June 13, 2017

Social media graphic templates are an image that businesses can use on various social media networks to help increase the organic reach of their posts. These graphics are typically branded, visually appealing and include some type of photo or vector graphic. They’re considered templates because oftentimes the content within the social media graphic can be easily updated to include new information but continue to keep the same formatting for brand and/or campaign consistency.

Social media graphic templates are considered “visual content” and when the social media automation website Buffer conducted a survey, they found that visually appealing graphics received 40x more engagement on social media than simple text posts. This staggering amount of increased engagement only increases more when the social media graphic template includes a well-designed, brand consistent message that targets the right audience.

Each social media network has a different recommended size for graphic templates. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn tend to recommend a graphic that is rectangular in shape, while Instagram recommends a square. Hubspot.com has more details on the exact sizes for the 9 most used social media networks.

How do social media graphic templates help with social media marketing?

Not only do they dramatically increase the amount of engagement on posts but there are several other benefits to using graphic templates in your social media marketing. Here are 4 that quickly come to mind.

1. They save time. When I develop a social media strategy, it typically includes at least 3 or 4 social media graphic templates. These templates are created once at the beginning of the campaign and then are easily edited throughout the campaign using Photoshop. The initial time spent designing the templates saves a significant amount of time going forward.
2. They’re easy to update. Yes, in most cases you’d need some type of photo editing software in order to swap in the new content, but even someone with minor Photoshop experience would be able to easily edit the graphic templates. In the “125 for 125” example above, only the bio, headshot, name, title and website would need editing.
3. They’re great “filler”. Anyone who has ever updated a social media network for business knows that there are days where you just can’t seem to find something worthwhile to post. Social media graphic templates are perfect for those days. Grab one of your templates, update the information and voilà! You’ve updated for the day.
4. They’re branded. Because the social media graphic templates are branded, they offer the added value of brand awareness as they get shared by your Followers on social media. Rather than the shared post only including a small square logo next to your company name, the content of the post itself includes your brand and logo.

What are some examples of social media graphic templates?

Here are a few examples of branded, well-designed and properly sized social media graphic templates. (Note: Original graphic size made smaller to fit size of blog post.)

Carmen Sandu Real Estate

NHL

Windsor Corporate Challenge