Social media has taken over our lives. Almost everyone I know has an Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok, and more. There are platforms I haven’t even discovered, but I know they will continue to grow. We choose to create accounts and share parts of our lives so it makes sense that we want to show off and have a 10/10 social media platform. As a social media manager, I get this on every level and wanted to share some apps I use for my clients along with ones I use for my profiles too!
Canva
Live. Love. Canva. This is my forever favorite app and I value it immensely. They have an insane amount of templates for anything you need and everything is 100% customizable. It is available on desktop (which I prefer) and can be downloaded from the app store. Having it on my phone makes things so much easier! I run JMU’s NAMI chapter Instagram and I often forget to post a graphic, so I just go on the app and create one easily. It takes almost no time to learn the platform and you can create the perfect cohesive content you’ve always dreamt of.
Lightroom
This app took me a very long time to figure out. Thankfully after some Wiki How articles and a bought preset from Etsy I was good to go. This has become a game-changer for my social media. I can have more cohesive content by making sure the filters match, but not too much to where it’s overbearing. I recommend starting by buying a preset from someone or Etsy and then start to experiment with it.
Tik Tok
I am not huge on making Tik Tok videos (although I do on occasion.) What I usually use the app for is inspiration! There are so many niches to discover and recently we started our own JMU HC chapter Tik Tok! Experimenting with effects and seeing how people use different sounds gets the wheels turning in my head. The best part is that the content you post on Tik Tok can also be shared in your Instagram story or you can create an Instagram reel with the same idea.
This is an oldie, but a goodie. Pinterest is the ultimate hub for inspiration and content curation. There is everything on there regardless of the niche your profiles may be in. There are endless links, pictures, how-to’s, etc. I never feel bad for endlessly scrolling through my Pinterest feed because I always end up getting inspiration for either my job or personal accounts. It is 100% a necessity for me when planning content and I’ve had a ton of fun discovering every different niche.
Social media is a bit chaotic, but that’s what makes it fun. Endless possibilities and creations are waiting to be made. You can become an influencer, learn to manage accounts, discover marketing, make it a career, or simply have fun connecting with your friends in an online space. Downloading different apps can make content more enjoyable for you which leads to you enjoying your online space. Regardless of what you post or how you control your accounts the most important thing is to do whatever you want and not follow what you think you have to be like.