How to Create an Awesome Facebook Cover Photo in 5 Minutes or Less

Are fans tired of your outdated Facebook cover photo?

Does it need a makeover?

Let me guess — you’re not a graphic designer, right?

Yep, me neither.

But today I’m going to show you an awesome FREE tool that ALMOST makes me one. 

Then let’s see if we can use it to make your next cover photo something special!

How to Create an Awesome Facebook Cover Photo in 5 Minutes or Less

Start the 5 minute timer… NOW! 

Start with a goal

Before you design your cover photo, set some goals for the final product.

What is the purpose of your cover photo?

Businesses are using cover photos to enhance their marketing campaigns in various ways. Here are some examples:

• 17 Wicked Ways to Use Your Facebook Cover Photo

I’d suggest using your cover photo to:

• brand yourself
• feature benefits of your product
• build an email list
• announce Facebook contests
• provide social proof
• showcase reviews & customer testimonials

Design Process

Now that you have a clear idea of how you want to use your cover photo, it’s time to start designing the image.

Are you ready?

For this example, I’ll create a testimonial cover image for Post Planner. I asked Ravi Shukleto provide a testimonial & photo.

Here are the steps:

1. Sign Up

Sign up for Canva, finish the tutorial & click Facebook cover.

This opens a new tab in your browser.

With Canva, you don’t have to worry about dimensions or specifications for a Facebook cover photo.

The program does the work for you. 

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2. Pick a Template

Next, choose a template for your cover photo. I’m using a plain template for this example.

And I’ve deleted everything from inside.

3. Find a Background

You just need a background image & you’re good to go. Upload whatever image you choose.

I’m using the photo Ravi provided.

You can use your own photo or choose from Canva’s collection of backgrounds. Some are free while others cost $1.

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4. Fine Tune Your Image

You’ve chosen your layout & uploaded your background photo — now click the image you just created.

Your photo will look something like the example above. Resize your image by dragging the corners.

Here’s what mine looked like when finished:

Damn, Ravi! Looking good, my man.

Now I’m going to use a text bubble to bring his words to life.

Click the image to preview the design.

I liked this one:

When adding Ravi’s testimonial, Canva makes it easy by automatically resizing the text for me.

And voila!… here’s the final product:

See how easy that was?!

And took all of 5 minutes! I mean, I haven’t even started sipping my coffee. 

5. Download & Publish

The last step is to click the link & publish.

Click “Image” to download your new Facebook cover photo:

And you’re done!

There is no doubt about it — Canva is the easiest way to design a stunning Facebook cover photo.

Imagine if you spent more time exploring everything the FREE tool has to offer!

Post Planner partnered with Canva to provide anyone reading this article immediate access to the app & a $10 credit for paid images.

Click this link & you’re in:  GET CANVA VIP ACCESS FROM POST PLANNER

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FREE Images from Canva

Remember those $1 images I told you about earlier?

You can get 10 for FREE by participating in this awesome promotion. 

So what are you waiting for??! 

The Basics of Facebook Ads for

Veterinary hospitals are seeing their Facebook reach decline, just like most businesses. Facebook has been very good to veterinarians, allowing us to reach pet owners where they spend time online for for years, free of charge.

As that free ride starts to end, how can veterinary hospitals still utilize Facebook to stay in contact with current and potential clients? Facebook Ads seem to be the answer.

Remembering that Facebook is out to make money with ads, however, it is VERY important to educate yourself about ads before using them.

Facebook ads can be effective and efficient, but only when used correctly. Otherwise, they can easily become a waste of time and money. Let’s go over the basics of Facebook ads for veterinary hospitals!

QUESTION 1: What are Facebook Ads?

There are many types of ads on Facebook, all serving a different kind of purpose. When I log into my Facebook account, I see a bunch right off the bat. Let’s take a look at the ads, and then I will describe which types they represent:

1.) Newsfeed Story, with the goal of getting clicks to their website. A newsfeed story appears almost like a normal post, except it says “Suggested Post” in the top left corner. Not only that, but newsfeed stories allow the business to add cool call-to-action buttons, like the “Learn More” one seen on this example.

Newsfeed stories are seen on both desktop and mobile – which is a key difference from right column ads. Not only that, but they are created “behind the scenes” on Facebook, so this is different than simply boosting a post, which is detailed in #4.

2.) Right Column Ad, with the goal of getting likes on their page. This is Zest soap trying to build the audience on their Facebook page. It is important to note that Right Column Ads are ONLY seen on the desktop version of Facebook, not mobile.

3.) Right Column Ad, with the goal of getting clicks to their website. (Too bad I already bought that pet carrier for my pup, but anyways…) Again, this type of ad is desktop-only.

4.) Boosted Post, with the goal of getting more interaction on the post. (Example at right.) This is the type of ad that most veterinary hospitals seem to be familiar with.

Boosting a post allows you to get more “reach” from it, meaning more people will see it than they would if you didn’t spend the money.

QUESTION 2: What Types of Facebook Ads Could a Veterinary Hospital Run?

A veterinary hospital has the option of running any of those types of ads from their business page. However, you might be stumped as to what you could actually do with an ad.

Here are some ideas:

• Promote an Open House to people in your local area by running a Newsfeed ad that links back to your website, where all of the details about the event will be house.
• Promote a specific service to your current clients, like dental cleanings, by running a Newsfeed ad that links to a blog post on your website that describes the details of the procedure.
• Build your Facebook audience, if you’re newer to Facebook, by running a “Like” campaign, targeted to people in your local area.
• Remind current clients to book appointments with Newsfeed ad targeted to them, linking to the part of your website where they can book an appointment. (See example below.)

QUESTION 3: How Much Do They Cost?

A lot of veterinarians and veterinary practice managers have asked me how much Facebook ads cost. The answer is: AS MUCH MONEY AS YOU GIVE FACEBOOK.

Facebook will obviously take any money you give them to put toward ads, but they will not always spend it wisely. Facebook is always telling me to boost posts to reach 100,000 people.

As a small business, I do not need to reach 100,000 people. During busy days at my veterinary hospital, we already feel like 100,000 people are calling us and coming through the door. I wouldn’t want to find out what actually having that many people come in would be like!

On average, I advise veterinary hospitals to spend between $5-10 on Facebook ads daily,depending on your goals. You can obviously get more aggressive about it, and it might be worth it, but really that’s about as much as you need to get going!

The important part of spending money on Facebook ads is TARGETING your ads to the right audience, so you don’t waste money. Not only that, but you need to tell Facebook how to spend your money. (I recommend optimized CPM, if you see that option when setting up an ad.)

QUESTION 4: How Can I Target Ads To The Right People?

This is where it gets interesting. Now, you might feel discouraged because your Facebook posts aren’t reaching the big numbers of people that they used to. But that isn’t because people are suddenly not using Facebook. It is because Facebook wants businesses to pay to reach their huge audience.

I am constantly surveying my veterinary clients about their social media usage, and of those who use social media,around 75-85% are on Facebook.

The audience is there, but you need to know how to target ads to find them. You can target ads in SO many ways – really the possibilities are pretty endless.

Here are some ideas of how your veterinary hospital can target ads:

• By uploading your current client email list and matching that list to Facebook accounts
• By targeting to people who already like your page
• By targeting to people in your area
• By targeting to people who like other pet-related businesses in your area
• By targeting people who have purchased pet-related products online

QUESTION 5: How Can I Learn More About Ads?

As I mentioned before, the best way to use Facebook Ads efficiently and effectively is to educate yourself about them. I have created a FREE COURSE about Facebook ads.

Click below to join the course, which is a 3-part series. All parts of the course are ON-DEMAND. My Basics of Facebook Ads is the 3rd in the series, so it will be emailed to you a few days after you start Course 1. (All courses come right to your email, for you to watch again and again!)

Join my free online course by clicking here.

If you have more questions about using Facebook ads for your veterinary business, please comment below, or contact me here!

7 Ways Building a Business Facebook Page is Like Building a Home

What’s the best part about building your own home?

The design?

Having a place to call your own?

I think it’s the fact that you get to build it however you want.

So what does that have to do with your Facebook page?

Great question!

Just like building a house, Facebook can help you build your business just the way you want — and there’s no heavy lifting.

So get your hard hat ready & let the construction begin!

7 Ways Building a Business Facebook Page is Like Building a Home

1. Detailed Vision & Plan

Before work can begin, you need a blueprint to help determine the structure & vision for your property.

This also applies to your business Facebook page — whether you’re starting a page from scratch or launching your next campaign.

A marketing plan is essential for tracking goals & results.

Your marketing plan will also provide structure & help you with design. 

2. Right Materials

Once you have a plan in place, it’s time to find the right materials. On Facebook, that includes your ideal customers.

Customers are the building blocks for your business on Facebook.

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Make sure you know what materials you need before you start looking.

In regard to Facebook fans, you must research & identify your target audience.

If the definition is too vague, then just like choosing the wrong materials for your house, you’ll find the structure of your page begin to weaken & the building won’t last.

To ensure your business thrives, it’s essential to research your ideal customer then approach that customer through a Facebook ad.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Use Facebook graph search to find interests of your target audience & tailor your ads accordingly
• Target ads to fans of businesses that are in your industry
• Create custom ads based on your email or newsletter list
• Create “lookalike” audience ads similar to your custom audience
• Boost your Facebook posts

3. Firm Foundation

By now your property is starting to take shape.

But to ensure your house continues to stand strong, it’s vital to build a solid foundation.

A content strategy is the key to building a strong foundation for your business Facebook page.

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The easiest way to create a content strategy is to start with your business goals.

Why is your business on Facebook?

To get web traffic?

Sales?

Customer engagement?

Once you’ve established goals for your business, you can begin creating & curating content to achieve those goals.

4. Showcase Your Personality

There’s one thing that makes every house different.

Any guesses?

Yes, the owner!

Showcasing your personality makes your property stand out. And don’t be afraid to also showcase your personality on Facebook. That’s what some of the most successful small businesses do.

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So go ahead, let it shine!

In the same way that someone may compliment you on your furniture, your fans will love your content if it conveys your personality.

Share your thoughts about topics that interest your fans. Highlight the people behind the scenes & tell fans what you like to do in your spare time.

People love doing business with those they know, like & trust.

Expressing your personality is a great way for your business to build relationships & open dialogue with fans.

5. Elegant Design

It’s time to think about design.

Beautiful design adds the finishing touches to your home. And on Facebook, instead of choosing the paint colors, your business must focus on branding.

Branding goes way beyond your logo. Your brand is the way your customers perceive you.

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Branding extends to your website, your voice & tone, the way you conduct business & your interactions with fans. These are what help your customers form opinions about your business.

6. Regular Maintenance & Upkeep

All your hard work is finally paying off. Step back & be proud of your beautiful home.

And let the regular upkeep begin. 

You want to keep your new house in great condition, right?

And the same thing goes for your business Facebook page.

Running a successful Facebook page requires consistency.

Social media is a marathon — not a sprint.

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Being consistent with your content & replies will help you build lasting relationships with fans.

7. Permission to Expand

What happens when you want to expand your property or do a significant remodel? It often means you need a permit.

And when it comes to Facebook marketing, this permit comes in the form of Facebook advertising, which helps grow your business.

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Key Takeaways

As with any building project, it’s important to have a vision of how you want your property to look upon completion.

This is also true when marketing on Facebook.

Having a clear set of goals & strategy to achieve them will help ensure your business moves forward in the right direction — and sees results along the way.

Have you created the perfect blueprint for your business Facebook page?