Photo-editing tools like PhotoShop are expensive and complex for part-time use by the everyday marketer. Community Managers today need to be able to be as self-sufficent as possible and make quick, original images on their own. But here is the good news for marketers and community managers: there is a lot we can do to create social media graphics for Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Blogs, and others with some simple online tools.
Now, I am not suggesting that you try to design your own brochures or websites and other critical branded graphics – let’s leave that to the pros. But if you have an “eye” for design and some time, you can create your own eye-catching images for your blog posts or Facebook page.
Social Media Graphics Made Easy
Remove.bg
If you have an image you want to remove the background to make it look more professional so it could be added on top of another image, this is a handy and free tool. Simply go to Remove.bg, click on “upload image”, select your image and within a second your new email is ready to download without the a background!
Canva
Canva is our favorite photo editing tool for making quick graphics for social media. There are hundreds of templates that you can start with, and then make edits and tweaks to make the design uniquely your own. There are built-in sizes for everything: cover images, blog graphics, posts for Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, posters, business cards, and more. Canva does have different stock images you can purchase for $1, but you can also upload your own photos which is free. One feature unique to Canva is how it stores your designs to download or edit later.
Adobe Spark
Another great option is Adobe Spark, which offers a free trial and then a very low cost subscription rate for individuals at $9.99/month. It’s very intuitive and easy to use.
Finally, don’t forget that images that you randomly find via Google are NOT “free to use”. Check out these blog posts from Karlie for more insight in finding great images that won’t get you in trouble.
Stunning visuals are vital to your social media and blog presence. Try using these image-editing tools listed above to bring your reader’s visual experience to a new level. If you want to incorporate more graphics into your social media marketing, but are not sure where to start, please contact us.
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