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6 Free Tools to Create Amazing Social Media Images and Visuals
There’s nothing better (or more successful) in social media marketing than a good visual or image. This includes everything from GIFs to photos, videos, and infographics. Did you know that content with relevant images gets 94 percent more views than content without relevant images? Crazy.
The problem: most small businesses don’t have the budget to employ a photographer, videographer, or graphic designer to create these awesome visuals.
The solution: Create your own!
“Betsy, are you on something? If I was creative and could create my own, I’d have done it by now and wouldn’t be reading this blog post. “
I believe everyone is at least a little bit creative, and there are free tools you can use online to create cohesive, branded images that look professionally done. Below, I’ve listed my 6 favorite free tools you can use to create video, infographics, images, and stunning photos specifically for your social media accounts.
Allons-y!
The Power of Images in Social Media Marketing
We’ve all heard of visual learners, but the fact is that we all respond better to visual information than written information. It’s a basic tenant of teaching and has been proven to help students remember information. In fact, when people hear information, they’ll only remember about 10 percent of it three days later. Add an image in with that information, however, that number jumps to 65 percent.
Translate that to your social media accounts. Visual content is more than 40 times more likely to get shared and typically receives 2 – 3 times more engagement than non-visuals.
Social Media Visual Tool #1: Canva
Oh, sweet, sweet Canva. Canva is a favorite of mine and I’ll still use it on occasion to make a quick graphic for a social media image or visual. With Canva, you can not only create stunning graphic designs and images, but you can also develop a brand theme. It has millions of images you can choose from, as well as multiple design elements you can layer on top. There’s even a “design school” where the pros at Canva teach you the basics of graphic design.
Cost: Free, though some of the images and designs cost money
Ease of Use: Easy
Social Media Image Tool #2: Easelly
Easelly is my go-to for social media infographics. They provide you with hundreds of pre-made infographics you can choose from and edit how you like, or you can create one from scratch. Social media visual templates you can choose from include timelines, maps, comparison charts, and more.
Cost: Free, option to upgrade to Pro for more templates and designs
Ease of Use: Medium
Social Media IMage Tool #3: Piktochart
If you need an infographic and don’t vibe with Easelly, I’d suggest giving Piktochart a whirl. Just like Easelly, you can choose from multiple infographic templates for your social media image, and customize as needed. The only downfall is that the free images do come with a Piktochart watermark.
Cost: Free, option to upgrade to a Pro package for access to more images
Ease of Use: Easy
Social Media image Tool #4: Jing
Ever wish you could take a snapshot of your screen and edit it? Enter Jing. With Jing, you can take a snapshot of a selection of your screen and transform it into a photo. It’s the tool that Facebook recommends people use when submitting photos to help requests, and for good reason. It’s free, easy to use, and creates good-quality images.
Cost: Free
Ease of Use: Easy
Social Media Image Tool #5: Photoscape
For those of you that don’t have or don’t know how to use Photoshop, worry not! Photoscape is an amazing photo editing and enhancing tool that can make pretty much any photo look professional. You can crop, zoom, add filters, adjust contrast and color saturation—you name it.
Cost: Free
Ease of Use: Easy
Social Media Image Tool #6: Avidemux
Avidemux is a video editing tool perfect for inexperienced videographers. You can do basic video editing (sorry, no audio), and then add in filters, subtitles, and other video enhancements. It even comes with its own Wiki!
Cost: Free
Ease of Use: Medium
Graphic Design and Social Media Imagery: Two Peas in a Pod
Sure, you can share whatever you want, but having a polished brand color scheme and style will make your social media images stick out from your competitors. Your goal isn’t just to increase your engagement and reach on social media, but also to stick out in the minds of potential customers. You want someone to be able to look at your image and immediately be able to identify your company. While these tools can carry your company for a while, as it grows you’ll need to have a graphic designer take over.
I’ll tell you why: Graphic designers are like the psychologists of imagery. They know which images garner certain attention and which images can influence people in a certain way. Be careful when choosing a graphic designer, though!
Designing for social media is incredibly different than designing for a website or blog post. You really have to pack in your message, and it needs to be created in a way that aligns with your customer’s buyer journey. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us! I always love talking social media, and our designers will geek out forever if you get them going. Till we chat, good luck with your image creation!
About The Author: Blue Corona's Editorial Staff is determined to help you increase your leads and sales, optimize your marketing costs, and differentiate your brand by passing on our tribal knowledge. The team vigilantly stays on top of the latest in digital marketing, bringing you the top insights with expert commentary. Want to see something on our blog you haven't seen yet? Shoot us an email and our marketing team will get to work.
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The information on this website is for informational purposes only; it is deemed accurate but not guaranteed. It does not constitute professional advice. All information is subject to change at any time without notice. Contact us for complete details.
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