How many times have I heard, “We just don’t have anyone on staff who can design things like that for us.”?
It’s true that creating marketing-worthy artwork can be daunting for those that operate more on the left side of their brain rather than their right, but I am here to tell you that even if you feel a little creatively challenged, there are digital solutions that can turn your digital marketing ideas into eye-catching masterpieces. Bad artwork, or even more importantly, incorrectly sized artwork causes my designer brain physical pain and there isn’t any reason to let poor artwork and photography be acceptable in this day and age. There are amazing tools that can help you create designer-quality artwork without ever having to take a graphic design course.
I am always going to suggest that you select a qualified designer for the core of your marketing strategy, but if your marketing budget is stretched a little thin here are my top three creative applications that anyone can use.
1. Canva
Oh Canva, you’re just – the best. Most digital marketing professionals will tell you that Canva saves the day on a regular basis. The beauty of Canva are the templates. With the swift click of a mouse you can find the templates you need, in the correct size that you need, plus design elements that are completely customizable. You can add your brand colors, upload your logo, and even convert static images into engaging GIFs and MP4s. The application comes with a 30-day free trial and then starts at $13 per month. You can also use it on your mobile phone or desktop.
2. Snapseed
Snapseed is a simplified version of Photoshop. Are you ready for your inventory to look like you have an onsite professional photographer? Try Snapseed. Yes, it will take a little extra time to edit your images in the app but the benefits to your sales are well worth it. This application is owned by Google and only functions on mobile but honestly, I would only use it on my phone if a desktop version were available. I love its built-in filters and how quickly I can correct little issues like lighting and contrast. Plus, this app is completely free. You can’t beat that! We know that images of inventory online is what really drives a sale, so why not show your inventory in the very best light you can? If you’d like to take an even deeper dive into photographing your inventory check out this blog for a more in-depth look.
3. Adobe Spark
Spark is very similar to Canva but the templates are a little more creative in their construction. Spark also allows you to create promotional video right in the app (which is so cool). Even cooler – you can create your own brand standard directly in Spark. You can do this in Canva, but Spark takes this a step further and instantly creates templates specifically for your brand – i.e. half the work. There is a free trial to use Spark but eventually you will have to pay a monthly fee of $9.99 per month.
Never be afraid to step outside your comfort zone and see what options are out there for you to create your own artwork without having to open your checkbook. If this process is still a little daunting, let us know. Myself or our expert social team has amazing ad building skills and would be more than happy to assist you in your artwork efforts.
Tabitha Flythe is a ‘Marketing Maven’ and Dealer Authority’s in-house Marketing Manager with a background in digital and traditional marketing, graphic design, social media, analytics, and project and event management.
Tabitha manages the Dealer Authority brand by keeping up with marketing trends, building partnerships through public relations, generating engaging content to support the DA digital solutions, designing sales collateral for the sales team, and management of all DA digital channels including social media and the DA website.