Intro to Marketing Tools

This section consists of marketing tools that can be used to implement the strategies outlined in the “How-To Guide for Marketing Transit,” as well as information on how to use the tools and templates provided. This section contains examples from other agencies and several video tutorials. The tools are organized into the following libraries:


Photography: A library of original transit-related photos you can download and use in your own materials, copyright-free, along with instructions on how to use them, tips for shooting your own marketing photographs, and information on using stock photography.


Illustrations and icons: A collection of transit graphics and illustrations downloadable for use in marketing materials, as well as information on how to use them and tips for using stock illustrations.


Passenger information design: Templates for creating passenger information such as guides, schedules, and maps, as well as basics on design best practices

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Marketing/promotion design: Templates and information for creating flyers, posters, social media posts, ads, direct mail, and more.


Public relations/news releases/radio ads: Information and tips related to public relations, including guidelines for writing news releases and radio spots as well as a news calendar template.



National RTAP Canva Templates

Canva is a popular web-based design tool that many of you may already be using.  It has thousands of templates to choose from, for anything from social media images to posters and brochures. But National RTAP has also created custom templates that more closely match the unique needs of public transit agencies. You can modify these templates to meet your unique needs.


These templates are designed using three styles or design “families."

Three different designs of flyers are displayed with different layouts and color schemes.

If you stick with one of these design styles, you can create a consistent look for your marketing materials, which is essential to helping you build a brand. You can change the colors and fonts to more closely match your logo or other existing materials. 


You can replace images with your own photos, or with photos from the National RTAP photo library.

Getting Started in Canva

If you’ve never used Canva, go to www.canva.com and set up a free account. 


To learn the basics of using Canva, check out the  Getting Started with Canva tutorials in Canva Design School or the Canva for Beginners series. There are also a lot of great tutorials available elsewhere online, such as on YouTube. If you’re struggling to understand a certain feature, a simple online search such as “rotating text in Canva” will usually point you to answers.


As you become more familiar with Canva, you may notice that some features are only available to users with a paid “Pro” account. Consider whether these features may be worth the price for your agency.

Using the National RTAP Templates

For an overview of using Canva, and some details about using the National RTAP templates in Canva, check out our video below.