The Dos and Don’ts of Social Media Marketing for Businesses: A Graphic Designer’s Perspective
Social media has become an essential tool for businesses, regardless of industry or size. Whether you’re a startup, a local small business, or a growing brand, mastering social media marketing can significantly impact your visibility and engagement. As a graphic designer, I’ve seen firsthand how impactful visuals are on social platforms—and how poorly designed graphics can sabotage a well-meaning campaign.
In this blog, I’ll cover some essential dos and don’ts of social media marketing, especially from a design perspective, and provide tools that make creating stunning graphics easier for any business.
The Dos
1. Do Prioritize Quality over Quantity
Instead of bombarding your audience with numerous posts every day, focus on creating high-quality visuals that represent your brand. Well-designed posts that are visually cohesive leave a lasting impression. Consistency in design elements like fonts, colors, and logo placement is key to building brand recognition.
Example: A jewelry brand posting once a day but using high-quality, close-up images of their products, accompanied by sleek graphic designs, will attract more engagement than posting five generic stock images daily.
Tip: Use tools like Canva to create polished graphics. Canva offers thousands of templates tailored for various social media platforms and allows you to maintain consistent branding with features like a brand kit.
2. Do Understand the Platform
Each social media platform has its own tone, audience, and style of content that performs best. For example, Instagram and Pinterest are highly visual platforms where beautifully crafted graphics and images thrive, while LinkedIn favors more professional and straightforward designs.
Example: On Instagram, a fitness coach might use vibrant, dynamic graphics to showcase workout routines. On LinkedIn, the same coach might post a clean, minimalist infographic about the benefits of physical fitness in the workplace.
Tip: For Instagram Stories or Reels, use tools like Adobe Express to create animations or videos that are engaging and platform-appropriate. The platform has templates specific to Instagram Stories and Reels.
3. Do Keep Your Audience in Mind
A design may look great, but does it resonate with your target audience? Understanding your audience’s preferences will help you make design choices that connect emotionally and drive engagement. Conducting some research on their preferences, demographics, and behavior patterns will make a big difference.
Example: If you’re a food brand targeting millennials, using fun, quirky typography, and vibrant colors might catch their attention. For a financial services company targeting executives, you’d want a more formal color scheme, clean lines, and professional fonts.
Tip: Tools like Crello (now part of VistaCreate) allow you to experiment with different design styles while keeping your brand identity intact.
4. Do Use High-Resolution Images
Nothing hurts your brand credibility more than blurry, pixelated images. Always use high-resolution photos and make sure your graphics are clear and professional.
Example: A restaurant posting poorly lit, grainy images of their food will struggle to entice customers compared to a competitor who posts high-quality, well-composed shots of delicious meals.
Tip: Unsplash and Pexels offer high-quality, royalty-free images that can elevate your posts without breaking the bank.
The Don’ts
1. Don’t Overload Your Graphics with Text
Social media is a fast-paced environment where users scroll quickly through their feeds. Cluttering your designs with too much text will turn off potential customers. Keep it short and sweet—let the visuals do most of the talking.
Example: A spa promoting its services on Instagram should avoid putting all the service details on one image. Instead, use a simple, calming image of a treatment room with a few words like “Relax. Unwind. Renew.”
Tip: If you need to share more information, use the caption space or create a multi-slide carousel post. Tools like Figma or Canva are excellent for designing clean, text-light graphics.
2. Don’t Ignore Image Dimensions
Each social media platform has specific dimensions for posts, stories, and ads. Posting the wrong size can make your designs look distorted or cut off, which reflects poorly on your brand’s attention to detail.
Example: Posting a landscape-oriented image in an Instagram Story, which is designed for vertical viewing, will result in awkward cropping. Instead, design specifically for the dimensions required.
Tip: Platforms like Kapwing help you resize images and videos for different platforms, ensuring everything looks sharp and professional.
3. Don’t Use Inconsistent Branding
Consistency is key to creating a recognizable brand identity. Avoid using different fonts, colors, or styles across your social media posts, as this can confuse your audience and dilute your brand’s identity.
Example: A brand that uses sleek, minimalist designs on one platform and bright, chaotic visuals on another will struggle to maintain a cohesive identity. Your audience may feel like they’re following two different companies.
Tip: Create a brand style guide that includes your color palette, fonts, and logo variations. Tools like Brandfolder can help manage and distribute these assets to your marketing team.
4. Don’t Overuse Stock Images
While stock images can be helpful, overusing them—or using generic ones—can make your brand appear inauthentic. Avoid using cliché stock photos that don’t align with your brand’s unique identity.
Example: A tech company using a stock image of random people in a meeting room doesn’t convey much about their innovative products or services. Instead, use custom graphics, mockups, or photographs that align with your brand.
Tip: Invest in original content creation, or customize stock images to reflect your brand’s voice. Easil and Adobe Express offer templates that allow you to add your own branding to stock images.
Recap
Social media marketing is a dynamic space where first impressions matter. As a business, your social media visuals play a crucial role in grabbing attention, telling your brand story, and driving engagement. By following these dos and don’ts from a design perspective, you can ensure that your posts not only look good but also support your overall marketing goals.
Use tools like Canva, Crello, and Adobe Express to create stunning visuals, maintain a cohesive brand identity, and consistently post high-quality content. With the right strategy, your social media profiles will become a valuable asset in building brand awareness and loyalty.
Let your designs speak for your brand—and watch your business grow!
