How to save time and create consistent graphics for content
Last week I talked about creating content for each quarter. In todays blog post I'm going to talk about graphics to go with your content. Two things that stop people from posting content, the content itself (refer to linked blog post to help you with that) and creating the graphics that go with it, especially if you are cross posting.
Keep it Simple
People tend to want to create a new graphic for each new content piece that is created. I see this more with non designers. Maybe it's because apps give so many options, people get shiny object syndrome and want to try out the newest trend. This does a few things. It slows down the process because you're creating something new every single time and you're not being consistent with design. What happens when you slow down, you tend to not post because you're stuck in design creation mode and perfectionism.
Create Templates
At this point you should have your brand colors down. If not refer to the blog post, How to choose colors for your brand.
If you're on a budget, you're not a designer and can't hire a designer for custom graphics Canva, Creative Market and Over (app only) have plenty of templates to choose from and you can customize with your own colors and fonts. For high quality images you can use Unsplash for free images. Our favorite that we use for images is Haute Stock. They now also have social media templates.
If you find that something is taking too much time and stopping you from posting content, ask yourself, what part of the process can I simplify? For example instead of feeling the need to create a new graphic from scratch for each blog post on your website, use a stock photo with no graphics. We switched to this on our own blog feed. It's a common practice that is used in large companies. It's clean and simple.
Example of how we do:
Key Graphics
There are a few key graphics you can brand for consistency and recognition. You can create 1 template for each content piece and use the SAME one every time. I’m not saying you must keep the same template forever. When you're ready for a change you can switch things up. But the idea is to not let the graphics part hold you up. All you should be doing is changing up the text and images. Make a list of what key graphics you need. Here’s some thing to start with:
Blog post thumbnail
Quotes
IG graphic for blog or Carousel
Pinterest
Your list may include graphics for IG stories, reels, podcast, YouTube, etc., depends where you’re at with your business.
A note about Instagram in general if you find that you’re hesitant to post to Instagram know that Instagram now more than ever, the trend is about being more real than curating the most perfect looking platform. When in doubt use a selfie or stock image with the Instagram features already available.
If you find graphics are holding you back from posting content, it's best to keep things simple, let go of perfectionism and post. Your branding evolves as you grow and you can improve and change it at any point in the future.
Tell me what’s your biggest challenge when it comes to creating graphics?
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