With so many advancements in modern software technology, it can feel overwhelming choosing the newest upgrade, the latest platform or the most popular site. However, this newer technology has also given us so many amazing tools and resources for creative growth and interactive learning.
At JCW Creative, we use a variety of tools every day to help expand upon ideas and turn thoughts into clever marketing campaigns. And while our unique skill sets and diverse backgrounds help us collaborate and form engaging materials, the tools we use daily certainly feel like a part of the team.
Content Managers
Sprout Social is a social media management platform that helps our Content Managers stay on top of user engagement, data analytics and even the latest trends across all social media platforms in one place.
Its user-friendly interface allows Content Managers to organize, upload, edit, schedule, track and promote posts across various social media channels and to a wide array of audiences and industries.
“Sprout Social allows our team to schedule and publish posts across various social media channels within one streamlined platform. It makes it easy for us to collaborate with coworkers and clients, and has been a key factor in maintaining a consistent online presence for each of our clients.” — Natalie Myers, Content
Copywriters
Grammarly is an online typing aid that is used by professionals and laymen alike. It examines texts for errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation and clarity as well as identifies possible plagiarism and provides suggestions to common writing mistakes.
In addition, Grammarly provides a detailed explanation for every suggestion that it recommends. This helps inform its users on different rules and practices of the English language as well as provides a little bit of context to the error displayed.
“I typically use Grammarly as a proofreading tool after I’ve written content for a client. It sort of acts as an additional step in ensuring there are no critical errors in the grammar, punctuation or spelling. You can never be too safe!” — Madison McNulty, Copy
Graphic Design
Envato Elements is a digital assets licensing platform providing a wide range of graphic design assets and templates to customize and make your own. Users get fonts, graphic templates, stock imagery and video, audio tracks, website plugins and more.
Envato allows our Graphic Designers to explore various kinds of digital assets including icons, fonts, textures and patterns that they can use in their final designs. The one-stop resource shop pulls many different assets, offering versatility and increased efficiency in creating detailed designs.
“Envato Elements makes it so easy to search for various digital assets all in one place. It’s a useful tool in our design process that really saves time. The assets provide a solid starting point that we can then build upon to create designs that are unique to each client.” — Whitley Ruffin, Design
Photo and Video
The Generative Fill AI feature in Adobe Photoshop enables our Photo and Video team to enhance photos past their natural limitations, catering to situations where individuals may require hair adjustments or attire changes.
This capability is especially useful when the continuity might be misaligned such as corporate headshots where a business suit doesn’t match the client’s previous headshot. This tool helps serve our clients by aligning their visual content with their brand or project.
“Adobe Photoshop Generative Fill AI has been a groundbreaking tool for the Photo and Video team at JCW Creative. It is important to our team to explore new tools and stay up to date with industry trends while simultaneously keeping our content authentic.” — Montana Ankner, Photo and Video
Search Engine Optimization
Semrush is a Search Engine Marketing tool that helps organize, implement and optimize a variety of marketing materials in order to improve search engine ranking for websites. Its wide array of tools helps aid in keyword research, backlink management and more.
Overall, Semrush is an all-in-one platform designed to help a company’s content, brand identity, product or name appear towards the top of Search Engine Result Pages when a user submits a search query.
“Semrush helps organize the different elements of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It also provides valuable insight into varying methods of optimizing both the content and the structure of a client’s website.” — Caroline Ramagos, Search Engine Optimization
The Elementor Builder plugin in WordPress (content management system) allows our Web Designers to build beautiful, responsive websites without design limitations. It uses a drag-and-drop interface and is compatible with all themes.
Elementor also assists our Web Designers in crafting a variety of customized pages for your website including your homepage, blog page and contact page. Additionally, it helps implement functionalities like image galleries, forms and pop-ups.
“I love Elementor. It’s so easy to use and makes designing different aspects of a website a breeze. I’ve used other builders and I always come back to Elementor. Its functionally and user-friendly layout remains unmatched.” — Katie Latour, Web Design
Web Developer
PhpStorm stands as an intelligent PHP Integrated Development Environment (IDE) tailored to enhance developer efficiency. It possesses an in-depth understanding of your code, offering intelligent code suggestions and real-time error detection.
Additionally, it assists Developers in structuring code, executing unit tests and facilitating visual debugging. Overall, it makes coding more efficient and organized for your website’s structure.
“This tool is perfect for quick turn-arounds or in-depth website builds.” — Salman Faraz, Developer
The advanced tools we use at JCW Creative on a daily basis help enable each of us to excel in our respective roles and contribute to the overall success of our projects. Each tool helps us continually evolve in the ever-changing world of digital marketing and offer valuable insight into what’s really possible—anything!
If you’re ready to boost engagement, increase sales and elevate your brand identity, reach out to us today and let’s start creating!