I do love a fun cocktail on my birthday. Although I could very easily (and more affordably) pay $5 for a beer or a soda served in a can, I choose to pay four times the price for a fancy cocktail. Both are drinks. Both refresh my thirst. So why am I, and many other people, happy to pay so much more for a cocktail, or even a mocktail, when both are fundamentally the same thing?

With a more considered approach to your visual communication, more people will be able to engage with your marketing because they can actually read it, your message will be clear so there’s no confusion, and your visual brand will now look professional and purposeful.

It may not seem necessary to keep your Canva account organised if you’re the only one using it, but believe me - whether I’m working in a client’s account that is accessed by multiple team members, or in my own personal account - these quick organisational tips have saved so much valuable time, avoided confusion and provided consistency across the brand.

If you’re a small business owner wearing all the hats, you’ve probably spent hours creating designs on Canva for social media posts, website graphics, or handouts, only to receive little to no engagement. Let’s start by looking at some of the ways poor visual communication is hurting your brand and stopping people from connecting with your message.

When people are searching for a service based business that is quite personal in nature, it can often be a daunting process. Websites that look clinical and impersonal may convey a feeling of coldness, causing someone to hesitate in getting in touch. However, what if that same person came across a website that was filled with natural and authentic photos that made them instantly feel at ease? How much more likely is that person going to have the confidence to reach out and book a session to get their help they desperately need!

Would you trust someone in business that showed up looking nothing like their photo online? Relationships and authenticity are a big part of business, and it all starts with your visual brand. Regularly updating your photos helps to strengthen that connection, allowing you to stay relatable and authentic, and your audience actually loves it! The best engagement I get on my social media is when I update my profile photo - greying hair and all!

Getting found online organically is a big struggle for many businesses in this digital age. And when it comes keywording strategies to increase your search ranking, a lot of people focus only on their website copy (text). But the often-overlooked asset to your findability is your brand photos, or image content.