“Create something people want to share.” John Jantsch

(originally posted May 19th, 2014)

Your content is your marketing. Both online and off. I have said it what seems like a thousand times since starting Passion Squared. And the question I get over and over again is how in the heck do I create content?

Before we dive into the tools I use the most and think are the most awesome, lets begin at the beginning.

1. Your content needs to tell a story.
2. It needs to be compelling and relevant to your community, clients, and audience.
3. It needs to be consistent with your brand why, promise, story and image.
4. It needs to be quality.
5. It needs to be easy to share.

The best content you can create as a service business to share on your social platforms is happening everyday around you. Whether you are in beauty or wellness, you are connecting with clients, seeing results, playing with your team, and creating experiences, all of which are perfect opportunities to capture those moments, on film. And by film, I mean your phone. If its important to you, you will do it. Just like anything.

Here are my 4 most awesome content creation tools…

1. Pic Stitch App

I love Pic Stitch because it is the tool that creates before’s and afters and allows us the ability to tell a story through a collage of photos. Before’s and afters are still the most popular pieces of content I have seen work on Facebook and Instagram. But it can also be used to show a style and products, different angles of a cut, a smoothie recipe with the ingredients, etc. You can even brand these pics by using your logo in one of the boxes. #awesome

2. Flipagram App

We all know that video can be SUPER engaging, and what I love about Flipagram is that we can make “videos” with music. Simply using photos in our phone, and music from our iTunes. These are great for creating Instavids, the 15 second videos on Instagram and for auto-posting to Facebook. I have seen some of my highest engagement numbers when using this tool. And, the bonus, we can add our logo into the “slide show” to create branded content. #awesome

3. Pic Monkey

This is my go-to platform to create all my morning quote posts. Once you create a branded template, or picture, you simply import it into Pic Monkey and type away. There is a paid version with more fonts and options, and a free version which is what I use. Again, branding is key here, so find a great designer to create the templates for you if you are not skilled in that area, like me.

4. Canva

My latest obsession! I love Canva so much and just began working with it. It has pre sized templates for Facebook posts, cover images, Instagram, Pinterest and more. There are free graphics and paid graphics you can use. Their font selection is not my fave, but I am sure they will be adding more. I created my latest Facebook cover photo using Canva, by simply choosing the Facebook cover photo template, importing The Weekly Dose of Awesome logo, and choosing a white background. #awesome

So, first things first. Create a plan tied to your objectives. Then begin creating. Then share. Then measure.

And most importantly, if you want to create compelling and relevant content, engage a designer to help you create templates, to size your logo properly and even in some cases, create your content. And if you are thinking you can’t afford it, I am telling you, you cannot afford not to if you want to create awesome in your marketing. Think about it like this… As a hairdresser, you get pretty worked up when people do their hair at home, think about how the designers of the world feel when they see crappy graphics.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

UPDATE on September 24, 2016
I still use these tools weekly except Flipagram. I’ve added Diptic, Afterlight, WordSwag and PicPlayPost to my go to faves. The point is, some things never change, and some things evolve, just like biz + life. #awesome