Unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’m confident you will know about Canva! But, in case you don’t I have put together these 7 reasons why you should be using Canva in your business.
How Canva started …
Melanie Perkins is the CEO and, Co-Founder of Canva. The idea for Canva was born when teaching students about computer design. She noticed how they struggled with software such as Adobe Photoshop. Launched in 2013, Canva is an online design and publishing tool. Their mission is to empower everyone in the world to design anything and publish anywhere.
Why use Canva in your business?
I’ll be honest, initially I never used Canva within my Virtual Assistant business. I was a user of graphic design software like CoralDRAW & Photoshop (which I still use!). Over time more and more of my clients use Canva due to its ease of use, it’s drag and drop interface, affordable pricing and a free version! Canva is now, part of my everyday virtual assistant life – for me and for my clients.
Pricing –
- Who doesn’t love something that is FREE! Canva has a free version which, more importantly, is a workable free version. No struggling with a 7, 14 or 30-day trials, watermarks, etc. As a business owner, one of the biggest strains on our cash flow is ongoing subscriptions!
Intuitive Platform –
- What’s an intuitive platform and why is it important for you? We are all used to searching for something or doing research and then seeing ‘ads’ and pop-ups in our feeds! While Canva is not looking at our search history or listening in, they do use our search and previous designs within the Canva platform, to form helpful suggestions when we are creating. We all dread the ‘blank’ canvas when creating our next social media post, is not appealing to 99% of us!
Ease of use –
- In our fast-paced and busy lives, having access to a program that is easy to use and navigate is very important and, a crucial part of many business owners having to navigate through creating social media and promotional material. While Canva does not have the power and advanced tools that graphic design programs like Adobe Photoshop or other programs have, it certainly fits the bill for a majority of business owners.
Access to images and videos –
- Even with a free Canva Account, you have access to an abundance (over 1 million!) of free images and videos to utilise in your designs! Canva sources its images from places like Unsplash, Pexels, and others. If you are still looking for more great sites to source free images – check out this great link for more free stock photos.
Free v Pro
Top Tip! Only want to see ‘Free Images’ Once you have searched for your image in the Elements Tab (top left side), Click on the filter options, Fig 1 (below):
Then scroll to the bottom and tick either Free or Pro, Fig 2 (below):
Brand Kits –
- On your Canva ‘Home’ page and located on the left side menu (I should mention this feature is part of a paid subscription) under Tools, is Brand. This feature is a wonderful way to ‘stay consistent’ across all your creations with your brand colours! You can upload your logo or brand pallet if you have one or add in your specific CMYK colours by clicking the + icon.
Supporting NFPs & Education –
- I really do love that Canva offers their Pro / Premium features for free to non-profits. There is an application process but having recently gone through this for a local NFP that I work with, the process is quite simple. To see if your group or NFP qualifies? Check out their Eligibility Guidelines here.
Canva – Design School, Courses & Tutorials –
- At Canva Design School, you can start with this free course (for beginners) offered by Canva. Also, in their Design School is another 16 courses, covering more in-depth topics like; Branding your business, Canva for the Classroom, Canva on your mobile, Typography & Layout, plus many more!
Whether you are new to Canva or a regular user, you are possibly underutilising the power that it has to offer. Try Canva for your business and learn how to create powerful images that captivate your audience.
