Can you believe we are in the final days of 2017? As this year comes to an end, I thought it would be fun to share my most used apps for social media in 2017. Get ready to hit download on these favorites!

1. Canva - graphic design + templates

This program is a no-brainer and makes the top of my list for a good reason. I probably log in to my Canva business account at least 5x per day! While I have technical training in graphic design and a contractor that helps with big design projects, there are so many times when I need to be able to make beautiful and easy templates and graphics for clients social media.

Canva changed my life in 2017 because I realized that you can upload all of your fonts, photos, and designs to make quick updates and graphics of any size/layout! This program is so easy to use (especially compared to Adobe Creative Suite). Everything saves in one place and can easily be edited or downloaded from your phone or computer! I use Canva for anything and everything now from social media templates to presentations and more.

This program is super affordable and great for a small business that needs to be able to create quick and simple designs for social media and/or marketing needs in an efficent way!

2. Planoly - scheduling + planning

If you are posting to social media on the fly or struggling to plan your content in advance...please, stop and listen! While Instagram will not allow scheduling programs to post for you, there are programs, like Planoly that can help with the scheduling and planning.

I started to use Planoly in 2017 for my business and a few of my clients and it's changed my life! You can upload images straight from your computer (or phone) or via Dropbox. You can plug in captions, save hashtag lists and even discover new followers and content to re-post!

While I tried a few other scheduling programs before committing, this one caught my eye the most because it was so user-friendly and beautiful!

3. Tag-o-Matic - hashtag research + lists

If you are constantly searching for new hashtags to add to your social media posts, this app is for you! I got tired of doing all the research organically for my business and clients. Searching for hashtags was taking more time than creating the content itself! Which is why Tag-o-matic is the perfect solution.

Simply type in a hashtag you frequently use and it will auto populate similar hashtags that you can add to a grouping and send directly to your Instagram! Seriously, this app is a game changer.

4. WordSwag - quick graphics

Need to make quick graphics or add text to your social media content? WordSwag is perfect! I love this app for quick and beautiful text overlays because there are so many options for fonts, colors and styles.

Plus, the app added a new feature recently where you can layer multiple text boxes! Meaning, you can add as much text as you want in one.

5. Mosaico - grid layouts

If you are a visual person like me and need to see how to map out your Instagram feed before you post, this app if for YOU! I love adding in any new content to the grid and moving the images around to see where everything will fit best. This app does offer additional features, but I mainly use it for the visual planning aspect.