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When people arrive at your Facebook Page, where do you think they first look?

I’ll give you some hints. It’s a visual piece of content that sits at the top of your page. Its dimensions are 851 pixels wide by 315 pixels tall. It takes up almost a quarter of the screen on most desktop browsers.

That’s right — it’s your Facebook cover photo.

Since it’s one of the most noticeable parts of your page, it’s crucial that you follow Facebook cover photo best practices.

Whether you’re using Facebook to generate leads, close your next sale, or create a customer community, knowing how to make and optimize your cover photo is very important. Read on to learn what you should (and shouldn’t) do in your cover photo.

(You’ll also get cover photo templates for Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Google+ with your cover photo template download!)

11 Best Practices for Your Facebook Cover Image

1) Do abide by Facebook’s cover photo guidelines.

It seems like a no-brainer, but obeying Facebook guidelines is crucial to your Facebook Page existing in the first place. I’d highly suggest reading through the full Page Guidelines, but here are a few important things to keep in mind for your cover photo:

• Your cover is public.
• Covers can’t be deceptive, misleading, or infringe on anyone else’s copyright.
• You can’t encourage people to upload your cover to their personal timelines.

If you get caught violating the above terms, Facebook could take action against your Page. And while Facebook doesn’t explicitly say what will happen if you violate their Page guidelines, it’s probably not smart to get your Facebook Page taken down over a cover photo infraction, so read the guidelines in full and adhere to them.

2) Do make sure your Facebook cover photo size is right: 851 px wide by 315 px tall.

You don’t want to spend all this time designing a cover photo … only to have it look weird when you upload it to Facebook.

Make sure your cover photo will look fabulous from the get-go by making sure it’s the right dimensions: 851 pixels wide and 315 pixels tall.

If you upload an image smaller than those dimensions, Facebook will stretch it to fit the right size, as long as it’s at least 399 pixels wide and 150 pixels tall.

If you want a no-hassle way to make sure your cover photos are the right size, download our pre-sized template for Facebook cover photos here.

3) Don’t worry about the old “20% text” rule, but still try to stay visual.

Back in 2013, Facebook removed any reference to the 20% rule on text in cover photos … but that doesn’t mean you should go wild with using text in your cover photo. The previous rule said that only 20% of your cover photo could be text. Personally, I thought that was way too restrictive for marketers, but the sentiment behind the rule was a good one.

If you’re going to use text in your cover photo, keep that text concise. Your photo will be much more informative and engaging.

4) Keep the image simple, with a clear focal point.

Think of your cover photo as the portion of your Page that’s “above the fold.” If it’s distracting or poor quality, people will be more likely to click off the page.

Many of the best Facebook cover photos include a single subject as the focal point. They also use negative white (i.e., empty space) as an advantage to make the subject, any copy on there, and other elements unique to Facebook (like the CTA button on Facebook business Pages) stand out even more.

Here’s an example from Makr:

And another from J.Crew:

5) Don’t hide content behind your profile picture.

Because of the way profile pictures are featured on Facebook Pages, there’s a section of your cover photo that won’t appear unless you click on it. Your Page name and the buttons on the bottom right also cover portions of your photo.

Check out the example below from NikeWomen. The portions highlighted in red are the parts of the cover photo that aren’t immediately viewable to your Facebook Fans.

According to Facebook’s Help page, on desktop computers, the profile picture is located 16 pixels from the left edge of the cover photo, and 176 pixels from the top of the cover photo.

That being said, you can also use this hidden space to your advantage — maybe even hiding an Easter egg behind the profile picture for a contest. But typically, keeping that space clear is a good best practice.

6) Don’t put important content on the bottom of your photo, either.

Your profile photo isn’t the only part of your cover photo that will be partially hidden on your main Page. You’ll also want to avoid putting important content or key parts of your image on the bottom of your photo where the name of your Page and CTA buttons are.

We recommend drawing an imaginary line about halfway up your profile picture, and keeping important content (like text or hashtags) above that.

You can see what I mean in HubSpot’s cover photo below, where we’ve placed the text above the “HubSpot” name.

7) Do right-align the objects in your cover photo.

Since your profile picture is on left, you want to add some balance to your Facebook cover photo design by having the focus of the image be on the right.

Take a look at these cover photos. Which one looks more aesthetically pleasing?

Right-aligned focus:

Left-aligned focus:

Doesn’t the right-aligned cover photo look better? The biggest design elements (the profile picture, the text, and the beer) are evenly spaced. In the Samsung cover photo, your attention goes immediately to the left side of the page, completely missing the name of the product on the upper right side.

Not only is adding balance a crucial element of design, but it also allows for your cover photos to be more visually effective on mobile. Which brings me to my next point …

8) Do keep mobile users in mind.

In April 2016, Facebook reported that over half of its user base (54.2%) access the social network exclusively from mobile devices. That’s huge — and it’s exactly why it’s so important to keep mobile users top-of-mind when designing your Facebook cover photo.

On mobile, a much larger portion of your cover photo is blocked out because the profile picture and the Page name are on top of the cover photo.

Image Credit: Twelveskip

Let’s take a look at a real-life example. Below, take a look at what Adobe’s Facebook Page looks like in a desktop browser versus on Facebook’s mobile app.

Desktop:

Mobile:

Notice that the sides of the photo are cut off on mobile. Whereas your cover photo displays at 851 pixels wide by 315 pixels tall on desktop, it displays only the center 640 pixels wide by 360 pixels tall on smartphones. Take a look at this Facebook help document for more information.

Notice, by the way, how the text in Adobe’s cover photo is cut off on the right-hand side. While it looks best to right-align your visual elements, be careful not to put important content so far to the right that it gets cut off on mobile.

9) Do integrate the cover photo design with other parts of your Facebook Page.

If you really want to get creative with your cover photo, try integrating its design with other parts of your Facebook Page. You could make your profile picture and cover photo one big canvas, or use some design elements to draw attention to different functionalities of your Facebook Page.

Below are some ideas of what these cover photo integrations might look like.

Combine your profile picture and cover photo.

With a little creativity and some design tweaks, you can make your profile picture and cover photo appear as if they’re two parts of one canvas. Check out one of Paris’ cover photos for a subtle but compelling way to do that.

Note: Since cover photos display differently on mobile and on desktop, you’ll have to choose one format to design your cover photo and profile combination for. Since cover photos are much more noticeable on desktop, I’d suggest prioritizing that layout for your cover photo and profile picture combination design.

Draw attention to the buttons on right.

Following the best practices mentioned above, WeddingWire places all of its important text to the right of their cover photo — not only achieving a good design aesthetic, but also drawing attention to the main calls-to-action on the Page: Like, Follow, and Message.

Note: While it might seem like a good idea to add directional cues like an arrow to get people to click on the CTA buttons, note that those CTA buttons don’t appear the same way on the mobile app. In other words, it might be confusing to mobile users if you integrate the cover photo design with the buttons.

10) Do include a shortened link in your cover photo description that aligns with your page CTA.

If you want to use your cover photo to support your page CTA, make sure your cover photo description also includes a text CTA and link to the same offer. This way, any time people view your cover photo directly, they can access the download link.

Here’s this practice in action on HubSpot’s Facebook Page:

Make sure you shorten your links and add UTM codes so you can track clicks on them. Shortening and tracking features are available in the HubSpot Marketing Platform and in tools like bitly.

(If you want to learn more about how to write effective call-to-action copy for your cover photo description, click here to download our free ebook on creating compelling CTAs.)

11) Do pin a related post right below your Facebook cover image.

Have you ever “pinned” a post to your Facebook Page’s Timeline? Basically, pinning a post allows you to highlight a typical Facebook post on the top of your Timeline for seven days. It’s signified by a small yellow flag on the top right of the post, like on Refinery29’s Page below:

How does this relate to optimizing your Facebook cover photo? Well, if you’re spending time aligning your Facebook Page CTA, your cover photo design, and your cover photo description copy, you should also make sure to post about the same thing directly to your page, and pin that post to the top of your Timeline.

That way, you’re giving people one very clear call-to-action when they arrive to your page (albeit in several different locations) — which should help conversions.

To pin a Facebook post: Simply publish the post to Facebook, then click the downward arrow on the top right corner of the post and choose “Pin to Top.”

Want to see how HubSpot uses Facebook? Like our Facebook Page here.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in September 2013, and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.

 

Some things in life are relatively straightforward to learn. 

Want to knit a scarf? Head the local craft store, pick up a book, and get to work. Sure, your gauge might be all over the place and your transitions between balls of yarn might be haphazard, but you’ll still end up with something good enough to keep you warm during the winter. 

Learning to lead others isn’t so linear. 

Sure, you can pick up a book to get you started, but that’s all it will be — a start. You’ve got to read, and listen, and ask questions, and make mistakes, and course-correct, and then you might be at a “good enough” level. 

If you’re on that leadership development path and looking for some more materials to help you along that journey, we’ve got you covered. Below are some of our favorite podcasts, tools, tips, and resources to become a better leader. 

9 Resources to Help You Become a Better Leader

1) Bill Walton on The Growth Show

Even if you’re not a basketball fan, you can learn something from Bill Walton. The NBA legend worked alongside two of the most prominent leaders in basketball: John Wooden, his basketball coach at UCLA, and Larry Bird, his teammate on the Celtics. In this episode of HubSpot’s podcast, The Growth Show, you’ll hear more on what made those leaders so special — and apply those insights to your own career.

2) Speaking.io

While public speaking isn’t a requirement for being a strong leader, it certainly can help you differentiate yourself at work. Whether you’ve got to nail a presentation in front of a room of execs or you’re worried about presenting an idea to your manager in your next 1:1, knowing how to frame your idea and effectively communicate it to your audience is incredibly important. 

This resource is a near one-stop-shop for public speaking tips. Check it out to get advice on everything from developing your idea, to designing your slides, to actually delivering your presentation. 

3) Daring Greatly, by Brené Brown

Though it can be tempting to feel like you have to master everything to be a leader, the most exceptional leaders embrace their vulnerability — and use it to their advantage. 

If you’re struggling with being vulnerable with your team, look no further than Brené Brown’s book, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead. In the book, Brené Brown dives into a decade of research to unveil the power of vulnerability, and gives tips on how you can open up more in your own life.

4) The Radical Candor Framework

Think about the hardest piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten. Chances are, it was rough to receive … but you were better in the end for it. 

That’s exactly what happened to Kim Scott. After an important presentation, Scott’s boss, Sheryl Sandberg — yes, that Sheryl — had some feedback. Harsh feedback. The kind of feedback that stings. But because Scott knew that Sandberg was coming from a compassionate place when giving the feedback, Scott accepted it, moved on, and became better.

Scott took this pivotal interaction and used it to develop a framework for giving better feedback at work. No matter what stage of your career you’re in, I’d highly suggest taking the time to read her framework.

(We also had the pleasure of having Kim Scott on The Growth Show. If you’re interested in hearing more about her perspective on leadership, listen to her episode below.)

5) CareerLark

Speaking of feedback: While you’re putting all the advice from all of these books, blogs, podcasts, and frameworks into practice, don’t you wish someone would give you feedback on how you’re doing? 

Enter CareerLark, a Slack bot that helps you seek out on-the-fly advice on skills you’re most interested in improving.

Here’s how it works. Let’s say the skill you’d like to get better at is public speaking. You could use CareerLark to ping your boss after your next big presentation to get real-time feedback on how it went — all through Slack. 

Micro-feedback in real-time? Great for your skill development (and great practice for your boss, too). 

6) Advice From Real People

Sometimes, getting feedback from someone who isn’t in your company or industry can be the most enlightening. If you’re looking to step outside your bubble, here are a few apps to help: 

• RealTalk: This app features interviews and advice from real people in tons of different industries. Learn what it’s really like to be in a job — it could help you better benchmark your own experiences and uncover new ways of thinking. 
• Advice.vc: Even if you’re not in a startup, turning to a venture capitalist (VC) for advice could get you through the trickier situations at work. For $20 (which gets donated to charity, not pocketed), ask a VC expert about a problem you’re facing, and get help finding a solution.
• Glassbreakers: If you’re a woman struggling to find a mentor in your industry, check out this tool. It’ll match you with another brilliant woman in your space who could give you great advice about developing your leadership skills.

7) Online Courses

So far, the leadership resources largely have to do with management and communication … but that’s not the only way to level up in your career. 

Sometimes, it’s about becoming really, really good at a certain part of your job (or a skill that you want to be part of your job one day). For that to happen, you just need to hunker down and learn it. 

An online course can be a great way to do just that. While where you find an online class differs greatly by the skill you’re looking to develop, here are a few places I’d recommend checking out if you want to improve your marketing-related skills:

• Inbound Certification: If you want a deep dive into some of the most important aspects of marketing today, check out our free certification. 
• Design Lab: Want to up your design skills? Check out Design Labs. You’ll be given real assignments to build your knowledge — and a mentor to help you through each one.
• Codecademy: Learn to code — for free — at Codecademy. This is especially helpful if you’re the type of person who learns best through lots of hands-on experience.
• Lynda’s Excel Courses: If you’re interested in advancing your data analysis skills, you’re gonna have to learn how to use Excel. Period. Check out Lynda’s Excel courses for more help. 

8) Industry-Specific Slack Communities

Many of us are on Slack all day to communicate with our coworkers, but there are lots of opportunities to use the platform to connect and learn from folks outside our company. In fact, many industries have Slack groups you can join to talk about the latest trends and get advice on problems you’re facing. (Or lurk in the background like I do to absorb as much information as possible.)

To find a community to join, I’d recommend checking out these two resources: 

• Slack.info
• An Incomplete List of Communities on Slack

9) The Next Five 

Maybe the resources above haven’t appealed to you. Maybe you’re at a loss for what kind of skills you want to develop. Maybe you’re not even convinced you want to be a leader in your field at all … but you aren’t sure what to do next. 

If you’re already doing a little soul searching, you should take a few minutes to check out The Next Five. It’s a free assessment that can help you identify the next step in your career.

Bonus: Your “diagnosis” will come with looooots more resources to help you make meaningful progress toward that new goal. (Because the only thing better than nine leadership resources is tailored resources to your specific situation … am I right?)

What are some of the most helpful leadership resources you’ve come across? Share your favorites in the comments. 

As marketers, it’s pivotal that we measure our work.

How many leads are we generating? What are our best channels? How quickly are our leads closing? And perhaps most importantly, how much revenue are our leads bringing in?

There are lots of metrics that matter. While we all wish otherwise, there’s no silver bullet report — no single metric that sums up all of our efforts. That’s where dashboards come in.

The basic concept of a dashboard? Take a series of reports and put them next to each other. Sounds simple enough. Creating a dashboard is easy. However, creating a great audience-aware dashboard that can be easily iterated on over time is not so easy. In fact, dynamic marketing dashboards take a lot of planning and forethought.

Not sure where to start? It’s all about asking the right questions.

26 Questions to Ask Before Creating Your Next Marketing Dashboard

1) Why is the dashboard being created?

If you’re a fan of Simon Sinek, you’re familiar with the concept of “starting with why.” (If you’re not, check out his TED talk, then come right back.)

Make sure you’re creating a dashboard for the right reasons. For example, are you creating a dashboard when a single report would do the trick?

2) Who is the dashboard for?

Will you be presenting to your CEO? The VP of Sales? The Board of Trustees? Your Social Media team? In marketing, we construct our content with our buyer personas in mind. When creating a dashboard, keep your audience in mind.

3) What questions do they need answered?

The CEO is on the hook for the company’s bottom line. She likely cares less about your inputs (how many hours you put in, how you titled your blog posts) and more about your outcomes and big-picture results. Other members of your organization value other components of your reports.

Before creating your dashboard, write down a few of the questions your audience needs to answer — chances are, they’ll be asking them come presentation time.

4) How much time do they have to review the numbers?

Will they review the numbers for fifteen minutes? Or spend an entire three-hour meeting poring over them? The answer to this question determines how many reports your dashboard should include. If your audience won’t spend much time with the data, only include the two or three most impactful reports.

5) What language do they speak?

We’re not talking about English, Spanish, or Arabic. Think about what type of vocabulary they’re familiar with. More importantly, which words don’t they know? Do they know what a Marketing Qualified is? How familiar are they with the concept of Organic Search?

If you don’t ask this question, you run the risk of presenting data that will go over the head of your audience. Not sure where to start? Read through emails your audience has sent you in the past, or ask your teammates.

6) How data-savvy are they?

As marketers, many of us geek out over web analytics. Does your audience? If you’re speaking to someone who doesn’t love data as much as you do, stick to simpler reports.

7) Do they need to know the story behind the data?

If so, be ready to tell it.

8) How nitpicky do they get?

Make sure you can explain any data inaccuracies or outliers. If “No value” or “Encrypted Keywords” appears in the data, be ready to discuss.

9) What tools do you have at your disposal?

Does your company use a marketing analytics tool? Google Analytics? Excel? A whiteboard?

10) How much time can you block off?

Hold yourself accountable for building the dashboard. Don’t save it until the last minute.

11) What format should it be in?

Should the dashboard be housed in an online tool? Should it live in Excel? Does it need to be presented as a slideshow at the next board meeting?

12) What other members of the organization do you need on your team?

Do you have a business operations team that controls certain tools? Does the sales team hold the keys to revenue data? Align yourself with internal stakeholders, and set proper expectations on what you need and when you need it.

13) Which metrics should the dashboard include?

Every organization values different KPIs. Use your answers to questions three and five to get going in the right direction. If you’re not sure where to begin, raw data and conversion rates on visits, leads, and customers are a great starting point.

14) What should the dashboard not include?

When we set goals at HubSpot, we identify both positive and negative aspects — things we’ll commit to accomplishing, and others that we’ll intentionally exclude from focus. Are there certain metrics that you’re deprioritizing?

15) Does the dashboard need more than just visuals?

Will every member of your audience be presented the information on your dashboard in a live session? Often, it’s constructive to add additional context to your dashboards with help text.

16) What time frame makes the most sense?

For some organizations, monthly check-ins work best; for others, quarterly works better. Think back to question two. For the questions your audience is asking, how often do they need answers?

17) Which report is most important?

Prioritize the report with the biggest impact — make it the biggest, and place it front and center on your dashboard.

18) What types of graphs fit the data best?

If you’re plotting trends over time, use line and area charts. If you’re comparing values, try a bar or column visual instead.

Here’s a quick example. Take a look at the two charts below. The same data is presented, but notice how the second graph shows a more compelling trend in MQL growth over time.

Before:

After:

Not sure how to choose chart types? Here’s a great resource to get you started.

19) Do you have benchmarks or goals to include?

Does it make sense to plot your data compared to a previous time period, or to a goal you set in the past? Do you have competitive data to use as a benchmark?

20) Does the dashboard need to be segmented?

Reporting on all your data is valuable, but it often doesn’t tell the full story. For example, if your marketing team is divided into personas or countries, find a way to present each segment’s unique data.

21) What actions do you want to drive out of each report?

Never run a report just for the sake of it — for each data point you highlight, make sure you have a tangible strategic takeaway to share with your team. Don’t walk away from the report with nothing at all.

22) Do you need more than one version of the dashboard?

If you have more than one audience, create unique variations that speak to each one’s most pressing questions.

23) Who owns the dashboard?

Are you charged with creating the dashboard every month? If you win a free trip to Hawaii next month and are out of the office, who will create the dashboard?

24) Who can access it?

Make sure that every member of the team who needs to see the dashboard has the correct level of access within your tool of choice. On the flipside, keep unwanted sets of eyes out of the data by customizing permissions.

25) How will you distribute it?

If your system allows, set up an automated email at your chosen frequency to save yourself the manual send each time. At HubSpot, the marketing team receives a lead generation dashboard at noon each day with month-to-date data. Depending on the time frame your team chose in question 16, pick the cadence that makes the most sense.

26) Does your process need to be repeatable? How will you iterate on it?

If you need to recreate your dashboard in the future, make it easy on yourself by documenting the process in a Google doc or internal Wiki page. Note the parts that were trickiest and jot down specific instructions for next time.

What else do you keep in mind when creating marketing dashboards? Share your thoughts in the comments.