5 Tips for Creating High-Quality Social Media Content at a Low Cost

There’s a lot to think about when it comes to your content marketing efforts. It needs to be effective and engaging and it needs to break through the noise that’s blasted out on all your fans’ social channels 24/7. Those are tall orders in themselves, but more often than not, you’re faced with creating this content with very little money in your budget. Don’t break out into a cold sweat and grab a paper bag to breathe into just yet—we’ve got some tips to make this content creation thing a little less daunting.

Search Free Stock Websites

Stock can be a dirty word in the current social world, where our audiences crave authenticity, but if you search free stock websites with a vision in mind, you can make it work to your advantage.

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Get Creative with Your Props and Your Talent

No budget? No problem. Get creative with what’s around you. Start with the obvious: What props can you feature that you already own? Below is an example of this exact tactic brought to life by our client Hills Bros. Coffee.

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But feel free to take some creative liberties. Objects don’t have to serve their intended purpose to work their way into your content. Think materials with bold colors or interesting textures to make simple shots even more eye-catching.

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That background is probably reincarnated packing materials. Clever? Yes. Expensive? No.

Use your coworkers to stand in when you need models and pets always win when it comes to the Internet. You probably know some very photogenic ones.

Make the Most of Your Photo Shoots

When you’re ready to get down to business, planning is your best friend. Make a list of all the shots you want to capture with your props and models, and within the time frame that you have. Start with video first, because with a little editing, you can spin off countless other pieces of content. Swap different props in and out, and shoot from a variety of angles. It may take more time upfront, but you’re setting yourself up for success in the long run. We take this approach in mind when creating content for our client Save Mart.

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Reuse, Repurpose, Reinvent

Get more life out of your social media content than Madonna’s gotten out of her career. Call on your fans to be your creators, continuously edit, reformat your content for other platforms, and then share it all over again. It sounds complicated but we’ve laid it all out for you here.

The Tools Are in the Palm of Your Hand

With each new cell phone release, comes an upgraded camera, not to mention a slew of apps (many of them FREE!) for photo and video recording and editing. Use all of this to your advantage! Social media content isn’t meant to be overly-produced or overly-edited. Take new apps for a test drive and see what works for your brand!

If you’re looking for even more tips on creating killer social media content for your brand, take a look at our on-demand webinar or contact us today!



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