Apps That Upgrade Your Brand’s Social Media

Maybe you feel so intimidated by all the ads and graphics other companies are producing on the apps. Take comfort in the fact that you’re not alone! All brands have felt frustration or hopelessness at one point. Luckily, there are resources out there that make it easier to keep up and stand out on all social platforms.

No need to worry about having a graphic designer or buying the full Adobe suite. We’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite apps that only require a phone and one team member to edit and post the content.

Whether you need help in creating graphic posts, making more engaging Facebook and Instagram stories, editing video without expensive software or videographers, or just a bit of organization we’ve got you covered. The list below will relieve one of your main social media stress points.

Organization

If you need a one stop place where you can look at the important information from Instagram, without getting distracted by the notifications or by other people’s content, then Instagram grid apps are here to save the day. Plann and Preview are the two that standout, especially based on ratings.

They both allow you to add media to figure out what you want your feed to look like and which pictures look better next to each other. You can save groups of hashtags to upload instantly to your post instead of having to type each one out or copy and paste from somewhere else. Both have a scheduling feature where you set a date and time and it’ll send you a notification to remind you to post. Analytics are part of both apps but vary depending on the subscription package you have.

If you need a simple way to organize your photos and don’t need to worry about other features, Plann does the trick. Preview has a few more features such as editing tools for photos, including the ability to add text, and calendar to look at posts coming up daily, weekly, and monthly. Most of the grid apps offer enough tools with their free options, so you can get planning today!

Photos

Free Photos

If you’re not confident with your photo taking skills or don’t have the time to take a half or full day shooting photos, free photo libraries can help a ton! Unsplash and Pixabay are two of the most common free photo resources. They both have mobile apps if you don’t have the need to download them on a computer.

Simply search any term relating to your project or post and each library has a large selection. You can use those photos for blog posts, social media, your website or simply search for inspiration for the next photoshoot your brand has coming up.

Photo Editing

So, you’ve taken a good photo at an event that’s the perfect content to put on your brand’s social media but it’s a little dark or overexposed. It needs some small editing or a filter to bring it up to your brand’s usual standard. The photos app on your phone and the editing tools on Instagram aren’t extensive enough. The two editing apps VSCO and Lightroom CC can help enhance your photos.

VSCO curated its own filters, they have 17 free ones and over 100 preset filters included in their membership offering. It sorts the filters into groups like warm, cool, vibrant, black and white, portrait, nature and urban. That organization, along with other standard editing features made simple with just one slider control each, makes the editing process easier.

Lightroom CC is an Adobe program but it’s a free editing app. There are only a few tools that aren’t included with the free option. You get all the editing tools you truly need, it has presets, and the ability to edit anywhere since it has cloud storage. Our favorite element is the copying and pasting settings. Once you’re done changing the editing the photo you select “Copy Settings.” If you have multiple photos from the same day or similar environment, you can paste those same settings from the first photo onto the others. This can save time and make for a more cohesive look if posting them together.

Posts

Need to create graphic posts for Facebook and Instagram? Need to add text to posts or animation? That is only the start to what Canva can help your brand create. Canva has about eight thousand free customizable templates that are easy to adjust and add your brand’s unique style. More than social posts and ads, it has business cards, flyers, infographics, invitations, lesson plans, cards, reports, and t-shirt designs. Honestly, you can get lost in the fun possibilities.

Adobe Spark Post, as it name gives away, is an Adobe program. It has all the templates you need specifically for social platforms. Spark Post is organized well so you can find your purpose or the industry your brand falls into and get straight to editing. They have free options but also have a premium if you want to upgrade and use more Adobe features, such as its expansive list of fonts. Both Spark and Canva can be edit on their apps or desktop.

Video

If you have video footage that you want to add some text, filters, music or stickers to, Quik or VideoBoost are viable choices. Quik has over twenty preloaded themed edits you can add in one tap. You can also upload pictures create a slideshow by adding music and an edit. Quik might be a better choice for videos you want to post to your feed, while VideoBoost is tailored more for businesses that want to create video and animated ads.

VideoBoost, formally known as Swish, has stock footage, or you can upload your own. The have filters, text, music and templates for you to add and choose from. The animations or videos can be in the 1:1, 16:9, and 9:16 formats. VideoBoost does have a Premium subscription so not all templates are available for free.

Stories

Adobe Spark Post and Canva have designs for Facebook and Instagram stories. However, two other apps that focus on creatives for stories are Unfold and Mojo. Unfold is a team favorite here at Nicolet Creative. You can choose from different layouts and add photos, text, background colors, and stickers.

Also, you can add all the slides of stories you want to one group. So, for example, say your brand posts a couple pictures to its Instagram story for every holiday. You can add as many different pictures and templates to one group and name each group to reflect the holiday. You can export the stories and directly share on your social platform of choice. You can use their free templates, buy individual sets of templates you like, or upgrade to their Unfold Plus program.

Mojo is another story editing app. They focus on animated templates that you can add texts, stickers, and music to. The number of free templates is a bit more limited than Unfold but they do have a Pro subscription option. Even though it’s more limited in variety, the quality of the transitional animations stands out.

Conclusion

There are many apps that make social media easier for everyone. Sometimes you go through multiple rounds of trial and error before finding the right apps for your brand. Hopefully, this narrows down your search and you can start creating and updating your social media game like a pro social media marketer.

What’s the social support app your brand can’t live without?

Check out more digital strategies and tips here.

Color Psychology: How it Affects the Perception of Your Brand

What’s the first brand you remember when you think of the color red? Is it Target or Coca-Cola? What’s the first brand that comes to mind when you think of the color blue? Is it Walmart or Pepsi? These large companies understand the value of color and leverage it to strengthen their brand overall.

Beyond just recall and recognition, Marketo states that “a product’s color influences 60 to 80 percent of a customer’s purchasing decision.” Consequently, the colors you choose for your brand, from logo to end product, are critical. If not to you personally, it matters to your company’s bottom line.

In this article, we showcase the perceptions and implications behind the most common brand colors.

Color Psychology, What’s That?

Color psychology is the study of color in relation to human behaviors, feelings, emotions, and moods. This concept is especially pertinent in areas such as art, design and marketing. People respond to and perceive colors in different ways depending on their culture and experiences.

Why is Color Important in Marketing and Branding?

Emotional appeal is a valuable strategy in marketing and advertising. Color is an element that helps evoke emotions, thus needs to be used to effectively execute an emotional appeal. You can make consumers identify with the sorrowful message in a commercial or make your company stand out from others in the market and from other products on the shelf.

Color can be used to grab a consumer’s attention and motivate them to take action. It can be used to influence how consumers think, such as making sales seem urgent. Color also helps alert consumers of negative outcomes in warning labels to keep them safe.

In branding, design elements like color, logo, font, and packaging seem to be small details that you add later. If we have our mission, values and messaging out there, people will understand who we are as a company anywhere, right? Wrong. The mission behind your brand and messaging you wish to communicate to your consumers isn’t always readily available. Even when it is, some consumers might not read that information.

How are you going to show who you are as a company to those that only look for the visuals? The design and color will convey certain attributes when the messaging touchpoint isn’t there.

Colors and Interpretations

We’ve listed the colors that make up the traditional rainbow, that are generally the dominant color in logos. We name both the positive and negative traits associated with each color and provide examples of large brands that utilize each color.

Red

There’s no doubt that red is a strong hue. It relates to both sides of intensity, passion and danger. It represents passion and romance with hearts and roses on Valentine’s day. Emergency vehicle lights, water rescue equipment, and firefighting gear indicate danger.

In marketing, red is used to make information stand out and exhibits urgency to cause consumers to take action, like in clearance sale signs. Red is a powerful choice that won’t go unnoticed. Some of the positive and negative implications are listed below.

Positive Meanings:

Negative Meanings:

Red Brands:

Coca-Cola, Target, Netflix, Christian Louboutin, Youtube, Canon, Lays

Orange

Orange radiates warmth and captures attention. It’s seen in sunsets, flowers, citrus and appears everywhere during the fall season. With traffic cones, hunting gear, and sports team logos orange catches attention and fosters enthusiasm. In marketing, orange can add fun accents on websites and is best known to represent creativity.

Sitting opposite of the cool tones, it’s the milder version of the fierce red and the bright yellow. Thus, it relates more to the comfort and cozy nature of fire rather than the dangerous side that red communicates. Once black is added, it becomes cartoonish as we see with Halloween and brand characters, such as Tony the Tiger and Chester the Cheetah. Some of the positive and negative implications are listed below.

Positive Meanings:

Negative Meanings:

Orange Brands:

Nickelodeon, Harley Davidson, Home Depot, Amazon, Shutterfly, Discover

Yellow

Yellow is always categorized by warmth, brightness, and optimism due to its representation in the sun. Similar to orange, yellow is associated with a season: summer. Yellow can showcase the idea of luxury as well, seen in the elite brand Ferrari and in its close relation to gold.

Similar to red, yellow can send a message of warning. In caution signs, construction gear, warning labels and a vast amount of traffic signs, yellow warns of what’s to come. Also known as being energetic and cheerful, it makes sense as to why it was used for characters such as Spongebob Squarepants and Pikachu. Some of the positive and negative implications are listed below.

Positive Meanings:

Negative Meanings:

Yellow Brands:

Sprint, Chevrolet, Nikon, IKEA, Ferrari, Mcdonalds, Best Buy

Green

Since it’s one of the most common colors in nature, green represents the environment. Due to that connection, it’s the color that speaks for sustainability along with eco-friendly companies and products. It demonstrates literal growth, like in plants or having a “green thumb.”

Green means health, displayed in vegetables or in the phrase stressing to “eat your greens.” Saint Patrick’s Day and the “Luck of the Irish” communicate that green means luck. Envy and greed are widely known to be associated with this hue as well. Some of the positive and negative implications are listed below.

Positive Meanings:

Negative Meanings:

Green Brands:

Whole Foods, Spotify, Holiday Inn, Starbucks, Land Rover, Android, Heineken

Blue

Red is shown in fire, meaning warmth, while blue is shown in water, meaning coolness. As with all the colors, it stands for positive and negative connotations. Depending on the context, blue is calm and tranquil or cold and depressing. Water can signify serenity as people love the soothing sound of waves crashing on the shore. However, it’s powerful and can cause great damage in the form of hurricanes and tsunamis.

In offices, blue is used because it has been said to increase productivity and energy. In branding, blue conveys dependability, loyalty, and professionalism. This is why it’s seen so often across all industries but shows up the most in the tech and digital field. Blue is a well-liked color, therefore, it’s a safe and secure choice sure to be accepted in any capacity. Some of the positive and negative implications are listed below.

Positive Meanings:

Negative Meanings:

Blue Brands:

Facebook, Walmart, Pepsi, American Express, Samsung, IBM, Ford

Purple

The cross of red and blue, purple, it showcases the calm from the blue and the strong stimulation from the red. It’s most often associated with royalty and bravery with the purple heart medal. Due to this, it can signify luxury and wealth but also arrogance and suppression. The nod to royalty can be seen in the logos of Crown Royal and Hallmark.

Out of all the other colors of the rainbow, purple is the rarest to appear in nature, as it’s only seen in flowers and gems or crystals. It can relate to relaxation with the purple flower lavender having calming properties. Some of the positive and negative implications are listed below.

Positive Meanings:

Negative Meanings:

Purple Brands:

Yahoo, Hallmark, Taco Bell, Welch’s, Cadbury, FedEx, Twitch

Conclusion

Bottom line? Color is an essential component in the perception of your brand and influencing consumer purchase decisions, so don’t overlook it.

These are simply the basics of color psychology that can easily be kept in mind for new brands, new product lines, and product packaging. For established brands, make a note of what your logo color communicates to consumers and think of how to leverage the positive meanings in your favor.

All the elements of your brand’s identity build longevity for your brand in the marketplace and ensures consumers will recognize and trust your products and services.

So, what does your brand’s logo say about your company?

Want to learn more about branding? Check out our other blog posts here.

Sources:
https://blog.marketo.com/2012/06/true-colors-what-your-brand-colors-say-about-your-business.html
https://www.oberlo.com/blog/color-psychology-color-meanings
http://www.ignytebrands.com/the-psychology-of-color-in-branding/

Two Marketing Trends that Your Business Shouldn’t Ignore

Dozens of articles list ten or more trends that are happening in marketing and as you read each one you get more and more overwhelmed. They aren’t feasible for the average business, only large brands and enterprises have the resources to actually put all those in action.

However, trends exist because they are based on tendencies in consumer behavior or new technologies that fulfill a need. It’s important to analyze which ones your company can employ to stay relevant to your customers. We’ve noticed two essential elements of digital marketing that will create value for every business.

Video

Over the past few years it’s become evident that brands need video in their marketing plan. Video is now important on all platforms and a top component of brands’ social media marketing strategies. It enhances the experience on websites, makes digital advertisements stand out, it adds variety to social media posts and is dominant in Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat stories.

Youtube’s history exhibits the long-lasting interest we have in video. The company started in 2005 and has surged to the top. About 1 billion hours of YouTube videos are watched per day. To put that in perspective, the hours watched on Netflix is around 200 million per day.

Video allows consumers to connect with brands, products, and other consumers in more ways than pictures can. According to Hubspot, “more than 50% of consumers want to see videos from brands” compared to any other type of content. They also found that “70% of consumers say that they have shared a brand’s video” which shows how interesting and engaging videos are to most consumers.

The versatility of video ensures that consumers interact with the content for as long as they want. They can watch their favorite Youtuber’s 10+ minute video or go watch the same Youtuber’s more personal 10 second Instagram story. Consumers can opt-in and out of video posts, ads, and stories anytime they want which gives them so much of the control in this content game we’re all playing.

Any business can start creating and using video to strengthen their marketing. Large brands work with agencies or video production companies. Some brands have a videographer or an employee with filming and editing experience. Even if you don’t have a production team or videographer, anyone can use their phone to make a video.

For Facebook and Instagram stories, the videos don’t need to be commercial quality. They can show the human, personable side of your brand. A short video on stories can be simple behind the scenes of the office culture, a conference, community event, and even demonstrate different ways to use your product. The powerful and multifaceted nature of video proves brands should invest time into it.

Social Media

As mentioned above, stories are useful, and they can build up the trust between your brand and your customers. Building the relationship between your brand and your customers is possible across other social platforms as well. Social media has only continued to grow and become vital to all brand’s marketing. Businesses can advertise in posts, stories, and feeds. Brands can now sell through the apps making the buying process more efficient and less work for the customers.

For example, Instagram launched shoppable posts where businesses can list the price of the product shown and consumers can checkout in the app. Brands can be run solely from these platforms. They can handle customer service issues through comments and direct messages and promotion can be done through ads and positive word-of-mouth from influencers or consumers themselves.

Social media is all about user-generated content, where users dictate what’s created. They do this by providing instant feedback to brands through comments, likes, subscriptions and sharing the content with their friends. Based on that engagement, more content is created and filtered to the consumers. On Instagram, a user’s “Explore” page will be catered to their interests based off their likes and other engagements. Thus, while you’re expanding your brand’s use of social media, you must listen to the consumers.

No matter what work your brand does, there’s a social platform where you can find and connect with your consumers. If you don’t know where to start with social media, we recommend Facebook. Statista shows that Facebook has the highest number of users at 2.41 billion. Brands can utilize the elaborate features in Facebook’s Business Manager now to curate advanced and targeted ad campaigns.

The advertising on Facebook is as simple as it is complex, any business profile can advertise a post by simply pushing the “boost” button. Also, your brand can merely create an account and do some competitive research to see how others in your market and industry use social media to their advantage. Social media is constantly evolving but one truth remains constant, it brings tremendous value to users and brands.

Conclusion

These two elements of marketing are improving all the time and consumers have shown nonstop interest in both. While hours spent watching TV is decreasing, people are simply consuming video in platforms such as social media and streaming services. Nowadays, if individuals or brands don’t have a single form of social media it’s frankly an anomaly and may be a deal breaker. They both have exhibited that they aren’t going anywhere. Thus, these are two trends that are worth participating in for all businesses, small or large.

What social platforms do you connect with your consumers on? If you want to incorporate video into your brand’s marketing, we can help!

Click here to learn more about marketing.

Sources:
https://www.singlegrain.com/digital-marketing/digital-marketing-trends-2020/
https://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly-active-facebook-users-worldwide/
https://www.brandwatch.com/blog/youtube-stats/