In today’s competitive world of marketing, businesses need to take extra steps to stand out. Thumb stopping graphics, engaging video and compelling blogs are all must-haves to keep your brand relevant to customers. Unfortunately, small business owners don’t always have the budget for a designer or professional video crew. The good news is, there are hundreds of DIY marketing tools to help you create professional assets yourself. Here are four of my favorite go-to tools to get you started.
Graphics: Canva
I was recently in a pinch when my usual designer wasn’t available. This is when I found Canva. I have to say, I’ve come to love it! Canva is extremely easy to use with a simple drag and drop feature and allows you to create everything from social media graphics, presentations and more with thousands of templates to start with. Canva has millions of stock photos, fonts and icons for you to use in your designs. It also allows you to easily integrate your own brand into any template.
Canva starts at $9.95/month and as a user, I can tell you that it’s worth it!
Free Stock Photography: Pexels
Stock photos are great for livening up your website, blog, emails and social media. The problem is, licensing stock photos can be very costly. When you don’t have the budget for a monthly subscription to one of the bigger stock photo services, Pexels is a great alternative. Pexels not only offers thousands free stock photos, they are also free for commercial use. That means no licensing to hassle with!
Blog Ideas: Hubspot’s Blog Idea Generator
Let’s admit it, coming up with a steady stream of blog ideas amidst running your own business isn’t easy! Tools like Hubspot’s Blog Idea Generator can be a savior when you have writer’s block. Simply type in 3 nouns and the generator gives you 5 blog ideas. It’s a snap! I’ve found it to be pretty accurate and relevant in the ideas it gives back to you. While it’s still up to you to make something of those ideas, it gives you the inspiration to get going and not get hung up in the idea phase.
Content Creation: Adobe Spark
Video allows you create content that is engaging in a way that still photos or blogs alone can’t do. You can tap into your audience’s emotions, tell your story and bring your product to life. It’s no secret that professional video isn’t cheap. You’re paying for shooting, editing and time. Tools like Adobe Spark make creating your own marketing videos easy and high quality for free! Even if you’ve never made a video before, Adobe Spark walks you through the process step-by-step, allows you to integrate your own branding, guides in creating content to reach your goals and you can even create additional assets like social graphics along with your video. While you may want to put aside budget for professional video for some staple content, Adobe Spark is a great way to create a continuous stream of video to use in your daily marketing.
Creating stunning and engaging marketing assets doesn’t have to cost you thousands. If you have the time to get your hands dirty and go DIY, you can create campaigns and collateral, with the right marketing tools, that help your business grow.