Page 9 - St Maur marketing and social media thoughts.

Facebook
Similarities behind Instagram and Facebook strategies (list)
Cover Image
Choosing a cover photo is far trickier than selecting a profile picture because of the panoramic aspect ratio and the fact that it displays in different sizes on computers and mobile devices
The cover image is a long, thin ‘banner’ that displays at 820 pixels wide by 312 pixels tall on computers and 640 pixels wide by 360 pixels tall on smart- phones. That means the common area is only 640 x 312 pixels, so you have to make sure all your important content stays within those boundaries How- ever, the overall size of the image should be 820 x 360 pixels (although advice varies, and the minimum dimensions are 400 pixels wide and 150 pixels tall).
Facebook will then crop it automatically when it’s shown on different devices. Over the years, Facebook has enhanced its functionality here and there It’s now possible to have either an image, a video or a slideshow of up to five imag- es. That gives you a lot of flexibility, but it’s still important to work out what you want that first impression to be. You have a few options:
• Drive sales or lead generation;
• Include user-generated content (UGC);
• Promote future events;
• Show off products, e.g. photographs;
• Show behind-the-scenes images or footage of yourself
Remember that any of the images you choose can have text superimposed on it It’s easy to include a call to action, such as ‘Book your wedding photogra- pher now’ or ‘Sign up and get your FREE ebook on wildlife photography’ Just don’t include too much text or other visual ‘clutter’. Try to find room for your logo if you don’t already use it as your profile picture.
It’s easy to experiment with different images. Just make sure you check them on your smartphone as well as your computer to ensure they appear correctly formatted You can also change your cover photo as often as you like.
Creating a Page Description
The description field box underneath your cover image on the right allows you to introduce yourself to your audience, but it is more likely to appear in Google search snippets than on the actual page itself Strange, but true! My current page description reads as follows:
‘I wanted to be a photographer when I was 15, but my mother told me I could always take it up later – so that was that for 30 years! I turned professional in 2013, and I now focus mainly on wildlife photography.’
Written by Jeremy Pascoe @ Walking Gun Photography