We now live in a world where access to information on virtually anything is only the tap of a button away, where everything is recorded, shared, and documented, and where you can connect with any and virtually everyone in the world no matter where you are. With the dawn of the Information Age (or Digital Age, as it is most popularly called),came the inception of Information Technology, which brought along with it two phenomenal discoveries: the Internet and Social Media. The possibility of connecting with people anywhere in the world, as earlier mentioned, has been made possible primarily due to the existence of social media. Over time, social media has grown to be much more than just a way to say Hi to your friends anywhere in the world, or a way to meet and make new ones. It also serves as a major source of income today and can help any individual make just as much money as they’d make having a professional job like engineering or medicine if one can remain creative and consistent enough. It’s also reassuring to know that it is very possible to learn and even become an expert at social media content creation if you have developed an interest in it. Follow this article to the end to learn about some fundamental requirements you’ll need to get acquainted with as a content creator, irrespective of your budget. Best Content Creation Tools. Just like every other kind of smith, a content creator needs tools to help them create intended content. Content creation tools can be briefly defined as any form of software (application or website, most particularly) that a content creator can use to make the production of their works possible, and also easier. These tools do more than just facilitate the production of content. They help improve the efficiency of the creator as well as the quality of the content, especially when the right tools are applied correctly in their respective aspects. The number of tools used varies between each creator. The type of tool used is also different. For example, a YouTube content creator, who specializes in making and editing videos will use tools that are much different from a content creator on Twitter, who would specialize in written content. Let us now begin to explore some of the best content creation tools you can use for social media. · Canva: Most popularly known for the creation and design of graphic images,Canva is one application that any social media ontent creator must have. Canva can do much more than graphic designing and can be used to make PDFs, collages, GIFs, and even videos. The application also offers tutorials for anyone who is new to content creation and needs some help navigating the many possibilities. Download and use of the application is free, but there is also the option of paying for the premium version for access to even more sophisticated services from its creators. · Adobe Creative Cloud: This is an application for those who wish to make their content appear more professional. The app in itself contains many different assets for content creation.Some of them include Adobe Spark (for videos, webpages, and graphics), Adobe Premiere and Adobe Premiere Pro (for videos only), Adobe Lightroom, Adobe InDesign, and Adobe Illustrator. The application offers all these and more for an annual subscription fee. · Procreate: This application allows you to be able to conveniently create nanywhere with your phone or Pad. It can be used to create illustrative graphics, GIFs, and even animation videos. It is a must-have for those who are interested in digital visual art. After downloading for free, you would need to make a one-time payment before gaining access to the app’s services for life. · InShot: InShot is the go-to application for anything that has to do with video editing. If you’re a YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram Reels content creator, the app has been made specifically for you. It allows for various new additions to improve the quality of your video, including text, images, filters, effects, and music. The app has free and premium services, with the premium option offering even more than its free counterpart. · Easil: Last but not least, Easil is a graphic design tool that offers “drag and drop” template designs for your graphics that make the finished work look likesomething a professional designed. It can be used on all graphic designs for social media, blogs, and podcasts. It is an application that can be used by both solo creators as well as an entire team and offers free usage for a limited time. Now, you’re probably still unsatisfied. After all, all the tools listed above aren’t exactly free for a beginner on a tight budget, aiming to be a content creator in the long run. It is probably a turn-off to learn that a lot of these creation tools (or at least, the best parts of them) are not free. Research has shown that a lot of people discontinue the use of a service once they start asking for those card details. Well, I must say that for all the applications listed above, paying for that subscription (or that one-time payment) will prove to be worth it in the long run. The services offered are just that good. However, if your pocket is a little tight at the moment, and you still wish to get started with content creation for your social media accounts, here are some free content tools that you can use to create: · Google Tools: A treasure chest for anyone starting content creation with little or no budget at all, Google Tools are arguably the world’s number one most accessible and completely free set of content creation tools today. One of the most prominent examples of a commonly used Google Tool is Google Docs. Google Docs is the go-to application for content creation when it comes to writing. It keeps track of your writing progress whether for just one individual or a team and also allows for collaborative efforts. This means that other members of your team (or anyone granted access to the document) can add to and/or edit the written work. It also provides transparency for all edits made. Google has a vast variety of software (over 250 tools) available for content creators, and these tools can be used either for personal projects or collaboratively when working with a team. The majority of them are operationalon all types of devices (mobile, desktop, or PC) and they are always regularly updated to serve you better. Some other Google tools you should strive to get familiar with as a content creator include Google Trends, Google Keep, Google Forms, Google Drawings, Google Lens, Google Slide, Google Snapseed, Google Calendar, Google Drive, and even the highly conventional Gmail. · Quip: This content creation tool performs a similar function to Google Docs, but differs majorly in one aspect: it has a feature that allows all those collaborating on the document to leave comments for each other. This feature allows you to leave general comments as well as specific ones, as you can choose a team member that you specifically wish to leave a comment with. · Pixlr: This is a free online photo editor for graphic designs. It comes with stock templates and photos and can be used to design cards, posters, flyers, and the like. It is available on all devices and has one of the most user-friendly interfaces for a graphic design app. · Magisto: Magisto is a free video creation application with a twist: it also uses AI technology. The inbuilt AI tech in the app allows for emotion detection. This feature allows the application to automatically capture the type of emotion you wish to portray in your videos and add features (effects, soundtracks, etc.) that adequately present said emotion. It is ideal for beginners who lack editing skills but still wish to create moving video content. · WeVideo: Another video creation and editing tool that can be used on all types of devices and operating systems. It is mostly used as an editing tool by beginners but is also used by professionals. One of WeVideo’s most attractive traits is its ability to make a video edit created by a beginner look like something done by a professional. Conclusion: It is important to reiterate that tools for social media content creation are not limited to applications alone. There are still many other (free) websites and software for content creation, depending on the type of content you wish to create. However, whether you are on a tight budget or not, the lists above feature some of the most widely used, trusted, and user-friendly creation tools for both beginners and professionals trying to find their way around content creation for social media with little financial and physical stress
Anjolaoluwa Oladipo