With over 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms for businesses to market their products and services. Visually appealing graphics are key to capturing attention and engagement on Facebook. The right graphic can convey your brand message clearly and inspire users to like, comment, share or click through to your website or online store.
Creating great graphics for Facebook doesn’t have to be difficult or require advanced design skills. There are many easy online tools you can use to make professional looking graphics tailored for Facebook. This article will walk through different options for DIY Facebook graphics and best practices for optimizing them.
Why Are Graphics Important for Facebook Marketing?
Here are some of the key reasons you should be using visual graphics as part of your Facebook marketing strategy:
- Attention-grabbing – Photos and other visuals stand out in the Facebook feed and are more likely to capture attention than blocks of text.
- Increase reach and engagement – Posts with graphics generate more likes, shares and comments than text-only posts.
- Convey information visually – Graphics can communicate key information like products, pricing, events etc in a glanceable, easy-to-digest way.
- Brand building – Using graphics allows you to reinforce your brand identity and messaging through visual elements like logo, color scheme, fonts etc.
- Versatility – Graphics work for many different types of Facebook content – ads, profile pictures, cover photos, posts, carousels etc.
- Adaptability – Graphics can be adapted and repurposed easily for different platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest etc.
In short, incorporating visual graphics into your Facebook marketing mix can significantly enhance your results and reach on the platform.
Types of Facebook Graphics
There are many graphic formats that work well on Facebook. Here are some of the most popular types to create for your Facebook marketing:
Photo Posts
Photo posts are the bread and butter of Facebook marketing. An eye-catching, relevant photo can capture attention, convey information clearly and set your organic and paid posts apart in the feed. Some best practices for Facebook photo posts include:
- Use high resolution, vibrant images.
- Focus on one clear subject vs busy images.
- Use backgrounds and props relevant to your brand/message.
- Style photos to look natural vs overly staged.
- Avoid too much text overlay on images.
Infographics
Infographics use graphic visuals to present information, data or processes in a digestible, engaging way. They work very well for Facebook marketing as they can grab attention and convey a lot of information easily. Infographics are great for topics like:
- Company history / milestones
- Industry statistics and trends
- Checklists / how-to guides
- Customer feedback / survey data
- Comparison charts / product features
Short Video Clips
Facebook Video posts have excellent engagement rates and are perfect for things like:
- Demoing a product
- Sharing company culture and behind the scenes
- Thought leadership and expert advice
- Customer testimonials and user-generated content
- How-to tutorials or recipes
Keep videos short and engaging for the Facebook audience – ideally less than a minute long. Optimize video files for Facebook requirements for best quality.
Carousels
Carousels allow sharing multiple images or videos in one post that users can horizontally scroll through. They are great for:
- Showcasing product catalogues and collections
- Featuring work from different customers / clients
- Highlighting different features or uses of a product
- Sharing event / conference speaker slides
- Telling a step-by-step story
Quotes / Text Overlays
Text overlays can be combined with various background images to create inspirational quote graphics, motivational posters and other text-based Facebook visuals. Good for:
- Short, inspirational quotes
- Testimonials from customers / influencers
- Key messaging and slogans
- Event announcements and details
- Spotlights on specific products
Tools to Create Facebook Graphics
You don’t need advanced design experience to make eye-catching graphics for Facebook. There are many easy to use online creation tools and apps that have pre-made templates, themes, fonts and icons to design graphics quickly. Some top options include:
Canva
Canva is a very user-friendly graphic design platform that makes gorgeous graphics, including templates sized for Facebook. Main features:
- Huge library of templates, fonts, icons, images and illustrations
- Intuitive drag and drop interface
- Resize and reposition elements easily
- Library of Facebook-optimized templates
- Easily add your brand colors and logos
- Share and collaborate on designs
PicMonkey
PicMonkey has powerful, easy-to-use editing features tailored for no-design-experience users. Great for making Facebook graphics with features like:
- Numerous fonts, templates, graphics, icons and design effects
- Automatic background removal
- Designs sized for Facebook
- Photo touch up and enhancement tools
- Animated text and graphics
Adobe Spark
Spark from Adobe has a range of graphic creation options focused on automating graphic design. Core features include:
- Customizable templates for multiple graphic types and sizes
- Drag and drop image uploader and editor
- Edit and combine graphic elements and overlays
- Animated posts and videos
- Integrates with other Adobe apps
Infogram
Infogram specializes in data visualization and infographics. Great for turning statistics and information into Facebook-ready graphics with features like:
- Infographic templates and themes
- Charts and graphs from spreadsheet data
- Map and flowchart generators
- Design customization and branding options
- Present data in interactive ways
Easil
Easil makes it simple to create infographics and other data-based graphics in just a few clicks. Core features:
- Infographic templates tailored for social media
- Import data from spreadsheets and charts
- Customize colors, fonts, layouts
- Resize infographics for different uses
- Download in multiple file formats
Design Tips for Facebook Graphics
Follow these best practices when designing graphics specifically formatted for Facebook:
Use the Right Dimensions
Facebook’s current recommended image dimensions are:
- Square 1:1 ratio: 1080 x 1080 px
- Horizontal 4:5 ratio: 1080 x 1350 px
- Vertical 5:4 ratio: 1080 x 1350 px
Design your graphics and assets to fit these sizes. Templates in tools like Canva are already pre-formatted for Facebook sizes.
Optimize File Types
JPEGs are ideal for Facebook image posts. Use MP4 video files formatted for Facebook specs. Keep file sizes small for quick loading.
Include Relevant Text
Include engaging, descriptive captions and text overlays that communicate your key message. Include a clear call-to-action where relevant.
Tag Products or Services
Use Facebook’s tagging features to tag any products, brands or services featured in your graphic to improve visibility.
Leverage Emotional Connections
Graphics that tap into emotional motivations like love, humor, inspiration or positivity often have high engagement. Consider your audience’s desires.
Maintain Brand Consistency
Use your defined color scheme, logo, fonts etc to ensure graphics align with your overall brand identity, style and tone.
Optimizing Facebook Graphics for Ads
If creating graphics for Facebook ad campaigns, there are some additional tips for optimization:
- Highlight promotional content clearly – discounts, sales, special offers.
- Use compelling, benefit-focused copy and text overlays.
- Ensure any important text stands out and is easy to read.
- Avoid busy backgrounds that conceal ad messaging.
- Feature people and emotions for engagement.
- Design for thumb-stop appeal to win clicks.
- Add a strong call to action like Shop Now, Learn More, Get Offer etc.
Adhesive tips for Facebook advertising are provided at Facebook for Business at fb.com/business.
Sizing Graphics for Different Facebook Placements
In addition to feed post images, you need properly sized graphics for different parts of your Facebook presence including:
Profile Picture
Ideal size is 170 x 170 pixels. Use your brand logo or icon.
Cover Photo
Size of 820 x 312 pixels works best. Showcase your brand visuals.
Ad Images
Ad image dimensions vary by ad objective and placement. Refer to Facebook’s ad specs.
Stories
Custom images for Facebook stories should be 1080 x 1920 pixels.
Video Thumbnails
127 x 127 pixels is recommended. Summarize the video visually.
Sourcing Quality Graphics and Images
If you need photos, illustrations or other visual assets to incorporate into your DIY Facebook graphics, here are some great sources for royalty-free, cost-effective images:
- Unsplash – Free high resolution photos
- Pexels – Free stock photos and videos
- Pixabay – Free images and illustrations
- Gratisography – Free high-res pictures
- Pikwizard – Free stock images
- Freepik – Free vectors, photos, PSDs and icons
- Vecteezy – Free vectors, illustrations, and stock videos
Always check the licensing terms to ensure images can be used commercially for your Facebook marketing needs.
Automating Graphic Creation
To simplify and scale creating lots of custom Facebook graphics, consider using design automation tools like:
Design Wizard
Design Wizard lets you automate graphic design based on templates. Useful features include:
- Build design templates from brand assets
- Populate templates with custom data
- Bulk generate unlimited graphic variations
- Integrates with Facebook for auto sizing
- Publish graphics direct to Facebook
Postcron
Postcron is a social media automation tool with features to streamline graphic creation such as:
- Design templates for multiple post types
- Populate templates with custom content
- Schedule automated posts using templates
- Bulk generate posts with variable data
- publish directly to Facebook and other platforms
Recite
Recite makes it easy to create and customize graphics in bulk with features like:
- Graphic templates for social media formats
- Easily swap out design elements
- Auto-generate graphic variations
- Post graphics straight to Facebook
- Analyze performance
Automating allows producing more graphics at scale while maintaining brand consistency.
Measuring Facebook Graphic Performance
To refine your graphics over time, be sure to measure and analyze the performance of your Facebook visual content. Metrics to track include:
- Reach – how many users saw the post
- Impressions – how many times users saw the post
- Engagement rate – % of reactions, comments, shares etc vs reach
- Clicks – on links or ads in the post
- Conversions – desired actions from clicks like purchases
- Video views – percentage watched, completion rates
Continuously test different visual content types, designs, copy etc and refine based on performance data.
Conclusion
Creative, eye-catching graphics are a key part of succeeding with Facebook marketing. Using online design tools makes easy to create polished graphics, even without professional design expertise. Focus on visual storytelling and conveying your brand personality and messaging through graphics tailored for Facebook.
With a strategic, data-driven approach to testing graphic content types and styles, you can develop a winning Facebook visual formula to engage your audience.