There are so many social media graphics tools to choose from today that are relatively fun and easy to use. We’ve rounded up seven that we think are worth checking out to help you ramp up your Facebook, Instagram and Twitter game.
OVERVIEW
BEFORE YOU START
SOCIAL MEDIA IMAGE SIZE CHEAT SHEET
CANVA
PIXLR
COLOR POP
PIXALOOP
BITEABLE
LUMEN5
ANIMAKER
BEFORE YOU START
Establish your fonts (start with 2-3) and color palette
Create a three month social media outline
Establish a social media calendar (I use Google docs)
Choose a scheduling tool (I use Hootsuite)
SOCIAL MEDIA GRAPHICS APPS
Choose from over a million stock images, input your text and, just like that, you will have created your very own custom social media graphic. Fine-tune the details by adding frames, icons, or shapes, and play with transparency to get your desired look. You can also upload your own images if you wish. Canva’s interface is extremely intuitive and easy to use, so it’s a great social media post maker if you’re new to graphic design, or if you just don’t want to devote a ton of time to learning new software
Pixlr is kind-of like mini Photoshop, but on your web browser. It uses layers and effects, which means it can create high-complexity images. It may be better suited to the more slightly more advanced designer looking to do a little image design online.
Color Pop highlights selected parts of your photo by keeping those areas in full color and converting the rest to black and white. ... Color Pop is now a complete photography app with a stack of tools & features. You can gray out everything in an image, except for you like color splash.
Pixaloop creates animated photos that can bring your art to life. Any photo element: strands of hair, waves, clouds, or clothing can be animated. Pixaloop tools give you precise animation control so you can perfect your idea.
SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEO TOOLS
Biteable provides you with complete video ads that are fully customizable. You select a video template, complete with music and background shots, as well as spaces to add your own text and images. Biteable’s free plan gives users access to five video projects per month. However, if you want the watermark removed you need to pay for monthly plan.
This social media video maker starts you off inputting the text you want your video to feature, then Lumen5’s system will match your words to related photos, videos, and music. Their AI does the heavy lifting for you, so you can focus on fine-tuning the details.
Animaker changes things up by offering the ability to create animated video without any animation experience. The free version is limited, but you can really make your social media content stand out using these features.
IMAGE AND VIDEO TIPS
Emphasize what’s most important by making your headline the largest element in your graphis.
Keep things simple, less is more especially with stories. A bunch of contrasting features will ultimately take away from the overall impact of your post.
Pick one feature to emphasize, and pair with some more low-key elements to keep things focused.
Make sure to play around with different color combinations and pay attention to how the colors affect your ability to make out the text in your social media graphics.
Pay attention to what emotions you want to evoke. Cooler colors like blue are typically seen as calm, while warm colors like orange can indicate energy or passion. Think about how you want people to feel when they look at your graphics.
Choose your fonts wisely. For example, if you specialize in creating whimsical, otherworldly paintings, a standard font like Times New Roman might not be the one to best express what you and your creative business are all about. On the other hand, if your business is more of a serious nature, be sure to use fonts that reflect that.
We all want to be in on the most recent trending topic and fad, but by creating a good amount of evergreen material you can reuse it throughout the year, which keeps you open to focus on other things
I hope to hear from you on FB, Twitter and Instagram @LKESocialMedia . I welcome feedback and questions about social media for business that you would like covered in subsequent FB LIVES. If you need one on one training, message me and we can set up a free consultation.
Cheers!