As the owner of a design-build firm, you're probably inundated with emails touting the next great tool for greater efficiency and cost saving. I am about to tell you about another. It's a design tool that allows you to easily create graphics for websites, social media and print purposes. Here's the difference; Means-of-Production has no vested interest in telling you about Canva. We don't get a cut for new signups, and they don't even know we exist beyond that of a user. One more caveat, Canva is a great marketing tool, but it's best for firms interested in using content marketing to attract qualified leads. If you rarely update your website, don't blog and think social media is a waste of time, Canva is probably not for you. That said, all design-build firms can benefit from better graphic designs on their website. Canva makes the visuals for content marketing easy.

What is Canva Graphic Design App?

Canva is all about removing the pain points from design work, be it for business-related cards, posters, graphics, multi-page presentations—or blog graphics and call to actions on your firm's website. If you own a design-build firm, you have minimal time to devote to marketing learning the nuances of Adobe Photoshop. With Canva, you can enjoy a vast majority of the customization with minimum investment.

Canva starts by offering basic templates for a variety of social media banners, email headers, blog graphics and traditional print collateral. Templates may seem restrictive, but from these base designs you have near infinite possibilities. When you consider the time it takes to develop a template for your business, the standardization is well worth the benefit of convenience. If you want to go it on your own, choose a custom size and start designing from scratch.
After you've selected a template, you can create a custom design based on layouts and backgrounds that offer myriad options available. The removal or alteration of any on-page element is as simple as drag-and-drop. And, like the development of templates, any loss in customization is quickly overwhelmed by the benefits of simplicity.

Creating a Call-to-Action in Canva

Canva expedites creating a designed call-to-action for your business. Design efficiencies and brand consistency make Canva useful. Narrowly targeted call-to-actions always perform better than those that are more general. Click here is not a call-to-action. "Download a Step-by-Step Guide to the Design-Build Process" is vastly more effective. Until Canva, the prohibitive element in making the most of this strategy has always been the time devoted creating CTA designs that represent your brand.
By allowing you to design targeted CTA's on website pages, you can quickly make changes to text or images to suit a specific marketing campaign. Canva allows you to browse and select images from its library. These cost about $1 each. You can also use your own images, which will save you money and provide your viewers with a consistent visual experience.

Linking To A Landing Page and Guide or Brochure

The utility of Canva continues after the click-through to your landing page, as well as any downloadable guides you may develop. Like targeted display ads, unique landing pages are essential for getting conversions from your online visitors. With the simplicity of Canva's designs, you'll be able to develop quickly as many targeted landing pages as you need. Each of which will pay dividends with increased lead conversions and an increased understanding of what information your best clients are seeking from you.

And what if you want to offer a brilliantly styled and informative guide in exchange for visitors' emails? Canva can help with that, too. The same efficient design that works for display ads and landing pages also translates to print campaigns, even if those are "virtual" print campaigns used for creating downloadable PDFs.

Canva offers the perfect blend of customization, flexibility, and native design features. Colors and fonts can be customized. Canva's set boundaries encourage users to focus on simplicity and efficiency, rather than devoting valuable time to using complex software.
For marketing professionals and business owners, Canva offers a design-based solution that lets you expand your marketing campaigns without taking all your time away from running your business. The complex functionality offered by software programs like Adobe Photoshop are not often needed for simple design tasks. With Canva, you'll have all the custom options you need to attract new customers.

And, if you're being honest with yourself, what more do you need than just enough design to get maximum return on investment from your print and online ads? Why spend more time on marketing materials when you could devote that energy to becoming a leader in your field and offering top-notch ideas to your clients? Can't think of an answer? Neither could we, and that's why we think Canva is a great choice for your design-build business.

About Michael Conway and Means-of-Production

My firm builds Squarespace websites, Houzz profiles, and content marketing and advertising solutions for architects, interior designers, design-build contractors and landscape design firms. Our all-in-one tactics attract the right clients with exceptional architectural photography and brand messaging that sets you apart from the competition. Contact me for a free-of-charge consultation and marketing review. It takes about 40 minutes and you'll be provided a list of actionable improvements designed to solve your specific marketing problems.