Permanent link for Tips for creating content when you're crunched for time on May 24, 2021

Anyone who has spent some time developing a social media calendar or writing Tweets knows that social media can be a time consuming task. During busy times, it’s easy for social media to fall by the wayside. Here are some tips to help you create top notch content when you’re in a rush.

For Quick Visuals

Including some kind of imagery with a social media post is critical to catching the eye of your audience, but unless you have a graphic designer or photographer on your team, that content can be hard to come by. 

Luckily, GVSU’s photo database in Widen is a great place to start. There are thousands of approved images already on the site that you can pull from for nearly anything you can think of! 

If a photo isn’t quite what you’re looking for, we recommend checking out Canva for creating quick, professional-looking graphics. 

Canva provides multiple pre-made templates, font families, and color schemes all for free! You can also upload assets, such as the GVSU logo, to incorporate into the graphic. 

Just remember to follow GVSU’s brand guidelines as much as possible when creating images in Canva.

Edit Content Like a Pro, Right From Your Phone

If you use an iPhone, the iMovie app was likely automatically downloaded on your device. This app has a surprising amount of video editing features, including animated text and flashy transitions. It’s a great option if you’re looking to add some quick pizzazz to a video you captured on your phone.

Lightroom and Photoshop both have apps that can be downloaded for free to your phone if you already have an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. This will allow you to make detailed edits to your photos on the go. 

Don’t have access to Adobe Creative Cloud? Never fear! The native editor in the photo app on both iPhones and Android devices can be a great place to start, and the VSCO app also provides pretty good editing options at no cost. 

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Though we don’t recommend making a habit of reusing content, sometimes a post will be so good that it warrants being shared again.

Refrain from sharing the same graphic, image or video multiple times in a short period, as this can seem repetitive or spammy to your followers. 

Instead, check through your archives of saved photos, graphics and videos to dig up content that hasn’t been used in awhile that still might resonate with your followers. 

Twitter can be a great platform to recycle content on when appropriate, due to it’s fast-moving nature. We recommend never sharing the same content twice on Instagram, as it’s easy for your followers you view repeated posts on your profile. 

Leverage free scheduling platforms

Keeping a consistent presence on all social media platforms is critical to keeping your audience engaged. Scheduling posts is a great way to ensure you’re posting frequently, without the stress of constantly finding time to craft posts. 

Carve some time out of each week or month to schedule some posts. Free tools such as Facebook Creator Studio and Tweetdeck make scheduling a breeze. 

A word of caution: Be aware that the world of social media can change in an instant, and it’s important to be prepared to remove scheduled posts if they are no longer appropriate to share. We recommend making a weekly check-in on your list of scheduled posts to make sure they are all still relevant and appropriate.

 

Categories: best practices
Posted by Anna Young on Permanent link for Tips for creating content when you're crunched for time on May 24, 2021.