Having a brand means so much more for your business than a logo, and if you take the time to set up your brand and really let it shine it could guide big and small decisions for your business. Using your style guide will help you when you start creating graphics to use online for your business. Whether you use plan on using them on social media or for blog graphics having branded images will help your business stand out and create trust with your future clients.

1. Use your brand fonts. When I first started out blogging I would use any and all fonts that caught my eye when making graphics for my blog. But by using fonts from my brand I was able to quickly and easily make graphics that had a similar look and feel to my blog.
2. Use your brand colors. Just like with your fonts using your brand colors will immediately link up in people’s heads your graphics to your business or blog. Using these colors that you have already specified will keep your graphics in line with your branding imagery.
3. Create templates to reuse. Once you have your brand style guide with your fonts and colors spend a little time making 3 – 4 templates for your graphics. This way it will speed up the process of making the graphics and keep the layout similar from graphic to graphic.
4. If you use stock photos that aren’t in your brand colors don’t worry. Add overlays or filters in your brand colors. This is a great way to bring in your brand even if the images don’t inherently have your brand colors in them. This is especially useful if you are using stock photography from a place like Unsplash to customize a photograph that is repeatedly used by others around the internet.
5. Add your logo or website url somewhere on the graphic so that people who come across it randomly can find their way back to your website.
6. Refer to your brand board and style guide. If you have these documents use them to help guide you on the colors and voice for the pieces you create.
7. Consistency is king. Have you noticed what all of these tips have in common? They create consistency every time you post. Having that consistency builds that trust we were talking about earlier. People will recognize your images and know what to expect from you.

If you need some help with brand graphics or a strategy for your social media accounts check out my Social Media Strategy Package.