2020 Social media marketing trends have reached a whole new level of tech-savvy 'adulting.' There has never been a more critical time for small businesses to design social media marketing pages that command attention and call for action to guarantee your brand stands out from the competition. The time to act and update your pages is now! And the best news? If you prefer step-by-step guides to follow, you can download my 2020 Social Media Design Checklist here.
First things first, throw that dusty, old, outdated 2019 guide to social media in the bin; it's dead to us now. Social media algorithms evolve quicker than the world's population rate, so it's time to move with the times and upgrade your pages accordingly.
#1. Check Your Branding
One of the BIGGEST mistakes I see brands make on social media time and time again is to post without a clear strategy or any authentic sense of purpose. You need to know your brand, or how will page visitors understand you, and why they should follow you? Your bio, imagery, and content all need to align to tell your brand story engagingly.
#2. Imagery is EVERYTHING!
Use, and I cannot stress this enough, compelling imagery that isn't blurry. Imagery should trigger an emotional response, either laughter, nostalgia, or curiosity. Read on to discover the 2020 image sizes you should for each page.
FACEBOOK: The ideal profile photo size is 360 x 360 pixels and a minimum size of 180 x 180 pixels. Studies suggest a personal photo can work better on business pages rather than a logo to give users the impression they are speaking to an actual person.
You can use video now instead of a static image on your Facebook image, which is in line with the 2020 trend and beyond of video being king.
The optimal size for a Facebook cover photo is 828 x 465 pixels.
INSTAGRAM profile Photo size: 110 x 110 minimum
Instagram photo size: minimum 1080 width for the best quality
Instagram landscape photo size: 1.91:1 proportion, or 1080 x 566.
Instagram portrait photo size: 4:5 proportion, or 1080 x 1350.
PINTEREST now recommends 2:3 proportion using 1000 x 1500
TWITTER profile size: 400 x 400 pixels
Twitter Header should ideally be 1500 x 500 pixels
Images you’re ‘Tweeting’ should be 1200 x 675 pixels
Twitter card images work best at 1200 x 628 pixels
LINKEDIN: the suggested cover image is 1,128 x 191 pixels. However, you’ll need to play with it and remember that the overlapping profile photo covers a chunk of your cover image. Test how your image looks on different devices; there can be variations between mobile, tablet, and desktop.
TikTok profile images work best at 200 x 200 pixels.
#4. Consistency Rules All
Few things aggrevate social media users more than brands who appear to be all over the place. Make sure your branding is consistent across all of your social media pages. Ensure the overall look and feel is consistent across all of your pages.
#5. Go Minimal
A general rule of creating aesthetically pleasing social media page designs is to speak less, visualize more. Our brains process images way faster than we can process wordy text.
#6. Play by the Rules
Last but not least, make sure all of your imagery and copy are compliant with each platform's rules to avoid getting flagged for spam or abuse.
#7. Check Your Promotional Content
Any copy or imagery you intend to use for promotional materials or social media marketing ads should include a clear call to action. Tell the user what you want them to do to get maximum results from your desired campaign objectives.
Use this downloadable checklist to help optimize your social media pages for your business.