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Facebook Cover Ideas For Social Media Managers

I get it - you’re a social media manager. Your Facebook cover needs to be p-e-r-f-e-c-t.

That’s how I feel every time I write a blog post (I’m a copywriter).

But let’s be honest - the success of your social media business isn’t 100% contingent on this one image. And you do have eleventy billion other things to do while building your business and (hopefully) serving your lovely clients. So I’m here to help you get this done as efficiently as possible, with:

1 - The essential question to ask yourself before creating your Facebook cover

2 - 12 examples of social media manager Facebook covers getting it right - and why the work

3 - The 6 biggest mistakes I found social media managers making on their Facebook cover images, and how to avoid them.

Start Here: The essential question to ask yourself before you start creating your Facebook cover.

Stay with me, because at first glance this may seem like an odd question:

After seeing your Facebook cover image, what do you want the viewer to remember or do? Choose carefully because you can only pick one.

Your Facebook cover image is a communication opportunity.

When you first upload the new image, a handful of people will see it.

After that, the only time it gets seen is when someone chooses to click on to your page. And this will usually be after they’ve seen a post or comment or some other piece of content from you, liked what they saw, and have come over to investigate.

So they’ve invested literally seconds of their life in you, and at least one click to navigate to your Facebook page. This is your chance to make a big impression.

Being human, your viewer will take away just one message. They’re not stopping long enough to process multiple messages. They don’t want to make decisions about what to do next.

You need to make it really easy for them.

Goals for the cover image of your social media manager Facebook page - Pick ONE

Your Facebook page visitor will take away one message from your cover image. If you offer up multiple messages, you have no control over which one they remember. And actually they may only remember that you are confusing or overwhelming, and those are not positive traits clients look for in a social media manager. Pick ONE message you intend to communicate and you have a much better chance of making the right first impression.

Promote a single offer

Either free or paid. Link the CTA button to the URL you want the viewer to go to, and use the description box for the image (more on that later) to persuasively pitch the offer, and give them a clickable link. Remember that your Facebook cover image is often seen by people who are at the very early stages of their relationship with you. They might be prepared to download a free PDF or buy a low-cost ebook, but they’re not going to spend £££ with someone they’ve just met.

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Make a memorable statement

If you specialise in a particular social media platform, or in working with a particular type of business, now is a great time to communicate that.

Associate a particular feeling with your brand

Calm, clear, credible, friendly, approachable, well connected…..what traits would you like your Facebook page visitor to attribute to you and your business?

12 Social Media Manager Facebook Cover Photos And Images Getting It Right

I found all of these social media managers through the Meet The Social Pro directory, run by my friends (and clients) Laura and Laura (yes, they’re both called Laura, as am I, and yes that did make our Zoom calls confusing).

I searched through more than 200 Facebook pages to bring you this selection. Each of these was included because it successfully communicated one, clear memorable message.

Translate Digital Marketing

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Message Communicated:

I work in English and German, and can translate between the two.

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Why it works:

Those little flags communicate the message more quickly and memorably than words would do.

U

Improvements:

I would love the flags to be more prominent - the speech bubbles could be filled with the flag designs. I would also love to see the name of the person who’s face is in the profile picture. This could either be included in the page name, or added as text to the cover image.

Lemon Squeezy Marketing

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Message Communicated:

Working with this social media manager will be fun and simple
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Why it works:

Perfect balance of friendly and professional. The cover image is clean, clear and looks professionally produced. Bethany’s shirt matches the colour scheme. The background and mug in the profile image complement the cover image. She’s included her name on the cover image for an added personal touch. Bethany’s looking towards the text, which draws your eye towards it, and she’s positioned above the blue call-to-action, which helps draw attention to that too.
U

Improvements:

Why hasn’t that yellow circle in the top been turned into a lemon slice! 🍋

Daisy Chain Social Media

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Message Communicated:

Another beautiful blend of professional yet friendly and approachable. This Facebook cover image also feels sunny and uplifting.
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Why it works:

This image builds connection because Josie is looking right into the camera. The photo looks like a pro took it, and the background fits perfectly with the brand name, helping to anchor Josie’s face, with the name of the business in the mind of the viewer.
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Improvements:

This would be even better if Josie’s name was visible, either as text added to the photo, or included in the page name - Daisy Chain Social Media | Josie Weston.

MildMay Social

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Message Communicated:

Welcoming and approachable.

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Why it works:

I’ve included this as an example of how you can include a photo of yourself, even if it’s not suitable to use as the Facebook cover alone. Lucy is looking right at the camera which helps build connection. And she’s used the circle overlays to connect the photo with the rest of the cover image. By placing her photo directly above the blue call-to-action button it helps draw the viewers attention to the button and encourages them to start a conversation.
U

Improvements:

Again with the name! Lucy hasn’t even included her name in the description of the page - I found it in the email field. I can’t tell you how important it is to include your name.

Scéal Digital

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Message Communicated:

Connection and networking.

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Why it works:

I’ve included this to prove that you can have a professional looking cover image even if you don’t have a photo to use, and you need to DIY it on a graphics platform like Canva or Designsta. For a polished look keep the colour scheme simple and avoid using too much text. I like how this communicates the idea of social networking, without using any of the social network logos.
U

Improvements:

NAME!!!!! I love the tagline of ‘Telling your story’ and think it deserves more prominence, either being moved up into the speech bubble, or moved further up, almost central vertically and horizontally, perhaps backed with a band of a brighter colour behind it.

Reload Marketing

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Message Communicated:

Simple, focussed, direct.

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Why it works:

I wanted to include this as an example of a very simple graphic that looked professional - and it works well with the profile image.
U

Improvements:

It would be nice to see some of the faces at the agency with some names - they could be added into the graphic.

Kelly Weekes

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Message Communicated:

Friendly, approachable, but also focussed, professional and something to do with books and stories.
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Why it works:

I like how the cover photo is well matched to her niche - books, authors, and publishing. And although she is not looking at the camera in the photo, she is in her profile which builds connection.
U

Improvements:

If the text and the image swapped sides on the cover photo, then Kelly would be looking down towards the blue button, drawing your eye towards it, which would be useful if the button was being used to promote something like a lead magnet or a low cost offer.

The Content Muse

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Message Communicated:

Very clear on the services offered.
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Why it works:

The cover image looks professionally produced, clearly communicates the services available, and ties in beautifully with the profile photo, just by using a simple ring of matching colour.
U

Improvements:

The text is a bit small on mobile…and as always - NAME! Who’s the person in the photo.

The Social Den

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Message Communicated:

This looks like Rebecca is inviting you for a very relaxed friendly conversation at her kitchen table.
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Why it works:

Being photographed at home is a subtle way to influence the leads you get in - people looking for an agency won’t be interested, but Rebecca’s perfect people will be. The image is professional, it shows she takes her business seriously, but it’s still friendly and approachable.
U

Improvements:

The Social Den logo doesn’t show up very well on the pink background - but I’m being very picky there.

Jenny French Social

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Message Communicated:

Professional, yet friendly and approachable. The garden scene gives a calming, spacious feel - a good antidote to anyone feeling over-worked and overwhelmed.
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Why it works:

Good example of a single photo being large enough to work for the whole cover, whether on desktop or mobile. The colour of Jenny’s jumper ties in with her logo, so that’ll help anchor a connection between the two in the viewer’s mind.
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Improvements:

N/a

Anita Popat

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Message Communicated:

I picked this out as it was a rare good example of using the cover image to promote one particular offer.
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Why it works:

Look at the placement of the squiggle leading you down to the call-to-action bulb!
U

Improvements:

It would be helpful to include the time zone of the call. And Anita could use the description field for the cover image to add a bit more info about the event.

Make A Splash Social Media

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Message Communicated:

Playful, high energy, fun.
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Why it works:

I’ve included this so you can see it’s possible to get a professional looking Facebook cover image with the help of a stock photo and a carefully co-ordinated colour scheme.
U

Improvements:

NAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6 Most Common Mistakes On A Social Media Manager’s Facebook Cover Image

I’m not including any examples here because that feels a bit mean. These might only seem like small errors, but when you’re a social media manager, potential clients are looking to you to be their expert so you need to hold yourself to a high standard.

Partially missing heads!

This happens when the photo has been positioned to look amazing on mobile, but not checked for desktop. To resize for the longer narrower desktop cover image, a strip at the top and bottom of the photo is removed.

Confusing stock photos

Some images looked too professional to be true, especially when there is no photo in the profile, but there is in the cover image. Photos of groups of people looked especially stock-photo-esque. If you’re using stock photos, stop. If your actual real photos of you and your team could be mistaken for stock photos, add a label like ‘meet the team’ or ‘name-of-event-attended’ to give people a fighting chance of knowing what they’re looking at.
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Text overload

When you squeeze too much text on the cover image it makes it really hard to read because it’s teeny tiny. And cover images aren’t designed for reading, so the viewer’s eyes will be darting all over the place, taking in different messages in a different order than you intended.
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No connection between the profile image and the cover image

This is their chance to see the profile photo next to the cover image - to make that connection - and then have it in their memory when they see the profile image in future
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Cover image doesn't communicate anything extra

Your Facebook cover image is an opportunity to communicate something about you and your social media management business - don’t waste it. If the viewer doesn’t know, feel or want to do something within 3 seconds of seeing your page, you’ve missed a chance to build connection with them.

Nameless faces

What’s the first thing you do to build a connection with someone? Tell them your name!! If you’re including your face in your cover image or your profile photo, to go for the personal approach (which I applaud) please make sure your real-life actual name (not just your business name) appears either in the name of your Facebook page or on the cover image - so that when someone comes to your Facebook page for the first time they can quickly build a connection with you.

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