Are you not a pro in Photoshop, but do you want beautiful images on your socials? Are there a hundred to-do’s on your list and you don’t have the time? I understand how you feel – I was once in the same situation.
Fortunately, through my work as a content marketer, I came into contact with a number of useful tools. Tools that would have saved me a lot of time, especially in the beginning. And my images would have looked nicer anyway.
In this blog I discuss my 3 favorite social media recruiting tools. With these free tools, you can create great social media content in no time – even if you have little time or experience.
Beautiful templates thanks to Canva
Canva is a graphic design tool that makes it easy to create images and designs. From Instagram posts or newsletters to a Facebook cover and infographics – everything is possible.
Canva is free to use. You get access to over 8,000 free templates and hundreds of thousands of free images. In short, you can do a lot. I am using this version.
Canva also has paid plans: Pro and Enterprise. The main difference from the free version is access to Canva’s full design library, more storage space, and brand management options.
How exactly does Canva work? Let’s say you want to create an image for Instagram. Click ‘See all’ and Canva will then show you all the editable templates in their library.
Is there a design you like? Click on this, then you can edit the template. You can completely change the design by adding photos, backgrounds, or elements, for example. You can also just change the color of the text.
My opinion about Canva
I’d like to make a comment about Canva. On the one hand, I think it’s a great tool. It is ideal for people or companies who simply want to create beautiful content. On the other hand, many designs created in Canva look similar. In fact, when I scroll through my Instagram feed, I recognize a Canva design almost instantly.
Canva is, therefore, no substitute for a graphic designer. The templates are fairly standard – you don’t easily design a unique house style with them. Do you already have a house style? My tip: choose a template that you like, but change it in such a way that it fits the look of your company.
Tip: thanks to this blog you always have the right social media dimensions (2020) at hand.
I use Canva for:
- Design Inspiration
- Social media content
I don’t use Canva for:
- House styles
- Editing photos
- Brochures or material to be printed
Professional photos thanks to Pexels
Attractive content does well on social media. Beautiful photos contribute greatly to this. But if you don’t have an expensive camera at your disposal, it is difficult to get nice pictures. However? No, not necessarily. Thanks to Pexels you have access to a database full of beautiful stock photos and videos. Pexels is free and you don’t need an account.
Stock photos are professional photos that you can use for free or for a fee. These photos are available in broad topics such as travel, animals, and people. Stock photos owe their name to the fact that photographers create a ‘stock’ of photos around a theme, which they then offer on image banks such as Pexels. These are general photos that were not commissioned.
My opinion about Pexels
I like using Pexels. The image bank contains many beautiful stock photos in various themes and the images are on your computer with a few clicks – ideal for social media and web content. Note: How suitable stock photos are for you depends on your purpose and the type of business.
Take our blog ‘The Health Issue.’ My colleagues and I write about topics like sports, food, and life hacks here. With every blog, we post photos that support the story in question, but the text is always central. In such a case, stock photos are perfect – we don’t need to hire a photographer.
But what if your business is all about visual content? Or if the content has to be personal and unique? In such a case, I recommend that you invest in your content. Engage a photographer or a professional agency to help you with this.
I use Pexels for:
- Supporting visuals on blogs
- Social media content
- Presentations
I don’t use Pexels for:
- Unique footage
- House styles
Freepik for all your illustrations
Freepik is another website where you can find stock photos, among other things. Because in addition to stock photos, you will also find vector images, icons, and Photoshop files. An account on Freepik is free, although for €7.50 per month you have access to many more graphics and you do not have to refer to the owner.
Vector images, unlike pixel images, consist of vectors. It is based on aspect ratio and its size is not fixed in pixels. This allows you to enlarge a vector image without losing quality. If you enlarge a pixel image, the pixels that make up the image become visible or ‘pixelated’.
I use Freepik for almost all images for our blogs and Machielsen’s socials. Do you see the image at the top of this blog? Freepik. A post on our LinkedIn profile like the one below? Also Freepik.
My method is as follows: I determine in advance what an image should look like and how it contributes to the story I tell. Then I find vectors that contain secondary elements or icons that I want to use. I extract the elements from the images and merge them into a new image.
My opinion about Freepik
Of the three tools mentioned in this blog, I use Freepik most often, almost daily. It’s my go-to website for all the images I create.
Important to mention: Freepik is of little use if you don’t have software that can load vector images, such as Photoshop or Sketch. Drag an image directly into the programs and you can start editing right away.
I use Freepik for:
- Inspiration
- Stock Photos
- Vector graphics
- Social media content
I do not use Freepik for:
- Unique footage
- House styles
Creating social media content is awesome
As a content marketer, social media is an integral part of my work. First, we write content based on a buyer persona. Then we put social media to reach the precise target audience – it is the fuel of our content marketing.
Creating cool content for socials is fun, but with the right tools, it also becomes a lot easier. Do you have little experience with Photoshop or simply no time to create your own content?
I’ll summarize it again for you:
- Canva quickly designs attractive social media posts in the right formats.
- Pexels lets you download professional stock photos.
- With Freepik you can create beautiful visuals based on vectors.
In short, with the three social media recruiting tools in this blog you have everything you need to create great content. Even if you have little experience or time.
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