New to Marketing: Where to Get Templates for Organic and Paid Socials

In the ever-evolving realm of digital marketing, both organic and paid social media strategies are key components of a successful marketing mix. However, creating engaging content consistently can be challenging, especially for those new to the field. Thankfully, a variety of resources offer templates that can streamline the process. In this post, we will explore some of the best places to find social media templates that you can use to enhance both your organic and paid social media campaigns.

Understanding Organic vs. Paid Social Media

Before diving into where to find the best templates, it's crucial to understand the difference between organic and paid social media:

• Organic social media involves posts, stories, videos, and any content you share on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn without paid promotion. It helps build brand awareness and fosters relationships with your audience through genuine interactions.

• Paid social media refers to the advertisements or sponsored content you pay to display on social media platforms. This can include anything from boosted posts to full-scale campaigns, aimed at reaching a larger or more targeted audience.

Both strategies are integral to a robust social media marketing plan and often use similar, if not the same, types of visual content.

Where to Find Templates for Organic and Paid Social Media

1. Canva

Canva is a highly popular design tool that offers a vast array of social media templates, suitable for both organic posts and paid ads. The platform is user-friendly, making it accessible even for those with little to no graphic design experience. Templates are customizable and cover various types of content including images, infographics, video posts, and stories.

2. Adobe Spark

Adobe Spark is another excellent resource where marketers can find professional templates tailored for social media use. Spark allows users to create graphics, web pages, and short videos in minutes. Their theme-based approach helps in maintaining consistency across your posts, which is crucial for brand identity.

3. Hootsuite

While primarily known for its social media management capabilities, Hootsuite also offers a plethora of resources for content creation, including templates. Their solutions can help streamline both your organic and paid content efforts, by allowing you to schedule posts, engage with followers, and measure the impact of your campaigns, all from a single platform.

Additional Platforms for Social Media Templates

4. Pablo by Buffer

Pablo is a straightforward tool provided by Buffer that helps create engaging social media images. It offers various sizing options specific to each social platform, ensuring your content always looks its best whether it's a Facebook post or a Twitter banner.

5. Snappa

Snappa is another tool geared towards quick and easy graphic creation for social media marketers. It provides high-quality templates, free stock photos, and simple drag-and-drop design features. Snappa supports various social media formats and allows users to schedule and publish posts directly.

6. PicMonkey

PicMonkey provides detailed and artistic templates suitable for creating compelling social media graphics. From thumbnail designs for YouTube to catchy covers for Facebook, PicMonkey is versatile and offers advanced editing tools in case you want to add a personal touch to the templates.

Tips for Choosing the Right Templates

Choosing the right template goes beyond just picking any visually attractive design. Here are some tips to ensure the templates you choose will effectively convey your brand’s message and meet your marketing objectives:

1. Consistency is Key: Look for templates that can be adapted but maintain consistency with your brand's color scheme, fonts, and general style. Consistency helps in building brand recognition and trust.

2. Consider Your Platform: Different social media platforms may require different types of content. For instance, what works on Instagram might not be suitable for LinkedIn. Ensure the templates you choose can be customized for different platforms.

3. Flexibility and Customization: Choose templates that are easily customizable to fit your unique content needs. You should be able to modify text, colors, images, and other elements without difficulty.

4. Optimize for Engagement: Opt for templates that are structured to enhance engagement. This includes elements like calls-to-action, question prompts, or templates that are specifically designed for interactive content like polls and quizzes.

Leveraging Templates for Marketing Success

While templates provide a great starting point, they should not be the sole element of your marketing strategy. Combining these with original content, tailored specifically to your audience, can elevate your marketing efforts. Furthermore, analyzing the performance of both organic and paid posts can give insights into what your audience prefers, enabling you to make data-driven decisions that enhance engagement and reach.

By effectively utilizing the resources listed above, you can ensure that your social media presence is both professional and engaging, whether you are managing a campaign with a hefty budget or trying to grow your audience organically.