5 reasons we love Canva for our clients (and for ourselves)
Ever feel like you’re scrolling through Instagram and you see post after post of beautifully executed content and you think “wow. I wish I could create something like that, but I just don’t have the time to learn the ins and outs of Photoshop or Illustrator” or “I wish I had the budget to hire a graphic designer to create something like that, but it’s just not something I can take on financially”? Enter Canva. The budget-friendly (or free if you choose to stick with the basic version) design program that will seriously up the look of your timeline. Still not sure? Check out these five reasons we love using it:
1. Professional looking graphics without having to have a graphic design degree
Canva is flush with a ton of features that can be found in more complex design software like background remover (a personal fave), filters and effects, photo editing, stock photography and of course, about a trillion templates to get you started or to draw inspiration from.
*pro tip* If you’re going to use a template that’s already been created, make sure to update the colors, images and text to reflect your own brand. There’s nothing worse than seeing another account using the exact same layout with the exact same text, photos and color scheme as you’re scrolling through Facebook or Instagram.
2. The free version offers a ton of great features, but the pro version is *chef’s kiss*
In Canva Pro, you can create your own Brand Kit (more on this next), use that Background Remove feature we talked about, use the Magic Resize feature to automatically adjust a graphic size to be used for a different purpose. So, say you created a killer Instagram post that you’d like to use as a postcard to mail to your customers, go ahead and use this feature to adjust the size. Pro version also gives you access to tons more, like over 400,000, templates, 3,000+ fonts PLUS the ability to upload your own if there’s not a font that tickles your fancy on Canva and access to literally millions of photos, videos and graphics.
3. Create a Brand Kit so you always have your brand’s color scheme, fonts and logo ready to go
Remember when we mentioned the Brand Kit when we talked about Canva Pro? This feature lets you add a section in your account where you can store your brand’s colors (add ‘em with the color’s hex code), upload fonts that are specific to your branding and upload logos. Now you won’t have to search for and upload this information every time you go to create a graphic.
4. Create marketing materials for your whole marketing mix – not just social media
Sure, we’re all about using Canva for fab looking social media posts, but if you want to incorporate traditional media into your marketing mix, Canva also provides templates for other media. There are even Business and Marketing categories that include options for business cards, business letterhead, posters, flyers, newsletters and much more.
5. Think you’re limited to still photos? Nope. Create content that includes videos, gifs, music and animation
Access over 75 million (yeah, million) premium photos, videos, audio features, animations with the paid version which you can download as MP4s or gifs after your creation is complete. This makes it perfect for creating Reels, Stories, and video posts.
Ready to start creating? We’ve found that Canva is easier to navigate on a desktop but for edits on the fly, you can’t beat having the app ready to rock ‘n roll right on your phone. Head to canva.com to get started or download the app for iOS or Android.
About the Author:
Amanda Williams is a Social Media Manager at Hello Social Co. When not crushing the content game, she can be found bingeing the latest Netflix sensation and eating *all* the snacks.
Tags: aesthetics, canva, graphic design, Instagram, Marketing, small business, Social Media, social media marketing, social media posts