Social media has seriously changed the marketing game. It’s everywhere, simple to use, nonstop, and allows for its audience to engage with it in a way most traditional media is unable to do. Though these are all great aspects, it can sometimes be overwhelming. Luckily there are plenty of apps to make your social media management easier and help your content stand out among the rest. Below are my picks of essential apps every social media manager should have.
Sprout Social
Many are familiar with this app, but for those of you who are not, it’s an app that allows you to create and schedule posts for multiple social media platforms with multiple accounts. My personal favorite about this app is how easy it is to get content scheduled for Instagram, especially since Instagram doesn’t allow for scheduling as Facebook and other platforms do. How it works is that the app will send you a notification that it’s time to post and all you need to do is press the button to proceed. It will automatically take you to Instagram and upload the picture and text you created.
Snapseed
Social media is all about visuals so it’s important that your social media’s visuals are stunning. You can do so with the picture-editing app, Snapseed. It has the features that most picture-editing apps have: tuning, filters and so forth. However, what sets this one apart is that you can edit specific areas of your photo. This becomes really handy when you get that perfect shot but notice just one area is a shade or two too dark. Snapseed can focus on just that area and then you can adjust that area’s color, brightness and so forth. Truly a life safer with pictures!
Stop Motion
If you’ve scrolled on social media lately you’ve probably noticed some stop motion content. These are great because it’s so different than a typical photo or video and it can be really engaging with your audience. Exciting news, I have an app for you that will make you a stop motion pro! It’s called Stop Motion. All you need to do is take a series of photos and Stop Motion will compile them into a video. I do recommend, though, that you invest in a stand that will hold your phone in place. Then practice with this app to see what it takes to make a smooth-transitioning stop motion.
Hyperlapse
Now it’s time to speed things up with Hyperlapse! With this app, simply turn it on, hit record and leave it on a stable setting to capture your content. Once you have content recorded (I recommend something that lasts a few minutes at least), Hyperlapse will then speed up the video to any speed you desire. This looks spectacular when you’re setting up an event or tradeshow! Not only does this make really cool-looking content but it also gives your audience a little “behind-the-scenes” feel to your business.
There are a lot more apps out there to help step up your social media game, but these are some essentials to help get you started. When it comes to social media management just remember: don’t be afraid to try different things and see what works and what doesn’t!
–Katie Silva, Outreach Coordinator
