So much of modern marketing includes using social media. Whether you’re using Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or other platforms, eye-catching visuals are vital for getting people’s attention. As birth workers our strengths may not lie in graphic design and marketing, but in order to be successful, we need those areas to be streamlined and professional.
Some agencies or birth workers have the ability to hire professionals to run these parts of their businesses, but many do not. There are programs and tools available that, though they require some practice, make it possible to create striking, professional visuals for social media. One of these tools is Canva.
Canva offers thousands of backgrounds and templates that are customizable. A free account has many choices, and a paid account offers additional themes and options. Here is an example: you want to offer a discount on placenta encapsulation services. Rather than simply typing that on a Facebook post, including an engaging graphic can help more people notice and not only have more people contract for your services, but also get your name in front of more potential clients through sharing of the graphic. So let’s say you choose this template:
Your next step will be to change what is obviously a template and make it customized to your business. You should already have branded your business so that all your marketing materials use the same fonts, colors, etc. By clicking on the word “spring” you can then change the font, color, and size. You can move the location of the word as well, depending on the rest of your design. After making some changes, here is the finished graphic:
This graphic was created in just a few minutes. For someone brand new to using Canva it will take a little longer, but the more you practice, the easier it becomes.
The easiest way to get going with Canva is to sign up for the free account and start playing with the various options. Pick a template you like or that already matches your branding and see what you can come up with. You can use quotes, information about upcoming events, notices of new services you are offering, or tips for pregnancy. The goal of these graphics are to catch someone’s attention – this then leads them to read the text in your post or blog. Don’t make the graphic too cluttered, remember you’re trying to draw them to your website where they can see all the services you offer and learn more about why you are the ones they want to hire.
Do you have tips to share about using Canva or other graphic design tools? Connect with us on Facebook and Instagram, we’d love to swap ideas! Also if you are interested in more in-depth ideas on marketing your business, consider our Doula Mentoring Program – learn more at www.BirthBeautifully.com.
Christine Herrera helps people become amazing birth professionals.
