Facebook and Google+: Sizing It Up!

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I don't expect the good folks at Facebook and Google+ to start communicating, let alone coordinating ANYTHING, anytime soon.

They are responsible for every hair on my head that I've pulled out lately, namely for their ability to create “double work” when it comes to artwork for a personal profile, pages, or events.

So many sizes! Google+ sizes are longer than Facebook’s and not quite as tall.

Here’s an example from one of the shows on Groovy Reflections Radio. I created the Facebook event art first (714 X 264): 

Then I just elongated the artwork by adding some yellow on either side and sliced the bottom off a bit (this took me all of 5 minutes). Not the best solution but it works in a pinch (1200 X 300):

And here’s an example where I spent a bit more time trying to make it all fit, first Facebook (again, this is event art):

And here is the Google+ version. I find it a challenge to have less height to work with and had to slice some heads (poor Marcia Marcia)! The area for copy was a bit leaner too:

Could never remember the sizes I needed to work with I found myself looking up on the internet the correct sizes over and over. Finally wised up and created this handy little chart:

Feel free to print it the chart above and stick it on your refrigerator (just kidding). How ‘bout your bulletin board or maybe tape it to your desk instead?

Hope you find it helpful. I've found myself creating more and more cover arts and event art pieces so having this handy is a big help! It would be even better of course if Facebook and Google+ could choose some universal sizes. Ha! Not going to happen anytime soon (if ever).

Ah, yes, shapes of things. The Yardbirds sang about them back in the 60's (see below). Luckily, we're only dealing with rectangles here! If your social media efforts are too square, contact us via our website, or say hello on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+.  

Anybody Listening? Getting the Word Out!

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Do you sometimes feel that you're over promoting your product or service on various social networks to the point that you're putting your fan base at risk? 

I've felt that ever since the launch of a new service, an internet radio station from my other endeavor, Groovy Reflections, since the get go.

I needn’t be worrying though.

Oh sure, I posted about it on my personal profile on Facebook and Google+ a few times, maybe three times on Facebook and about ten times on Google+. No one unfriended or uncircled me. I even got a few likes on it; perhaps because I included fun artwork with it. 

Of course, I've been promoting relentlessly (or so I thought) on the Groovy Reflections Facebook and Google+ pages. The radio station launched on May 6. It’s been well over a month since we've been broadcasting already!

Surprisingly, most of the fans aren't aware of the radio station! Here I am thinking I may be overdoing it, yet comments like in the example below keep coming up:

And this was after the radio station had been around for about five weeks! Have dozens more examples like this one. 

Lesson learned: Don't be afraid of letting your fans know about your product or service. If it’s too much for them, they'll leave (thus they weren’t true fans in the first place) or they'll complain (hopefully it won't come to that; hasn’t happened to me yet).

As it stands now, promos on the pages go out about three times a day. That feels comfortable to me. On average, the Groovy Reflections page has about thirty-two posts a day on Facebook (yes, it is a very busy page!), thus making the promotional posts just under 10%. On Google+, it’s a little higher since there’s about half the number of posts there compared to Facebook. The audiences on the two social networks differ; the Facebook is U.S. centric, while Google+ is more global. 

Take that into consideration when posting as well; who do you want to respond to your promotional posts? Where are they physically located and is that relevant to your business?

Another element to ponder is the timing of the posts. You do want to catch “the morning crowd”; the ones who are breezing their timeline before running off to work, the lunch crowd taking a peek before or after catching a meal, and the evening crowd. Which raises yet another point; these people are busy! 

They are scanning quickly to catch relevant posts, perhaps eating while doing so, and doing other things like watching TV. The likelihood of their catching your promotional posts goes way down when your fans are multi-tasking their lives away! Do use some eye catching artwork that will slow their scanning down!

In 1978, The Sports asked the musical question “Who Listens to the Radio?” (See below). Hope you do! If you dig everything 60’s and 70’s, tune in here. And if your social media efforts need a "tune-up", stop by our website, or say hello on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+.