Social media platforms | Devology Ltd

One of the best ways to get noticed on social media is through the use of graphics promoting your products and services. We believe one of the best tools is Canva.com. Their free version is easy to use and creates professional results. (They do have a subscription version called Canva At Work with bells and whistles when you are ready for it.) Once you’ve created your account you are ready to go.

Step 1: After you’ve logged in, it is time to pick your template. For this example, we are using the standard social media template.

Your blank template is revealed.

Step 2: At this point you can upload a picture, select a background color, or a background. Canva.com is very versatile. A combination of elements can be used as well. They also offer paid photographs and backgrounds. In amongst all of these are free ones that can be customized.

For our example, we will be creating an open house graphic. I’ve picked one of the free backgrounds that will be customized.

We’ll use the border graphics like they are and add different wording. This template has two lines of different fonts. Canva.com has loads of different fonts and colors to choose from.

Step 3: Different fonts and text sizes have been added to this graphic along with making the focus of the graphic “Holiday Open House” red to stand out.

Step 4: We are going to add one other element to this graphic, a gift. There is a search box at the top of the tool bar. This is a great way to find already created elements to add to your graphics.

Here is what is displayed. You will see the first item that pops up is the one we want. There are also many other pictures and elements.

Step 5: When the image is dragged over it is too big. Click on it and resize it using the handles on the side.

Step 6: After the picture is resized we want to make the ribbon red (it is currently white and will not show up) and the package a different color. This is also easy to do by clicking on the circles with the different colors and choosing a different one.

Here is what it looks like with a quick color change:

Step 7: If you are happy with the graphic, all that is left is to download it.

When you click the download button several choices appear. Pick the selection that works best for you and save on your computer. The PDF graphics are useful for printing and other applications inside Canva.com.

Other items to think about when creating graphics:

If you have a company logo or picture, it can be uploaded into Canva.com and used in your graphics.

Simply click on the upload button and pick the file from your computer.

Drag the uploaded logo (or picture) from the left side of the screen onto your graphic and position.

The item can be made smaller or moved to wherever you need to have it on the graphic.

Think about your color choices. Eye catching colors like bright blues and yellows are good to use in graphics. Try not to have too many colors. If your business has definite theme colors go with those. The idea is to be recognizable. Also, think about what attracts your attention when you scroll through newsfeeds.

Using stock images/photos. There are times when you want a really great photo to tell the story for your graphics. If you don’t have access to a professional photographer, don’t be afraid to spend a little money on buying that perfect photo. Canva.com has access to thousands of photos that cost $1. There are many services that sell photos as well.

Important dates. Look through your calendar and set reminders early so you have plenty of time to be creative. Don’t forget Social Scheduler lets you schedule your graphics ahead of time which helps you be a more organized business person.

Why do we do what we do? We love writing software that simplifies and improves what you do routinely, our developers are passionate about creating powerful software that’s simple to learn and use. For example, one of our products (Social Scheduler – https://www.socialscheduler.co.uk) show-cases what we do best; you can easily schedule your social media messages with 1-4 photos to multiple social platforms, in seconds. We don’t write feature after feature for the sake of it, often less is more, and the more time we can save you the better. If you have suggestions to improve our products then please do get in touch via rob@devology.co.uk.

If you have spent any time on Twitter you know that this social media platform is one that runs at warp speed. At last check, Twitter has over 300 million monthly active users! 500 MILLION Tweets are sent a day. You read that right. How can anyone hope to compete in this sea of messages? How can you stand out?

The Why:

In the Twitterverse you have to be able to reach those who need your message by creating good content that should be seen more than once. If you are an international Tweeter you may need to reach potential clients when you are in bed asleep. Spreading your message across different day parts across the continents gives you maximum impact. Even if you aren’t shooting for a global audience, sharing your message at multiple times allows new eyes to view your campaign.

The How:

I believe one of the keys to success in any sort of business is using every tool in your toolbox. One of the tools that I value as a Social Media Specialist is Social Scheduler from Devology. Among all the great features, one that I love is the ability to repeat messages. This facet is a HUGE time-saver for anyone who wants to program their social media messages.

Here’s how easy it is in Social Scheduler:

1. Pick your social media platform to post. This image is from a campaign for a retreat I am helping to promote. I’ve selected the proper Twitter account.

2. Next craft your message. (Don’t forget links and hashtags!) Then add a picture or social media graphic. (Did you know adding pictures to Tweets makes you more likely to have a click through to your website?)

3. Select your repeat cycle. There is no magic formula for repeating the message. Some experts say you can repeat a message up to 20 times a day. That is definitely a way to saturate a market. Another option is spreading your message out over several days. You want lots of users to see your tweet and engage with you. In addition, users can share the message with their followers.

Here’s what you do:

First, select the repeat button. I know this seems obvious, but if you don’t this won’t work. Then you decide how many times you want to repeat your message. In the example below, I wanted to repeat this message for the retreat once a day for one week. The repeat box is set to 7 and then choose daily from the drop down message.

Another option for repeating the message is to use the ‘custom’ feature, which allows you to specify a relative interval for each subsequent message. Originally the message was repeated at the same time for 7 days, but now the message will be sent two hours later each day (every 1 day and 2 hours). Social Scheduler is so flexible that you can truly customize this to your needs.

If you haven’t had the chance to try Social Scheduler, give it a whirl! This is truly one of the easiest software systems to learn. With a few clicks you can create a custom campaign for your social media needs. Best of all, with Social Scheduler I save loads of time by doing all my programming with this one tool. I focus on it, get it done, and then I’m off to the next thing on my to-do list.

A little side note: the idea of frequent repeated messages does work well on Twitter because of it’s fast pace. This technique though is not one that you would use on other social media platforms like Facebook. Although, you can get mileage out of running videos more than once. Be careful that you space them out a few times during a week or perhaps once a week. You don’t want to bombard your audience. Using a tool like Social Scheduler can help keep you organized and help you keep to your strategy.

Final Thoughts

We would love to connect with you. Please feel free to leave us a comment in the space below. The developers at Devology are very customer service oriented and are responsive to their users. They are truly entrepreneurs that want to know what is going right and where there is room for improvement.

Mary Lu Saylor is an Emmy-award winning journalist who spent 30 years in the television news business. Her experience includes work as a videographer, newscast video editor, and ultimately as the Assignment Manager at WSPA-TV in Spartanburg, SC. She now works as a Social Media Specialist with the U.S. based company FindGreatCompanies.com. Mary Lu is partnering with the Devology team to show how our products make the world of Social Media more efficient.