So, you run a social media account, chances are, you’re looking to make your life easier or improve your quality of work. If so, you’ve come to the right place. Below is a list of our must-have content creation tools to create relevant, on-brand, aesthetically pleasing social media content. 

Top 8 Tools for Social Media

Miro

Miro is one of those tools that you often take for granted, but it is great for just about anything. Not only is Miro Free, but it can also be used to plan your content calendar with their built-in calendar, create a mood board, or even just make a mind map. We use Miro to plan content and get client approval before scheduling it in Later, and this combination works beautifully.

 

 

Google Search Console and Google Analytics 

Search Console

Google Search Console is a great tool as it allows you to see what people are searching for that brings them to your website, and identify the pages on your site that are performing well. This can then inspire the social media content you produce, allowing you to repurpose content across your channels. Whether you’re trying to drive traffic to low-performing pages or capitalise on the well-performing pages. 

Analytics

Google Analytics helps you to track, measure, and improve the impact of your social media by showing what users do once they land on your website. Similarly to Google Search Console, you can track where your users are coming from and what they are clicking on. This allows you to repurpose content and create a strategic social plan. 

 

Semrush

On a similar wavelength, Semrush is another great free tool (with paid features). Semrush allows you to see which keywords your competitors are targeting, and potentially outranking you in. Semrush also has a built-in social media scheduling tool that allows you to track post performance. It also connects with your SEO and marketing tools, so you can see how social media fits into your overall strategy, streamlining the process.

 

 

Content creation:

Canva

 

Also great for content ideation, Canva is an amazing tool with lots to offer. With both paid and free options, you can choose whether to invest in the tool or keep using the free version. I use the full version and think it is well worth the money; however, if you’re just starting out, the free tool is a great starting point, and many professionals just use the free version. 

If you don’t have a design team, Canva can be a great way to quickly mock up infographics, posts and more, but keep your brand identity in mind whilst creating your content. If you are just starting out, a great way to set yourself up for success is to create a brand kit with a logo, a few key graphics and your key colours. By centring all your work around these key fonts and colours, you can ensure a consistent brand appearance. 

Canva also offers tools such as content calendars/planners and presentation decks/Word documents. Making it a well rounded tool

Free Features

• Drag-and-drop editor
• Thousands of templates (social media, posters, etc.)
• Access to free photos, videos, and graphics
• Basic photo editing (crop, filters, brightness, etc.)
• Download in JPG, PNG, or PDF formats
• Real-time collaboration and commenting

 Pro (Paid) Features

• Background remover
• Magic Resize (resize for any platform instantly)
• Access to premium templates, photos, videos, and elements
• Brand Kit (upload fonts, logos, and colours)
• Social media content planner & scheduler
• AI tools (Magic Write, Text to Image, etc.)
• Unlimited cloud storage
• Export designs as GIF or MP4 (with animations)

 

Brand Identity:

Business/creator Social Media Accounts.

If you’re looking at this category and thinking ‘duh’, congratulations. If you are looking at this category and thinking, Why do I need that? Read on:

Creator accounts and business accounts allow users deeper insight into their accounts, analytics and results. Its important to note that businesses do not have to have business accounts, they can have creator accounts if they would like access to some of the features the business accounts on instagram don’t provide.

 

Scheduling Tools

 

Tools such as Later, Sprout Social and Buffer are great for scheduling your content ahead of time so you don’t have to worry about manually posting on certain days on certain platforms. All tools allow you to see the data and performance of each post and provide detailed reporting analytics (Sprout Social provides more analytics than Later and Buffer).

Tools like this mean you can batch shoot/plan content ahead of time, giving you more flexibility to jump on social trends as and when they happen without disrupting your usual posting schedule. 

 

 

‘Link In bio’ tools

Linktree is a free ‘link in bio’ tool which allows you to have a link in your social media tool that takes you to lots of other links you may be looking for. This is great for platforms such as TikTok and Instagram that limit the number of links you can have in your bio/content. You can customise this to fit your brand style whilst still keeping all your important links in the same place. Social media scheduling tool Later also offers a similar tool.

Other link in bio tools:

• Milkshake
• Shorby
• LNK

 

Running your social media.

Now you have the basics, go forward and create content! 

Honestly, the key to social media is consistency and analysis. Experiment using these tools and see what works best for you, as it’s different for everyone. Remember, it’s about what your customers and potential customers want, not what you want. Use your scheduling tools and Instagram insights to work out your best time to post, and experiment with your editing style to see which suits your brand the most. Building a brand identity on social media is tricky, but once established can make or break. For a summary of each tool, see below.