You’ve put a lot of thought (and work) into your brand. Your message is on point, your brand voice resonates with your target audience, and your visuals tell a complete, on-brand story.
But… you’re in the mood to level up your brand visuals a bit. A little salsa to spice up your brand visuals, if you will. There’s nothing wrong with your imagery or graphics per se, but you’re itching to do show a stronger side of your biz brand. Or maybe you’re just feeling bored with the same old stock photos, graphics, and colors that are used on literally everything you put out there. (And trust us: if you’re bored, so is your audience!)
Whatever it is that’s got you itching for some new visual components for your brand, we’re here to help. Let’s talk about some simple, not-too-intensive updates you can make to your visual brand.
Update your website images
Our first tip is pretty easy to do, but it makes a big impact. Look through all the images on your website and decide which ones to scrap and replace. If you want to update only a few or all of them at once, go for it.
To stay on-brand, though, remember to choose new photos that fit your colors, tone, and brand personality. Choose high-quality photos that will appeal to people in your target audience. If you run a local upscale spa and you’re picking new website images, you probably wouldn’t choose bright, colorful photos of athletes to replace calm, soothing photos of spa guests relaxing, right? We’re exaggerating a little, but you get the idea.
Picking photos that are very different from what you’ve used previously wouldn’t make sense for your business OR your brand. You want to revive your brand visuals, not completely change what you’ve built already. This is one of many reasons why a stock photo membership is worth the investment. You have access to thousands of images that are already designed to look great when used together. You spend less time worrying if you’re staying on-brand and more time admiring your fresh new website. Bonus: you don’t have to invest in brand photography every time you want to mix things up.
Create new blog post graphic templates
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: every blog post should have at least one “Pinterest-friendly” blog graphic that includes your website name and blog post. Graphic templates that are beautiful and eye-catching are “pin-worthy,” and users are more likely to see your content and navigate over to your website. But your blog graphics shouldn’t stop there.
Not sure how to make those images “pin-worthy” or “Insta-famous”?? Canva is one of our favorite graphic design tools to use, so much so that we shared a full tutorial on using our stylized images to create your own custom templates with the program.
When creating graphic templates in Canva, remember to:
- Use relevant stock photos. Just like the images you choose to display on your website, your blog post graphics should be relevant to your brand and business. Are you a fitness instructor and wellness advocate? Use fitness or bath and beauty images that promote health and self-care. Do you run a fashion and lifestyle blog? Photos of clothing and home decor make sense.
- Stick to 2 or 3 fonts. There’s no need to use more than that. The fonts you pick are the ones you’ll use in all your graphics, on your website, and on your social media, so use fonts that easily adapt to different platforms. Oh, and pro tip: use contrasting colors to make your type easy to read! Dark text on a light background and vice versa are much easier on the eyes than, say, red text on a pink background.
- Optimize your sizes. Pay attention to the size of your graphics and where you intend to use them. Pinterest graphics run tall, while Instagram images are square-cropped. You see all sorts of graphics sizes on Twitter and Facebook. Make sure you have a mix of graphic templates that you can use for all your channels.
Creating new graphic templates might take a little more work than finding new images, but it’s worth it. Having a new set of templates ready to go will save you time in the future, and they’ll familiarize your fans with your new brand’s look.
Refresh your social media profiles
Last but not least, take stock of your social media profiles. How can you edit and revitalize them? (This is also a good opportunity to check that all your important info is up-to-date. Hey, we all forget to do that sometimes!)
Change your user photos
On Facebook, look at your profile photo and cover photo. On Twitter, you’ll be checking your profile photo and header photo. And on LinkedIn and Instagram, you only have to worry about your profile photo. PHEW. Really, the hardest part is picking new photos. Then, all you have to do is upload them onto each page. Use the same advice we outlined in picking new website images and you’re golden.
Check your profile info
Look at your about info / your bio / your profile — whatever you like to call it. Are the right phone numbers, email addresses, or office addresses included? Do you still offer the services or products you mention? Make sure your shared links work and that your language is on-brand, too. On-brand emojis might not hurt, either!
Archive or delete stuff you don’t need
Remember when Taylor Swift archived all her previous posts on Instagram to promote her new album? You don’t have to be that dramatic (unless you want to), but now is a good time to archive or delete stuff that no longer serves your brand. Archive Instagram posts that look out of place, hide or remove Facebook posts that are outdated, and declutter your feed by unliking or unfollowing other accounts. Trust us, it’ll feel great.
Refresh your brand visuals with Styled Stock Society
Of course, new photos are always great for a quick brand refresh. And because it’s the gift-giving season, we want to help you revitalize your visual brand with a little present. Get a free bundle of 20 gorgeous stock photos to use on Instagram, your blog, your website — anywhere you want!
