We all know that presentation is everything when you want to make a great impression. But how to create a captivating design when you are unskillful and you don’t have that much time to make everything from scratch? As always, an app is the best solution and in this case, Canva seems to have everything you need even if you have no idea where to start. It is time to discover the story behind this successful app!
Brilliant Idea
Canva is an editor created by Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht. Melanie was a uni student when she observed the need for a simple tool which can help amateurs to create interesting graphics. She and her partner launched Fusion Books, an online platform, for her friends and teachers to design their yearbooks. And because their startup was going well, Melanie and Cliff wanted to build something bigger. So, they convinced Cameron Adams to join the team and together started Canva, a tool for beginners and experts to create fascinating designs. That was 6 years ago! Meanwhile, they realized that a mobile app represents a more helpful solution for everybody who wants to create a project in a fast and easy way. Therefore, Canva app was launched for iOS users in 2016 and since December, last year, it is also available on Android devices. During this short time, the app became very popular and customers are pleased that they can obtain the wanted results without professional experience.
How Canva Did It
It was a long road for Canva to reach this point but it is worth to see the marketing techniques implemented by its owners for the growth of their product.
Simple To Use
Of course, there are many tools on the market that can generate amazing presentations but they are very complex and it is really hard to understand the way they work without prior experience in design. While Melanie was teaching her colleagues how to use Photoshop she realized that things can be simpler and an intuitive editor would be very appreciated by everybody. So the main idea of the app is to allow users to create compelling designs even if they never worked with an editor before. Onboarding plays a crucial role here. After selecting a template and with drag and drop options this tool is suitable for school work, social media posts, and business projects.
It Is All About Photos
Let’s talk about images now! What is an editor without a huge photo base which allows users to play with the features provided and to get inventive? Fonts and colors are also important but when users have more than 1 million photos to choose from they can build whatever they want. When it comes to business model, the app is free to download and to use but if customers want to obtain some special effects, premium images cost somewhere around $1 which is not that much when you think about the results obtained. Moreover, due to Augmented Reality users can show their creativity and snap their own photos.
Content, Content, And Content
Even if the app is so intuitive and it offers simple ways to create interesting designs, there is always room for inspiration. And this is the purpose of Design School, Canva blog. The articles, lessons, and tutorials also contributed to the overall success of the company. Reaching your audience and solving their problems is the best opportunity to grow your business and content is the key when you want to attract more users. People want to know how to use design tools in a more efficient way. Determine the most wanted topics and start from there. Write posts that offer tips and tricks and useful resources. Non – designers are always looking for step by step tutorials. Add descriptive images and adapt technical language for convincing readers to pay attention to what you have to say. A very useful post explains the growth tactics applied for Canva blog.
Social Sharing
It is impossible to launch an app and not considering the social aspect. For improving users’ experience, Canva offers users the chance to create special covers for social networks and to share their creations with their virtual friends. It would be a shame to help users when they want to obtain attractive designs and not allowing them to share their work on Instagram. And let’s not forget about old fashioned channels like emails and text messages. Let’s face it; this is a win –win situation for customers and also for your brand. They get to brag with their work and you obtain organic growth. So, encourage them to spread the word about your product.
Bonus Tip: Focus On Work Culture!
At the beginning of this year, Canva became a unicorn after being evaluated to more the $1 billion. Of course, that didn’t happen overnight. We are talking about years of work and many strategies tested for observing what works and what doesn’t. And because International Women’s Day was celebrated in every tech corner we want to ask: How does it feel to be the youngest female entrepreneur that runs a unicorn company? Additionally, the most important element that generated this success is the team behind the product. Without each and every member, it is almost impossible to reach this point. Probably this is the reason why the story told on the official site highlights the moments when every employee joined the team. With over 100 professionals who believe in the same product and contribute to the growth of that brand you can be sure that you have a valuable company.
Final Thoughts
Our conclusion is that Canva app represents an inspiration for everybody; for users who want to design great presentations, whether they are beginners or experts and also for other company owners who want to discover new ways to expand the services offered by their online platforms and to adapt them for mobile devices. It is about finding the best weapons that allow you to reach your goal!