Facebook groups are an essential part of social media marketing for an increasing number of businesses – especially those who are creating value-based groups for their clients. These groups are incredibly useful for establishing an online community!
Facebook groups are great for finding new ways to build relationships with your clients and to give them one-on-one support by offering new and exclusive information just for them. With Facebook group features being updated frequently, those groups are becoming even more useful for both businesses and the group’s members.
There’s a lot that goes into creating a great Facebook group, and most businesses end up so focused on the content and engagement that they forget about some of the smaller details that can make a big impact. One of those not-so-small details is your cover photo, which is so much more than “just a picture to fill the space.”
In this post, we’re going to look at how to create an incredible Facebook group cover image, including the perfect Facebook group cover photo size and the best practices you need to make your group stand out.
The Perfect Facebook Group Cover Photo Size
The perfect Facebook group cover photo size is 1640 x 856 pixels. These banner dimensions give a 1.91:1 aspect ratio.
If you don’t use these exact dimensions, you could risk having your cover photo cropped with crucial information cut out, like this:
Before you start creating a new cover photo, it’s important to know the ideal Facebook group cover photo size. This ensures that none of your images will be cropped incorrectly.
One thing that I want to address clearly here is that Facebook’s event cover photo and Facebook’s personal / business profiles use different cover photo dimensions.
This is important to know because a lot of brands try to use their Facebook Page cover photo image for their Facebook groups. The sizes are different and are not optimized to be displayed the same across different Facebook pages.
How to Create a Facebook Group Cover Photo
Creating Facebook group cover photos is easier than ever with Snappa’s drag-and-drop design software, especially since we just rolled out new Facebook group cover photo templates this month.
Here’s a video tutorial we made to help you easily repurpose one of our Facebook group cover photo templates in less than 5 minutes. Check it out!
To make things fast and simple, click on the “Facebook group cover photo” template size from your Snappa dashboard.
Then, you can choose to create a design from scratch or use one of our customizable group cover photo templates for Facebook. I’m dreadful when it comes to anything creative that isn’t writing, so I always opt to use a template. There’s a huge selection available!
When you select a template, you can use Snappa’s editing tools to customize everything about the image. You can switch the background to a photo of your own or use one of our high quality, free stock photos. You can also change the text, adjust the colors, add in graphics, and more.
Why Your Facebook Group Cover Photo Matters
Your Facebook group cover photo is displayed across your entire group page, and it’s larger than the average Facebook Page or personal profile cover photo. There aren’t any group profile pictures here, so this is your one shot to make a big first impression with the right visuals.
Your group cover photo will set the tone for your group and can convey what it is that you’re trying to accomplish. A strong cover image can lend credibility to the group quickly and show that you’re taking it seriously.
Since cover photos are one of the only things you can see about a closed group before you’re granted entry, you need to be using it to your full advantage. Your cover image can help increase the number of potential members interested in joining.
Best Practices For Facebook Group Cover Photos
Aside from using the right cover photo size (which is so important it got its own section, so please take note of that!), there are some essential best practices you should follow when creating your own new group artwork.
Add Some Exposition
One purpose of a Facebook group cover photo is to capture the attention of potential new members and get them interested. Sometimes the best way to do that is to add text that explains exactly what your group offers in addition to strong visual components.
The Facebook group cover photo below does exactly that. Two short, descriptive lines of text with a sharp background image is all that’s needed.
Use Clean, High-Quality Images
When it comes to design, keeping it simple always works well because you can position the content you want to highlight front and center.
In this group cover photo example, the high-res image of the cocktail is the main focal point. If you pair this with a clear and catchy Facebook group title, you’ll have everything you need to draw interest to your group.
Include Visible Branding if Possible
If your Facebook group is connected to your business in any way, make sure to highlight this in your cover photo. If people are already following your Page and don’t know you have a group, this can clear up confusion.
Some businesses will add their brand logo front and center to their group cover image, as shown in the example below.
You can also choose to keep it subtle. This cover photo example places the brand name in small text to the right of the image in order to keep focus on the background photo and tagline. As long as your followers can track that it’s you and that what you’re doing in the group is making a branded impact, you’re all set.
Watch Out for Mobile-Only Cropping
This is a big one. The very top of your image and very bottom of your image will be cut on mobile devices, even when you’re using the ideal Facebook group cover photo size.
In order to prevent anything important from being chopped off (like key text or images), position your main design elements in the safe area. To make this process easy, the mobile device safe zone guidelines are already built in to all of Snappa’s group cover photo templates.
The cover photo you choose for your Facebook group will be one of the first things that potential members notice, and it can set the tone for the entire group. It’s important, and you should look at it as a key part of your group’s branding. If the group is connected to your business, it will directly reflect your business’s branding as well.
When you’re creating your cover photo, keep in mind that simple graphics can have great results, and the cover photo should encompass what the group is about. Use our best practices, and as always, make sure you’re using the perfect Facebook group cover photo size for maximum impact.
Need to revamp your group cover photo? Start your free trial with Snappa here.
