Are you looking to start a social media account for your business or looking to improve your online presence? You can save time, money and stress by knowing what free resources are available and how they can help you stay at the top of your game.
“You can do this without having to pay a cent…”
The market is saturated with apps and resources that cost money. However, if you don’t have the funds to pay for these services, fear not. There are many free apps and websites that we use and love and that can get you on the right track towards creating content you’re proud of.
1. Take advantage of the beautiful free images and videos on Pexels
If you’ve spent any time on social media, you know visual content is the name of the game. A good photograph or video can create a connection between you and your client – great content is relatable, paints a picture of your unique business story and can draw someone in to hit that ‘follow’ button. I know it’s hard to spend time creating quality content when there are only so many hours in the day, this is why I would recommend Pexels.
Pexels is a free stock photo and video website that hosts premium visuals to cater to your specific needs. The website was created to help designers and bloggers connect with amazing content. A great tip would be to use Pexels and their quality images and videos to fill or supplement your own content to achieve a well-polished and professional account. To find more about Pexels and how you can use their content (also be sure to check out their licensing rules) at https://www.pexels.com/
2. Create eye-catching designs with Canva
Now Canva holds a special place in my heart. It is my go-to for making bold presentations and is really helpful for creating any paper or web-based designs your brain can dream up. Canva is also a great tool that can help you design professional posts for any social media account and you don’t have to pay a cent.
The platform is free and allows you to upload your own photos and text into templates to personalise your designs. Canva helps you illustrate, organise and even animate content that generates high-grade visuals that will leave your audience impressed by your design chops. Canva does have some extra features you can purchase within the platform, however it offers a whole heap of content for free. https://www.canva.com
3. Edit your photos with VSCO
Sometimes photos could be spruced up or need to be altered to keep it consistent with the rest of your posts. A great free photo editing app is VSCO. Now here at WolfeWiseCreative, we have our head photographer Mike Wolfe edit our photos, but if you don’t have time to learn about editing tools, VSCO is a great easy to use alternative.
The app, which allows a 7-day free subscription, features several great pre-made filters for you to choose from. All you have to do is upload your work, add a filter and export your new creation. My favourite feature is the slider tool that allows you to turn up and down the intensity for more natural looking photos. https://vsco.co
4. Schedule posts with Later
Later was a game-changer for our team here at Wolfewise Creative. If you have ever forgotten to post or have been unsure if a post will fit into the layout of your social media account, this will be a tool you won’t want to miss. Later is a post managing tool that plans, schedules and will post your content for you so you won’t ever forget to post ever again. In 2022 Later’s free features allows you to schedule up to ten free posts a month.
Later hosts premium features that produce tailored insights and tips to help you reach more people and post on several social media platforms. The platform posts to Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Linkedin, Twitter and more. However, we love using Later’s free services to schedule posts for Instagram and review the advice it gives us about our personal optimal posting times. https://later.com
5. Generate hashtags with Display Purposes
Hashtags. The confusing and elusive thing people always talk about. What are they? How do we do them well? We have found a platform that helps the ordinary human traverse the intricate world of hashtags. Display Purposes is a hashtag generator website that takes one hashtag you suggest in your desired topic and generates up to 30 tags that are related to that field.
Beyond that, the site has brilliant articles on what the damned things are, why they can be helpful for your social media accounts and how to use them. Check out their website to quickly become a hashtag wizard. You’re welcome. https://displaypurposes.com
These were five ways to start or elevate your social media game. Let us know if you have any questions as we are happy to answer them at michael@wolfewisecreative.com.au. Did any of these resources catch your fancy? Let us know if there is any area of photography or social media marketing you would love us to cover.
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