform to understand what they’re interested in and why they follow your account. Depending on the answer, your visuals might need to change. So don’t be afraid to ask your audience what they’d like to see from you! Any final words of wisdom?As we wrapped up our filming session, Catherine offered three tidbits of advice for business owners focused on creating visuals for their social media accounts.Start with your end goal and work backwards from thereStay true to your brand by producing authentic contentBe honest about how frequently you can post online Keeping all of these things in mind will create a more enjoyable experience that stays true to the nature of your business. We’re Spark!Have questions about social media visuals? Or maybe you’re curious about photography and videography? We’d love to have a chat with you so don’t be afraid to reach out and ask!
