Design it yourselfLike most marketers, you’re probably under pressure to produce new content regularly, if not every day. The undeniable power of visuals means you need more than just the written word, but you can’t sit around waiting for your design team to craft that perfect image when you’ve got the content beast to feed.
We’re big fans of DIY and so appreciate Social Media Examiner’s post recommending 3 useful design tools for making stunning images. We especially like the idea of harnessing Google Slides to create images as well as the step-by-step instructions for using each app.
Spread good cheer
Sprout Social shared some interesting insights from a recent survey about the impact of social media on holiday shopping. Nearly one-third of respondents said they would likely post about a gift they received on social media. If you’re in a business that sells potential holiday gifts, it’ll pay to monitor all your networks for positive mentions.Even if your company doesn’t do something that’s likely to end up in a seasonal stocking (“oh wow, Santa got me that Hightail subscription I asked for”), there’s still something for you in the survey. Most respondents (38.8%) said they wanted to see some holiday cheer from brands on social media over the coming weeks. Time to start designing that e-card.
Social crystal ballSeeing as we are on a social media tip, what does the future hold for it and how can you best prepare? Buffer has investigated these questions in its State of Social Media 2016 report, which you can dig into now.
Or here are three of the main takeaways:
1. Video is about to hit its peak – something we’ve also been saying
2. Everyone’s still on Facebook so that’s where marketers are too
3. Only 1 in 5 people use social for support issues, which means doing social support well can help your business stand out.
Those are our recommended reads for this Friday. What caught your eye this week? Share your links in the comments below.
