Photoshop used to be considered an “extra” kind of skill for your average marketer. Now, things have changed, and to be a great marketer knowing Adobe Photoshop is not only extremely valuable, but becoming essential for marketing success.
Marketing is no longer about simply being creative with your content and thinking about audience, it’s about actually creating visual content and understanding what type of visual content is going to draw in the right viewers.
Employers want a marketer who is able to work in this new-age marketing world, so the quicker you can learn the basics for marketing, the better.
Five reasons Photoshop is a necessary skill
Consider five of the top reasons that a working proficiency in Photoshop is so necessary for today’s successful marketer:
1) Winning social media marketing
Just having the ability to edit and enhance photos for social media is a skill worthy of high praise these days.
You can absolutely tell the difference between content that has been carefully considered and creatively enhanced on Photoshop vs. a photo that was posted without any attention to detail.
With all of the social marketing taking place, the ability to make content stand out is incredibly important.
In addition to being able to edit your photos and add text where you need it, Photoshop also gives you a lot of control of sizing images, which is incredibly important for social media banners, posts, and profile pictures.
Things just ultimately look more professional when they are sized correctly, and since every social site has an optimal pixel size, you can take control of this and market your brand in the best possible way.
2) Marketers wear multiple hats
Being a marketer in today’s world means that you need to have the ability to wear multiple hats in your day to day.
You may need to design an eBook, PowerPoint presentation, social media image, website banner, advertisement, etc. At this point you might not consider yourself a designer, but trust me when I say, if you can jump in to taking on some of these tasks without having to communicate your vision to a “designer” you are going to be a better marketer.
Here’s a great break down of how to get started with Photoshop from Anum Hussain on HubSpot. I appreciate their perspective on not necessarily being a designer by training, but having the ability to get started with Photoshop as a marketer!
3) Money talks
Businesses are increasingly trying to get a lot of work done in-house rather than outsourced. This is because it saves them time and money. As such, companies are starting to value additional skills in marketers, as they know it will save them money in the long term.
This is a win-win situation because marketers who possess skills like Photoshop generally make more money, and businesses who hire these individuals tend to save money. I would say if there was one reason to invest time into learning this skill, it is the financial opportunity as a marketer.
4) Skill payoff
Photoshop definitely takes time and energy to learn, there is no doubt about it, yet learning how to use Photoshop pays off very quickly for both you as a marketer and the company at large.
If you think about all the times in a day that you could be directly editing, transforming, and altering marketing materials for your company, it is easy to see how the time spent learning this skill could help you nearly every day in your job as a marketer.
Further, improving the quality of images on social media, or presentation of images on your website, also in-turn helps the company at large to be successful
5) Take on new and creative projects.
One of the things I really like as a marketer is the creative projects you can take on once you acquire this skill.
Photoshop is definitely a space for creativity and there are few restrictions on the kind of work that you can do in the program.
Since developing new content is one of the top ways to be a successful online marketer, taking a creative approach and being able to think outside the box using this program is an essential online marketing skill.
What you can DO with Photoshop
Once again, Photoshop is such a valuable skill as a marketer not only because you are likely making more money and saving your company money by possessing this knowledge, but you can be creative with the acquisition of this new skill.
This gives you the ability to wear multiple hats more seamlessly and take on new challenges you hadn’t considered.
But just what exactly can you DO with Photoshop? Here is a list of some things you can do with this skill, many which you’ve probably considered and others that you haven’t:
- Edit and enhance photos
- Create pixel-appropriate banners and social media images
- Develop and revamp your website design and layout
- Add more high-quality images to your blog
- Use your own photographs in a way that looks professional
- Create your own custom documents
- Crisp vectors and easy dotted lines
- Color fill and text wrap
- Design t-shirts and other promotional materials
- Restore old photos
- Make images and content more vibrant
- Correct images that are lacking quality
- Develop unique and eye-catching advertisements
- Modernize your web design
- Unique email marketing designs and formats, designed by you!
This list is not exhaustive by any means, but it gives you a sense of the unique ways you can use Photoshop. Ultimately, you have a powerful tool at your fingertips which can make your business stand out in a marketing campaign.
Other design tools
If you are interested in looking in to free tools, there are 21 free design tools for visual marketers that may also aid you in the process.
My three favorites are:
Google Fonts: A directory of over 600 different fonts (you really can’t go wrong here)!
Pixar and/or Sumopaint: Photo editors that incorporate easily with Photoshop.
Canva: Makes design “drag and drop easy.” Create Facebook cover photos, email banners, posters, event invitation graphics, and more!
Do you have experience using Photoshop as a marketer? What do you tend to use it for the most? Let us know in the comments section below.
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