Including some kind of image or photo in your online marketing is a good thing. In fact, it’s a good strategy for just about any type of online content.
Here are three studies:
46.1% of people say a website’s design is the number one criterion for discerning the credibility of the company. Source: Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab h/t: HubSpot
Photos on Facebook generate 53% more Likes than the average post. Source: HubSpot
Photos average a 35% boost in Retweets. Source: Twitter
Those stats prove something you probably already know: online images are great.
But the challenge isn’t wanting to use images. The challenge is finding ways to create images. And that’s where this post comes in.
Here are tools you can use to create online graphics without the help of a designer.
1. PicMonkey
PicMonkey has a few features including the ability to edit photos. So you can start with your own photos and make professional-like edits.
But you can also start with a blank canvas and create illustration-type images. That’s something great because these images can sometimes work better than photos.
Visit: PicMonkey
Follow: @PicMonkeyApp
2. Pixlr
Pixlr is a photo editing app that you can use on your desktop, in your browser or on your phone. That’s pretty cool right there especially if you use your phone for much of your online publishing.
You can even add cool effects to your photos like vintage styles and more. It’s a great way to turn your regular photos into visually appealing online content.
Visit: Pixlr
Follow: @pixlr
3. Piktochart
You’ve probably seen infographics around the web. They’ve become really popular and for good reason: people get a lot out of them. It’s easy for someone to look at an infographic and understand the content being shared.
But the infographic has to be well-designed and that’s not always easy-to-do. With Piktochart, you can create your own infographics. They have a free version and a paid version depending on what you need.
Visit: Piktochart
Follow: @Piktochart
4. Canva
Canva is one of the most popular tools for creating both online and offline graphics. You can create flyers, presentations, Facebook images, blog graphics and more!
You can edit existing photos that you have. You can buy stock photos right through the app and make adjustments if you want and you create other graphics from the templates.
Visit: Canva
Follow: @Canva
5. Graphix Creator
Maybe you’ve seen those images on websites for ebooks, iPads, iPhones and a bunch of other items. Those images should be easy to create, but if you don’t know how to use Photoshop you’re going to struggle to create them on your own.
That’s where Graphix Creator comes in. You can create those images in under 2 minutes.
Visit: Graphix Creator
Follow: @StuartRoss
Final Thought
These are all great tools I suggest you use to create amazing online graphics. But for one last tip you can use screenshots like I did with this post.
On a Mac, hit Shift + Command + 4. I use that all the time to take exactly the screenshot I want. You can them open in Preview and crop and make size adjustments so the images can fit on your blog or on social media.
On PCs, there is usually a screenshot button on the keyboard. Sometimes you need to push Alt + Screenshot for it to work. Then you’ll need to open the image and crop it as necessary in an editor.
That’s it! Good luck creating images for your online marketing!
Image: Michelle Tribe
