An element of social marketing that differentiates it from other forms of paid media is the creative element of the ads. Unlike text or product ads, social marketing relies heavily on enticing imagery in order to create engaging content for the target audience. However, if your business doesn’t have the resources to host a photo shoot or hire on a few graphic designers, your ads may not be performing as optimally as they should. At Seer we have a creative department that can design and customize our client’s ad imagery, but we also have a whole toolbox of other platforms that we use to optimize client’s creative. Check out some of our favorite tools to help you overcome your ad creative obstacles below!

Obstacle 1: No imagery

If your business doesn’t have time to create your brand’s imagery, no worries! Instead of risking copyright infringements with Google imagery, here are some helpful sites that host thousands of images that you can LEGALLY use in ads.

• Unsplash.com – Photographers post their photos on here for public use all you have to do is download!
• Shutterstock.com – Grab a subscription and start leveraging their millions of photos.
• Pexels.com – Free, captivating images available for download!
• Facebook’s stock images – Facebook has access to Shutterstock’s stock ready to use when you create ads in the engine. Be aware that this imagery can only be used on Facebook, not across all platforms.
• Istockphoto - Check out all the amazing images with istock and select the payment plan that is best for you!

Obstacle 2: I have imagery but I want to make it more engaging

If you have come to the realization that your imagery isn’t as engaging as it could be, check out these different tools to help you elevate your imagery.

Enhance Single Images:

• • Note: there is a free option and a business option for whatever your needs may be.
  • Photoshop – Photoshop is a design tool that allows you to accomplish a lot in terms of editing images and creating gifs. However, there is a learning curve to this tool so if you're up for it, we recommend taking an online class so you're best able to leverage its abilities confidently!
  • Canva.com – Want a cool image border? Or want to add some text or emojis? Canva is a free graphic-design tool that allows people who aren’t graphic designers, to create an engaging ad in a multitude of types and sizes.

  

💡 Pro Tip: Make your imagery an extension of your brand! Start developing your brand colors and look so that you can utilize it in future paid social campaigns.

Create Images & Videos:

• Adobe Spark – If you’re looking to create images and videos, check out Spark! It’s a free platform that will allow you to create impactful images for your ads. Another great part about Spark is that they provide you with professionally-designed templates to help you get your creative juices flowing.
• Facebook – On the Facebook platform you can create a couple of different ad types using still imagery. The first type is a slideshow which is a video created out of multiple images. Within this creative type, you are able to create a 5-15 second video complete with transitions. The second type that Facebook just released is the ability to create videos out of still images with text/image overlay. Both of these options are great if you find that your still imagery ads are lacking engagement and you want to add some movement to them!

💡 Pro Tip: Shoot some of your product or brand imagery at different angles or in different colors. This will make your slideshow pop!

• Animoto – Create videos and animations from photos and video clips on Animoto! These videos/animations can be silent or have music attached to them. Choose from hundreds of styles and then import your images into the template, it’s that simple.

💡 Pro Tip: Once you create a video or gif you love, use it in multiple ad types!

Loving one of these tools? Reach out and show us what you came up with! And learn more about Seer's Paid Social services and what we can do for you here!