Contents
I was tempted to write a top 10 on content creation software but when I have my absolute favourites, it didn’t seem genuine. Instead I would rather talk about the different tools I use for social media creation and why.
Developing Your Brand Aesthetic: Creating a Consistent Visual Identity
Developing a consistent and cohesive brand can be an essential task depending on your vision for your brand. Your brand’s visual identity serves as a reflection of your company’s core values, personality, and unique selling points. If you haven’t got a brand guideline yet, then read more about the benefits on this post on a strong brand presence.
There are some great free tools to create your own basic brand guidelines:
- Colours – This colour generator is fun and simple.
- Fonts – Google is still the most used browser and search engine, so it is sensible to choose a Google font.
If you have the budget, I do recommend having a brand developed professionally.
Design Creation
Canva Software – To Create Your Graphics
Hands down, this is the best software on the market right now for creating social media graphics professionally and quickly. This software is forgiving of lack of experience and have crafted their tools for user ease and for those that need it – 1000’s of tutorials are around.
Some of the standout features for me is:
- Ready to go templates which you can use as is or like me get ideas and pull them apart.
- A huge collection of photos and graphics that can be customised.
- Background remover that works for images and video most of the time.
- The price is so affordable
Adobe Software – For Enhanced Design Needs
Not everyone possesses the technical know-how or the financial resources to invest in Adobe software, but those who do often find themselves tapping into its capabilities on occasion. While Canva is undoubtedly an excellent tool, it does come with certain limitations. When a more polished or intricate approach to social media design is required, I turn to Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop. Although it’s not the primary focus of this discussion, I also exclusively use Adobe for designing brochures.
Imagery
One of the top pain points in social media creation is getting original quality images and videos that are engaging. If you are like me, you may not have the eye or patience to create your own. If you are selling a product then find money in your marketing budget for professionally taken photography. Creating content from imagery of your own products, gives a stronger connection with your target market.
However not all have the budget or time to create them. This is where stock images and videos are needed in content creation. Most businesses use a mix of original and stock media ensures that you have a variety of engaging and visually appealing content to share across your social media channels, ultimately enhancing your brand’s online presence and driving audience engagement.
My stock image website picks are:
- Shutterstock for photography is my absolute go to, a bit pricey if not using often. The images on this post is from here.
- Videoezy is great for free video stock
- Pexels has a decent free collection of photography
- Google icons has the most vast collection
Final Thoughts
Maintaining a strong social media presence is crucial in today’s digital landscape, as it helps businesses connect with their target audience, build brand awareness, and drive growth. There is also the added benefit of well executed and consistent campaigns have shown to improve organic search engine growth as well.
If you find yourself struggling to commit to the time needed to maintain your social media reach out.