Using Canva for Social Media

To get the most out of social media, it’s well known that you need to be updating your profiles regularly. For some businesses, that can be as often as every day.

But how on earth do you keep up *that* much content and still keep a consistent brand look? You might not be in a position to outsource your social media management to someone who specialises in it (or you simply may not want to). However, there are some ways of making your social media profiles memorable and look good.

Templates, my friend. And I’m not talking “choose a template that everyone uses and stick to that” – I mean to make your own, unique to your business, and use those (or get a studio like us to make the templates for you to use). Use them freely. Use them often. Readily accessible design programs such as Canva are good for this purpose, as you can set up a range of templates and edit them as needed – and then export the files ready for your social media updates.

What features are important in a social media image template?

Have a look at other social media profiles, and you will begin to get a feel for the different types of posts businesses do: some may be action photos, some may be product shots, others may be images solely of text (such as a quote).

The consistent feel should include a set colour scheme and a small collection of fonts. If you already have marketing material or stationery, look at the fonts and colours on those as your starting point. Social media is an extension of your brand – so treat it as if a potential customer sees your brochure first, and then goes onto your social media profile – does it look like the same business?

If you are keen to use illustrations or icons in your social media updates, make sure they have a consistent style too. Think of it this way: if a follower was to grab any three images from your social media profile, would they match? Or would they look like three different businesses?

One template sounds boring?

When it comes to templates, one template would not cut it. You will likely need to set up a number of templates. A list of examples:

• Image with a quote/saying
• Image with a paragraph
• Image with an important notification
• Image with your website address included
• Photo with a caption

Also consider the colours and lighting used in your photos – do they look and feel consistent? This can be tricky if you’re not confident with a camera, but do try your best – it all counts.