Branding is a really important aspect of your business. In a recent article I read on the Design Council website it states;
“Branding can help you stand out from your competitors, add value to your offer and engage with your customers.”
The rest of the article is a really good read and covers off how branding can help your business, what makes a good brand and just what we actually mean by branding.
Obviously, your logo and brand guidelines form the basis of your brand and I would always go to a designer to support the creation of your overall brand identity. BUT once you have those guidelines if you find as a small business owner your budget has been spent on creating the brand here are my top 10 items you can create in Canva to support your brand identity moving forward and remain consistent in front of your prospective customers. This ensures that when they see your posts, your ads, your proposal, they know it’s ‘yours’.
- Profile document
An initial introduction document to send to those prospects that may be interested in your services, but not quite ready to have a Discovery Call or meeting. It gives an insight into your business and an overview of your services.
- New business proposal
Once you have received a client brief, you can use this to create a bespoke proposal to summarise their requirements and re-iterate the details discussed during any meetings providing them with details of the solution.
- Business cards
When networking and growing your business contacts it’s good to have some business cards to hand. You never know when someone may want the details of your services.
- Letterhead
Can be used for electronic letters as well as those which are posted. This template can also be used and adapted as the base for your compliment slip design.
- Compliment slips
Using an adapted version of your letterhead compliment slips are good to send with any ‘thank you gifts’ and seasonal gifts you may decide to send to your customers.
- Welcome card
A nice touch when you have gained a new client is to send them a ‘welcome’ card. I’ve received a few of these in my career. As most communication comes via email and other ‘online’ methods these days it’s nice to actually receive something in the post. Just with a brief handwritten note.
- Social media templates
These can include headers for LinkedIn, Facebook, stories icons for IG to name a few. These templates can provide great consistency over your social platforms. There are so many templates that can be adapted to suit your brand colours, add your logo etc. With a few simple steps you can easily generate an array of templates that can be reused time and time again, making your brand come to life across multiple channels. Templates available include scrolling posts, animated reels, Instagram stories, YouTube thumbnails, the list is endless….
- Presentations
I have used the presentation templates in two ways before. To actually create ‘on brand’ client presentations, but also to use the animated presentation as a downloadable MP4 video to post on social media which also has a great impact as video performs so well on social media.
- Flyers
Flyers are great if you have a local target market. The A5 or DL size are great to use to capture the attention be that via a letter box drop or picked up in your local shop.
- Advertisements
You can choose a variety of different size documents for this and a great tool in Canva is the fact that you can download with crop marks and bleed suitable and ready for printing. You can even choose to print straight from Canva for complete ease.
I really hope these ideas and suggestion have helped you think about what you could design in your own business. If you’d like some ideas or support please feel free to get in touch. HELLO@ORCHARD-VA.CO.UK
