Ever feel like you just can’t keep up with all that’s going on with social media platforms and tools??? Yeah…We feel that way too. Luckily D+D is on top of it! Over the past month or so, there have been two ‘new’ features that have been released that we felt deserve a little love. 

Canva – which if you aren’t using it yet, get to it! – has launched a Content Planner and Instagram has released the Reels feature. 

Canva’s New Content Planner & Social Scheduler 

Here’s what it can do: 

Canva’s Content Planner and Social Scheduler has been designed to streamline the process of creating your graphics and pushing them out to your social channels. Instead of the previous create–download–upload-schedule format requiring more than one platform, their goal is to simplify the process. This feature is only available through their Canva Pro accounts and is currently only working to schedule with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Slack, Pinterest, Weibo, and Tumblr. 

Here is what we like: 

• It is one platform you can use to create and then schedule your content, removing one step from the content creation process. 
• Is user friendly 
• Cost saving as you could potentially cancel your subscription to other scheduler services. 

Here is what we don’t like:  

• Instagram compatibility isn’t currently available, but is said to be in the works 
• There are no analytics so you can’t see how your posts are performing 
• So far you can only schedule static posts so no video yet 

Instagram Reels 

Here is what it can do: 

Reels has been created by Instagram in response to Tik Tok in order to keep you on their platform.  You can record and edit 15 second multi- clip videos and layer in audio and graphics to share with your friends and others on Instagram.  If you have a public account you can choose to share them with the wider Instagram community and be found in Explore.  This is great for exposure for your brand right now and can reach a larger audience than your typical Feed posts.  

Here is what we like: 

• It can be a fun and creative way to express your brand messaging 
• You can be connecting with a variety of people and have a better chance at going viral with a great Reel 
• Use for brand building 

Here is what we don’t like: 

• It can become a giant time suck if you aren’t careful.  Make sure you are prioritizing your marketing time well and not spending it all watching other Reels! 
• The algorithm hasn’t been fully explained yet so we can only hope that the content we are pushing out is being seen by as many people as possible. 
• It can be overwhelming and seen as just one more way in which we need to be creating content for our audience 

All in all, these are exciting changes to the social media game. It is early days for both roll–outs so we are anticipating that they will both be working even smoother in the coming weeks.  

Social Media is critical to building your brand and connecting with your audience. If you want to start rocking it and stop feeling overwhelmed and frustrated with it, let’s talk! We’d love to tell you about Hustle + Flow Business Mentorship and how we can help you be a rockstar in your biz. Contact us below to arrange a time to chat!