To the outside world, creating posts for social media may seem easy, but it takes creativity, consistency… and the right tools. The digital world is competitive and constantly evolving. So in order to gain the attention of your audience, you need to consistently create new and engaging material, and in a variety of formats. Luckily, there are some incredible platforms out there to help showcase your brand and create quality content. Here are our 4 must-have-tools that will help your social media efforts.
A Social Media Scheduling Tool
If you are managing multiple social media channels, the first step is organizing your accounts. We recommend utilizing a social media management tool, such as E-Clincher. E-Clincher provides a simple and efficient way to manage all your social media accounts on one platform. It also gives you the ability to create, schedule, publish, and manage all your accounts, along with analytics, suggested hashtags, and other interactive tools. You’ll also have access to a free image library, GIFs, and provide links and attachments to your posts. A great scheduling tool is the truly first step in your social media management and organization process.
A Graphic Design Platform
Visual content is important. Fortunately, you no longer have to have a background in graphic design to create professional-looking images. Our favorite platform is Canva. Canva is a tool loaded with easy-to-use features and functionality to create beautiful and engaging content. It’s loaded with an extensive image library and ready-to-use templates that make designing your own content a breeze. It also has pre-loaded dimensions compatible with nearly any social media channel and document you can imagine. You can also add video, create a GIF, and animate your graphic design with just a few clicks. Canva does have a free option, but to get the maximum benefits we recommend one of their paid versions.
A Video Maker Tool
When it comes to video there are a lot of moving parts. Having a video creation tool can help take the guesswork out creating a quality video, and simplify the process. Our pick is Animoto. Animoto is a video maker tool that helps you easily create and share your own video. With this platform, you can develop videos from photos, video clips, and/or graphics, plus add text and music. Not sure where to start? Animoto provides an extensive library of templates based on the type of video you’re looking to create. From there, you can customize font, backgrounds, colors, and other layout features. You can check out Animoto for free, but a paid subscription is well worth it to access all the features.
A Video Editor and Convertor
Once your video is created, you’ll need to take it one step further in order to maximize your efforts. Not all social media channels are creating equal, and they all come with unique requirements on the size, format, and duration of your videos. That’s where a video editor tool comes into play. Kapwing is a great all-in-one platform that lets you easily create and edit videos and bring them to a professional level on all your social media channels. Beyond editing and resizing, Kapwing also offers animated text, images, subtitles, filters, and the ability to design your own GIFs and memes. With the right tool, you can create eye-catching videos with all the bells and whistles to stand out.
Conclusion
To create great social media content, you need a strategy. While this is not a comprehensive list, the social media tools listed above are our recommended staples that help with different aspects of the content creation process. Find the right ones for you and start creating social media content that gets results.