Social media has long been a great way for businesses to communicate with the customers. However, we are now in the situation where creativity and a unique approach are essential in order to stand out from the crowd and catch your audience’s attention. Below is a quick review of some great tools that you can use for your posts to give them the edge.
Layout is an app created by Instagram that allows you to put your pictures together in a collage. It gives good range of different arrangement options and is very easy to use. Simply select your pictures, choose your layout template, manoeuvre your photos into the desired position and save. You can have some real fun with the orientation and mirroring of your pictures to create some really eye-catching results. The integration with Instagram allows for quick, straightforward uploads to your social media accounts too.
Ripl is a quick and easy-to-use app that allows you to add text to your pictures and then customise your graphic with a wide range of layouts, fonts and colours. Upgrade to the pro version and you can even add a custom watermark (instead of that from Ripl) with your own business logo or profile picture. You can choose to have your post as an animation with added music or simply as a still. Once satisfied, your work can then be easily shared to a network of your choice. I have found Ripl to be a great app to create quick promotions for a brand, without having to use specific graphic design software or the skills of a designer.
Snapseed is another very useful photo-editing tool that makes graphic design easy for the novice. It offers many options to edit your images, for example straightening, cropping and adjusting the colour or exposure of the image. There is even a tool to alter the ‘ambience’ of the photo. This along with the shadow function enables you to add an artistic edge to your photos. Snapseed doesn’t have the other additions of the likes of Ripl, but there are far more photo editing options available and so it is still a very useful app to have in your collection.
Quik is a video editing tool by GoPro, which was previously known as Replay. It is a great tool for those who want to upload professional-looking videos with ease. The app allows you to use footage taken from your phone, edit it and add a soundtrack to it. One of the big advantages of Quik is that it automatically edits the video to fit with the beat of the music. Furthermore, Quik will search for the best moments in the video, where different effects and filters can be added. Once you are happy with the creation, it can simply be uploaded to your social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp. If you are worried about your skills for video editing, but know the importance of this type of content, then this is definitely the app for you.
There are a number of useful tools available that allow you to get creative with your posts to social media with having to take a course in graphic design or coding. Many of them have free starter versions, so try a few out and see how your new creations affect your engagement rates.
Share your results and feedback with me below!