For some businesses, a few tweaks here and there is all that’s needed to make their brand feel fresh again. But for others, a brand makeover is long overdue.
With the year being nearly half over, now is a great time to reassess how you position your business in the marketplace. Not sure if your business needs a brand reboot? Here are our top 5 ways to tell.
1. Your branding is all over the place.
Take a look at your brand assets, which include things like marketing materials, email newsletters, business cards, opt-ins, social media profiles, and so on. Now, scan them again and check for any inconsistencies in your brand’s visual identity:
- Do they look like they came from the same business?
- Do you use the same color scheme, fonts and image styling throughout?
- Is your business name always spelled correctly?
- Are any outdated versions of your logo being used?
If you answered no, more consistency will help new and existing customers feel less confused about your brand and your business.
2. Your offerings have changed.
As your business has grown, you’ve likely added more products or services to your lineup and removed others as well. So does your old brand reflect your current offerings?
If not, you may want to consider a shift in your brand – much like Starbucks did when they revamped their logo in 2011. Once the famed coffee company and retailer realized they wanted to expand their branded products to include non-coffee items, they dropped the “Starbucks Coffee” wordmark from their logo. By doing so, they granted themselves the flexibility to add to their product line without needing a total brand overhaul.
3. You’re targeting the wrong audience.
You’ve got some sales and even some raving fans, but are you targeting who you really want to serve? It’s important that your brand attracts the people you want to sell to. So should you niche down or go broader? Here’s how to tell:
- Niche down: Look at who’s buying from you and decide if you want focus on a small segment of your current audience. For example, if you’ve been targeting your restaurant supply products to any and all restaurants in your region, but you’ve discovered your best customers are brewpubs and craft breweries, then this is a better target audience for your business.
- Go broader: Look at who else could benefit from what you have to offer. For instance, if your business focuses on a subset of women entrepreneurs, but you’ve realized your services could apply to women entrepreneurs generally, then this is a better target audience for your business.
4. Your content doesn’t emotionally connect.
Emotions influence the way your customers buy. But are you actually making an emotional connection with your readers?
Writing content for your brand also means you’re writing content that will help you build a loyal audience. If what you have to say doesn’t offer some value or hit a pain point, this could affect reader engagement and willingness to revisit your content in the future.
[ctt title=”Writing content for your brand also means you’re writing content that will help you build a loyal audience.” tweet=”Writing content for your brand also means you’re writing content that will help you build a loyal audience. ~ @fingerprint http://ctt.ec/fUbiG+” coverup=”fUbiG”]Run an audit of your existing content, like your website, blog, videos, newsletter and social media. A few things to ask yourself during your audit include:
- Is your content engaging and focused on the reader?
- Are your stories real and memorable?
- Is your voice dry and boring or infused with your brand personality?
- Do you feature testimonials, case studies and other forms of social proof?
5. Your brand is missing from your customer experience.
Want better brand loyalty? Start by building better relationships.
From the first customer touch point to the final send off, your customer’s experience should be infused with your brand. Everything from email communications to the delivery of products or services to project wrap up should include a personal touch.
Do you deliver on the promise you made in your tagline, mission statement or value proposition? Whether your sell products or services, customers will remember their experience with you above all else. Creating a system will help you define how you’ll be of service to them at every touch point.
Over to You
Tell us: Did any of these ring true for your brand? What other ways might you use to review your brand? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
If your business is ready for a brand reboot, we can help. Schedule a free consultation and let’s talk more about your current brand presence, goals and challenges.