I don’t know about you, but I can’t even leave Target without spend 50 bucks. But now, friends, I share with you several user-friendly tools to create employment brand assets for less than a trip to the grocery store.

13 Amazing, Inexpensive & Easy-to-Use Tools for recruitment marketing

Animoto: Introducing one of my favorite tools! For $34.99 a month (or $299 for an entire year), you can create HD quality videos using a variety of designs and music tracks. This site is user-friendly and worth the small investment. All you need are photos, text, and 10 second iPhone clips to create videos. Then, you can export the video to YouTube and share across your company’s social channels or career site. Start creating now.

Canva: Facebook cover photos? Check. Twitter header? Check. Blog post graphics? You guessed it. This site is still in beta and definitely worth trying out. It’s free to create beautiful designs and you can buy photos for $1.00. Recently, I made a family Facebook cover photo that I can’t wait to upload. Make something special.

Flipagram: Here is yet another user-friendly video app to consider. It allows you to create short photo-based videos, set to music, and then share them via your social channels. After reviewing some of the Flipagrams on the site’s blog, I am thinking “employee flipagram campaign.” I have not yet use this app, but plan to download it for free.

Grammarly: This free, online grammar checker is good for a quick edit and can often pick up edits that spell check misses. Similar to Grammarly, I often use hemingwayapp.com for longer bodies of text, including this blog post. Become a true grammarian.

MixBit: Want to create videos on the go, from your phone? This multi-media video app allows you to upload photos and video clips, and then customize with music, text, and themes. Download for free and mix.

PicMonkey: For $33 a year (yes, you read that right), you can access the site’s Royale package.  This upgrade includes 40-50% more effects, fonts, overlays, and textures than just using the site for free. The site is easy to use and can make your average photos look professional. Make a collage.

Phoster: This handy app cost 99 cents and is well worth the investment. I use it to create text-based visuals and upload them to Facebook or Instagram. Make a poster on your phone.

Quotely: Looking for ways to make employee testimonials stand out? This app was designed with parents in mind, but can be adapted for employment branding efforts. Learn more on iTunes.

Twibbon: Is your company passionate about a cause? Or do you have an online network of brand influencers? This site allows you to create your own campaign or join a new one, and then add an image (“ribbon”) to profile photos. Check out #TeamAmtrak and create your own.

Typeform: The best recruitment marketers know that research and measurement are key to a strong, long-term employer brand strategy. This free survey creation platform is a viable tool for both workforce research and audience engagement. Start measuring your efforts.

Wufoo: Need to create an online form? Workshop registration? Surveys, mailings lists? This online form building site offers a free version, as well as a pro version starting at less than $15 per month. Create a form now.

Zoomforth: This tool got lots of love when I asked for ideas for this blog post. The tool allows you to create a library of approved brand and career-related assets. You can then give access to recruiters and brand professionals to create well-designed, customized, and personalized micro-sites. If you’d like to learn more, you can request a demo on their site.

What Else Can We Add Here?

This list of amazing, low cost digital tools is by no means a comprehensive one. There are countless other sites and apps to explore. It’s a matter of finding a handful of go-to tools that make your life-work-job easier and better.

Are you an employment brand practitioner with a secret, low cost tool that you love? Share below in the comments — please no sales pitches.

Note of Thanks!

This blog post was crowd-sourced and curated. Thank you Celinda Appleby, Kerry Noone, Susan Strayer LaMotte, Chloe Rada, and Crystal Miller for your contributions to this article. You ladies inspire many and make the world of employment branding a fascinating place to be!

I’ve created a Twitter list so that you can connect with the six of us.