5 reasons to get a brand makeover
For many small business owners, organic growth can occur so fast that you don’t have the time or knowledge to consider how all the promotional assets like your; company logo, packaging, signage, website, newsletters, social media and even your emails define your brand. Why is your brand so important? It’s important because your brand represents your company’s identity, it determines how your customers and audience recognise you, how they relate to you, and how they respond to you.
Your brand is more than your logo
Your brand is the sum of your company’s products, services, culture, and the collective experience of customers and audiences that engage with your business. Ideally, you want your brand to be unique and recognisable, and for the customer experience to be positive. Recognisable brands that people relate to, or aspire to associate with, encourage engagement, instil trust, and create loyalty.
So what does a brand refresh involve?
A brand refresh is essentially an upgrade of your business’ visual assets, such as your logo, company colours, and other design elements. Updating your signage, website, packaging and promotional materials can have a huge positive impact on how existing customers perceive you, while motivating new audiences to engage and become loyal customers.
The reasons a business might want a brand makeover are varied and many, but the intention is generally the same, to keep the brand relevant and ensure that it reflects the current personality and style of your business. Here are the top 5 reasons to get a brand makeover.
1. Maintain a competitive edge
In a growingly competitive market, it makes good sense for small businesses to be mindful of what their competitors are doing. Product and service trends are constantly evolving which means businesses need to be able to adapt to keep ahead of their competition. A new and fresh brand always compels curiosity from new customers, while maintaining interest and fostering loyalty from existing ones. Are you maintaining your competitive advantage?
2. Stay current with industry trends and audiences
In our current world of artificial intelligence and mass digitisation, most industries are evolving at lighting speed. And like technology, branding and design trends are also changing rapidly. Keeping up with these trends on a regular basis will ensure that your brand remains relevant so that you can continue to connect with progressive new markets and shifting audiences. Does your brand match your industry’s standards and does it connect with your current target audience?
3. Reflect changes to your product and service offerings
Have your products or services changed recently or have you expanded your range of offerings? Perhaps you’ve gone green or you’ve changed your approach to the way you deliver services which now offer benefits that weren’t previously available. New product and service offerings, or improved business and delivery systems can provide the ideal opportunity to undertake a brand refresh to better reflect your current business. Does your current brand reflect everything that your business offers?
4. Demonstrate your social responsibility
With the progression of social consciousness where consumer spending habits are now more than ever motivated by social awareness and ethics, there’s an opportunity for businesses that share and support these values through its products, services, business practices, and advocacy to cultivate superior and positive brand recognition. Businesses that demonstrate their commitment to social and environmental responsibility build stronger relationships with their customers and earn their trust and loyalty. If your business is actively supporting a topical cause right now, then it’s worthwhile communicating that through your brand.
5. Update company image
It’s surprisingly common that over time, your branding is going to get a little inconsistent. Through organic growth, your business may have updated your advertising to reflect current design trends filled with bright and youthful imagery to suit a growing and younger demographic, however your outdated logo that screams simple and conservative doesn’t quite match. Let’s also consider current website and social media trends that tend to be colourful, use simple and engaging language, and are quite often in conflict with a business’ formal and outdated image. Do your promotional visuals, language and style match your brand personality? A branding refresh can help your business update your style to ensure consistency and professionalism.
Whatever the reasons, the benefits are the same
You may have considered a brand refresh important for an entirely different reason to the ones we’ve listed above, there are no wrong reasons. What’s for certain is that a brand refresh isn’t just a cosmetic makeover for the visual elements that make up you marketing and promotions. Refreshing your brand gives you an opportunity to redefine, realign and strategically reposition your business so that; your brand image and language are consistent, you remain relevant, and above all, you stay competitive.
Feel that your business might benefit from a brand makeover?
If you’re considering a brand makeover and would like to discuss what would be involved for your specific business situation, contact JMARC Consulting by emailing us at info@jmarcconsulting.com