Give your Brand a Facelift: Why you should regularly refresh your image
To be successful in today’s fast-moving commercial world, you need to regularly review, rebrand and even reinvent yourself.
Today the world of trade and commerce is moving at breakneck pace, more than ever before in history. Have you moved with the times, or are you still selling the exact same products or services as you’ve always done, in the exact same way as you’ve always done?
Things really aren’t what they used to be
When you went into business, you developed your product or service offering, created your brand and found ways to market yourself to attract the customers you wanted. But perhaps that was 5, 10 or maybe even 20 or more years ago.
Today the world of trade and commerce is transformed – even from as little as 5 years ago. Technology continues to make a vast difference to the way products and services are traded. Communication is faster, choice is wider and customer expectations and demands continue to change. Social media continues to drive forward and challenge companies to be active across an expanding social landscape. If you’re in business, you have no option – you need to keep up. If you don’t, your competitors will steal a march on you and profits will fall away.
When was the last time you took a good look at your brand?
Was it within the last 2 years? Or was it when you first opened for business?
Have you updated your product or service offering to take account of the different ways that customers research and shop for what they need these days? Have you modernised your logo or updated your advertising, refreshed your website, or taken advantage of the many marketing and promotional opportunities afforded by social media?
If you haven’t, your business may already be suffering from being seen as out-of-date. Your brand may look tired and old-fashioned. Your competitors might be engaging with customers on social media, but where are you? Soon your competitors’ offerings may look more attractive, or be easier to purchase.
If you haven’t updated reviewed your marketing strategy or updated your brand in the last 2 years, it’s time to take action:
- Think afresh about your customers. Who buys from you, why do they buy from you, and how have their needs or expectations changed?
- Consider your competitors. How to you look alongside them? What are they doing to stand out? What are your relative strengths and weaknesses?
- Look outside your business and evaluate what new opportunities and threats have emerged in recent years, in the economy, for example. How do you need to change, in response to these?
- Explore new ways to reach your customers, promote yourself – on social media, for example – and engage more actively online
- Take a critical look at your branding – or better still, let us do it – and take steps to ensure you maintain a contemporary brand that makes best use of available technology
- Last, but by no means least, put measures in place to measure the sales return you get from the changes you make
(Read our post: What is rebranding)
(Read our post: Know your numbers – a guide to managing your business)
Take a fresh look at your brand today
Don’t wait until your business stagnates before you look afresh at your branding and your proposition. Think about it today, and make changes before you see the signs of your business getting tired because branding is key to run a successful business. Business is all about continual reinvention – that’s what keeps you energised, and keeps your customers engaged.
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Would you like to learn more about:
- The power of your brand
- What rebranding could do for you
- How to market your business
- How to find your way in social media
How this blog works:
Creative Pixel Agency is a Design Agency based in Essex and London. We offer free and easy to read advice (no jargon) to new or existing companies, looking for help or information on how to handle your brand. For new companies it could be “This is my marketing budget, where to start?” and for existing companies “How can I get there?”.
Don’t hesitate to get in contact with us if you have any questions. We would love to help your business flourish.
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