There is a lot that goes into creating and maintaining a successful and thriving online business. Am I right? Everything from web design, writing blog posts, hosting webinars, maintaining client relationships, posting on social media – not to mention creating graphics…the list is never ending! 

I definitely want to cover all of these topics (and I already cover some on the blog) but for this post, I want to cut through the noise and give you the exact 10 graphics you should be creating for your biz right now – so you don’t waste any more of your precious time.

Why do you need graphics for your business?

Being naturally creative, I love designing graphics and using them in my business. But that isn’t the only reason I implement graphics into my business strategy. Graphics are actually really important for the marketing or promotion of your business. Whether these graphics are for your website, social media or blog, they need to grab attention and be consistent. 

If you aren’t a design pro or you are just looking for a free or low-cost editing tool, I highly recommend using Canva or PicMonkey to get your graphics done. If you are more of an Adobe Suite kind of gal, then Photoshop or InDesign are your tools. All of these options are perfect for designing graphics. So let’s get started!

1 – Blog post graphics

Using graphics for your blog posts can be a game-changer for your blog. Not only are these graphics a great way to break up the text as visitors read through your post (did you notice how I used graphics to break up the text here?) but they also have the ability to be Pinned on Pinterest! This can be super helpful for sharing your blog content to the masses. So, make sure these graphics are eye-catching and Pin-worthy! If you don’t already know why blogs are important for business and how to start one then click here.

2 – Pinterest graphics

Since I am on the topic of Pinterest, one of the top graphics you should be making for your business is Pinterest Pin graphics! Almost all businesses benefit from being active on Pinterest – including yours! To do this, you need to make sure you have great visual graphics that convince those Pinterest scrollers to click on your Pin and read your content. 

If you have no idea WHAT I am talking about, check out this Pinterest for Beginners blog post and you should be caught up in no time.

3 – Sidebar ‘buttons’ and opt-ins

Your sidebar, footer, header, or any other opt-in location is prime real estate for a great visual. These opt-in graphics can lead your visitors to email newsletter opt-ins, freebies, special offers, popular posts or content, and landing pages for products and courses. Having attention-grabbing visuals on your website can get those visitors to click and subscribe to your opt-ins and help grow your email list!

4 – Social media posts

Social media is another fantastic and important platform for creating and using graphics to reach your audience. Whether it’s Facebook posts, curated Instagram images or IG stories, these graphics should be created with your branding in mind.

Having a cohesive look isn’t as hard as it looks. All you need is solid branding, a splash of creativeness, branded stock images (here are my top 10 high-quality images sources), and a little time to put them all together. 

When and where relevant, some graphics should have a call to action so your audience can click to opt-in to a specific offer. Adding in text or a little faux button is a good way to implement a subtle CTA. 

Just don’t spend too much time on this part! At the end of the day, it’s your captions, hashtags, and engagement that will connect you with your audience the most, not just your image.

5 – Social Headers

Headers encompass a few virtual locations but in regards to your social platforms, headers are used for Facebook pages, Facebook groups, YouTube Channels or Twitter Headers. The most important thing about these headers is that they reflect your branding and, depending on your business, provide a Call to Action.

As I mentioned above, make sure your headers include branded elements, so your social pages have cohesive visuals. This is too important to forget! 

6 – Website Headers

Like social media headers, website headers are perfect for capturing your audience’s attention, providing contact information or giving them a strong call to action right when they land on your website. As with the former, make sure your header emulates your brand! 

Emulating a cohesive, branded look should be easier to do since your branding should already be implemented into your website design. If you want to know more about the basics of branding, this post will help you understand!

7 – Freebies

If you provide your audience with any type of freebie, product or opt-in PDF document, I highly recommend making a cover graphic that shows off your branding elements. You didn’t spend all that time (or all that money on a branding strategist) for nothing!

These freebie graphics can be super simple, but I promise it’s better than just downloading a boring Word Doc type-up. A graphic will help connect them to your brand and business and honestly, just give them something nice to look at when they start digesting your content.

You can check out my freebie graphics by hitting the subscribe button on the next page.

8 – Logo 

When you start creating your branding (or if you hire a branding strategist, like me), you will need to design a logo to use for your business. This particular graphic is important for branding identification. Logos are found on websites, social media platforms, emails, and so much more. Designing this graphic is probably the first thing you should create for your business (in terms of graphics). I even talk about whether you should invest in a logo or a website first.

If you are wondering how to use your logo in your business or online strategy, I talk more about that here.

9 – Email marketing graphics

If you send out newsletters or email campaigns, put a graphic or two on those bad boys! If you want to keep it simple, an email header is a perfect spot to shine a little light on your brand. That way, when they open your email, they’ll know exactly who it’s from before they read a single word.

If you want to go a little fancy, I’ve seen plenty of email sequences that use graphics to highlight information, break up the text, or just add a beautifully designed element to the email. It’s completely up to you and your branding, of course.

10 – Infographics

I personally love infographics. It’s a great way to present a lot of data, information or knowledge in a quick and clear way. Basically, it packs a lot of punch in a little package. Not to mention they are usually really cool to look at. You can use infographics on your website where relevant or even on Pinterest and link it back to your website (or both)!

What you can take away from this

Hopefully, you now know why you should start creating for your business to uplevel your business. Remember to use graphics in a way that makes sense for your online marketing strategy. 

But before you leave, I want to leave you with a few statistics to convince you that graphics are awesome and encourage you to start using graphics in your business today: 

• Studies have shown people can recall 65% of the visual content they see up to three days later!
• The most engaging visuals are infographics and other unique visual graphics at a whopping 41.5%
• 62% of visual content is made for blog content or other landing pages on a website.
• Facebook posts with an image or visual get 37% higher engagement
• People will spend 10% more time looking at visuals on a website than reading text

Happy graphic making! Have questions? We’d love to answer them! Use our contact page to get in touch or sign up for a Discovery Call today.