July 13th, 2023 | 2 min. read
By Kim Kovelle
Ready to reach more customers? These marketing services help.
Social media marketing only looks simple. It takes compelling writing, eye-catching visuals and constant scheduling — not to mention keeping up with trends and engaging with customers.
Across multiple platforms, no less.
If you’re a small- to mid-sized business, you probably know the struggle. Keeping up can feel overwhelming. But with the right tools, it doesn’t have to be.
Zoe Marketing & Communications is here to help. We’re highlighting four of the best free sources for social media templates — HootSuite, Canva, SocialPilot and Adobe Express.
Each one makes social media easier to manage. By exploring these options, you’ll feel more empowered to handle your business’s social presence efficiently.
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4 best free social media tools to help your business
1. HootSuite: Strategy and content calendar templates
HootSuite is a powerful social media management platform that saves time by scheduling and planning posts. Even if you’re not a HootSuite user, its 30 free templates are worth a look. Standouts:
Social media strategy template
This Google Slides deck creates a professional marketing plan by walking you through:
- Defining a target audience
- Auditing your current social media presence
- Creating a content strategy
- Measuring your success
Once filled in, it’s a clear roadmap for your social media goals.
Social media content calendar
This Google Sheet organizes your posts with four tabs:
- Strategy: Tracks business goals, social goals and key content ideas.
- Monthly view: Maps out holidays, campaigns and major content themes.
- Weekly view: Logs what you’re posting, when and on which platforms.
- Evergreen content library: Saves successful posts for reuse later.
Download, make a copy and start customizing.
2. Canva: Easy-to-use templates for social media visuals
Even if you’re not a designer, Canva makes creating professional, polished content simple. Its free version includes around 1 million social media templates, each pre-sized for different platforms.
Canva templates cover:
- Instagram posts, stories and reels
- Facebook posts, covers, ads and videos
- TikTok videos
- LinkedIn video ads
- YouTube videos
- X (fka Twitter) posts
You can tweak templates by adding your brand colors, fonts and images. Canva also has AI-powered tools to generate designs from scratch based on your content ideas.
3. SocialPilot: Audits, coordination and hashtag research
SocialPilot, another scheduling tool, offers templates for organizing and optimizing social media campaigns. These stand out:
Social media audit template
A Google Sheet that tracks platform performance, including engagement, posting frequency, new followers, and top-performing content. It includes SWOT analysis grids for refining your strategy.
Team coordination template
A Google Doc to streamline multi-person campaigns. It organizes:
- Brand and campaign details
- Key players and responsibilities
- Target audience and messaging
- Budget and deadlines
Hashtag kit
A guide to trending and effective hashtags. While it covers general best practices, always research hashtags relevant to your industry and audience.
4. Adobe Express: Templates for social media visuals
Aesthetics matter. Adobe Express, from the makers of Photoshop, helps you create high-quality social media graphics without advanced design skills.
It offers thousands of customizable social media templates for:
- Instagram: Stories, highlight covers, collages
- Facebook: Covers, posts, logos, ads
- YouTube: Channel art, thumbnails, end screens
Adobe Express also includes free stock images and video editing tools. While its options may take more time to master, they offer plenty of customization.
Next steps for managing your business’s social media
Social media can be time-consuming, but free templates remove a lot of the setup work. Whether you need a strategy, calendar, audit or engaging visuals, the four tools we’ve covered can help you stay organized and on-brand.
Need more guidance? Talk to us. Zoe Marketing & Communications can help businesses create and hone social media strategies.
Looking for more information? These articles are a great next step:
Ready to Reach More Customers?
Connect with your best prospects — and drive more conversions — with a custom mix of digital ads, content, email, streaming ads, SEO, creative services and more.
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