Apps to help you create & manage social media content
One of the things I get complimented on quite often, whether it is my blog's page or working with clients, is the quality of the content I create. While years of experience in the industry has helped to develop this skill I also do have a few tricks up my sleeve that almost anyone can try on their own.
Without further ado, here are some of the apps I use to help manage my social media marketing.
I never learned how to use Photoshop or any of those fancy editing apps. When I worked in an ad agency I worked in client services. There was a team of professional graphic artists available for executing any ideas I might have come up with for content but could not design myself.
Somewhere along the way, perhaps while working with smaller clients and experimenting in my own time, I discovered Canva. Game. Changer.
I always tell people, "If you can use PowerPoint, you can use Canva."
It is drag and drop. There are hundreds of templates available to get you started. There are options for both free and inexpensive stock photography, videos and animation. Or upload your own into the templates available. They even update regularly with all the right dimensions you might need for all the popular social media platforms.
I use the free version but there is also a premium version available.
For your other marketing media, Canva also has templates for posters, flyers, presentations, etc. And if that does not suit your fancy, you can customize the size you want.
For larger campaigns, I would recommend consulting with a professional but if you have already done the leg work to develop your brand image and are simply looking to add a little pizazz to your daily social media posts, Canva could be a great place to start.
Also, while there is a mobile version, I personally find the desktop version easier to work with and then use the mobile version to download and save my designs to my phone.
Once again, if you are working on a large campaign, I would recommend consulting a professional videographer.
However, if you are looking for to make simple video edits on your own, such as the video montages I had to do for Bentley Potter School of Dance's almost daily challenge while on lockdown [head over to their 'Staying Home' Highlight to see what I am referring to]... InShot is the solution you are looking for.
For something like a daily challenge where the turnaround had to be really quick, InShot is really efficient.
It is easy to use from your phone. You can trim your video to your desired length, add music, sound effects, stickers or text. Choose what is available in the app or upload your own.
I also used it to do the video featured in this blog. This was to announce the start of the school's online classes for the April term while still under lockdown. It must have taken me an hour altogether to put together. If so much.
I have also used this app to create time-lapse style videos of myself while working or exercising by speeding up the video.
The possibilities are endless.
Looking to work on your theme for your Instagram feed? This is the app for you. I have also worked with Garny and Planoly but Preview seems to be the one that stuck.
It allows you to plan and preview what your Instagram feed could look like before you post to Instagram.
You can also schedule content and draft captions. Planning content in advance can make a huge difference. If you own a business, you do not want to be spending valuable time constantly worrying about what to post next.
As someone who blogs in addition to a full-time job (at the moment), I get it. So when I do carve out some time, maybe an hour over the weekends or after work, I use Preview to create and schedule content for the weeks ahead. I also like to create a bank of what is referred to as "evergreen" content, which is basically generic content that is not seasonal that I can pull from whenever I am feeling a little stuck.
This is another one for Instagram. I use this app to create those 3 square banners with quotes on my Instagram page. I think it adds a really nice dynamic and memorable feature to my Instagram page, creating visual breaks while scrolling through my page. It also makes a good first impression for first-time visitors.
Some people use this technique to be able to feature larger images on their Instagram feed. 9square is the type of app that pushes you to literally think outside the box. It helps you to crop and organize a larger photo into the small photos needed to create your grid.
Because the Instagram feed does not allow you to really zoom in on an image, using an app like 9square can be a nice way to work around that and allow you for example to see the finer details of large photography or a piece of artwork.
However, fair warning: If you are going to use an app like this, you may want to ensure the original photo is high-res enough, to avoid the individual images being too blurry when cropped.
So there you have it. These are just a few apps I use when creating content for my clients and my own social media platforms. I hope this helps and if you would like to find out more or you have any questions... Send me a message. I'm here to help. This is where creativity meets strategy for your business marketing solutions.
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You suggest several video editors, but you didn't say anything about converters that can be used to work on audio. I found a M4R converter on google and can recommend a few of them to complement your article. I think it will be really useful for everyone.