A few years back, I realized Spodek & Co. was in need of a brand refresh. And I promise you, it wasn’t easy to come to that realization.
I almost felt like I was doing something wrong! When I would see other brand ideas that I really loved, it was a bit like cheating (LOL), or admitting I loved one child more than the other!
Your Brand is Your Baby
Because let’s face it, if you’re a business owner, your brand is your baby.
Especially if you’ve boot-strapped your way from the ground up.
From the moment you conceived of the idea for your company – back when it was just a tiny sparkle of “what if” in the back of your mind to where you are today – you’ve nurtured it. You’ve probably poured endless hours of your blood sweat and tears into it.
Starting a business from scratch is a difficult task, and that brand has been with you through the entire journey!
But…and yes, there’s always a but.
How Our Brand Refresh Helped Us
In my case, I had to sit back and take a hard look at my business. And things had really changed! The kicker? No one saw the business the way I saw the business!
We had grown a lot. Our product offerings had matured. Our team had changed. And the types of clients we engaged had obviously evolved.
But the company brand hadn’t grown or evolved alongside.
I’ve written about my brand shift before, but these were the key things I adjusted to better reflect who were were as a company:
Digital Marketing Branding: The branding on the site now reflects the company as a whole—from the name itself, to the images and the content.
Clear Concise Company Messaging: Our “who we are” and “what we do” pages were more clearly described and prominently featured.
Experts Featured and Roles Defined: Our team of talented subject matter experts, which had grown in leaps and bounds since I had launched my company, are now clearly featured on the website, with bios and pictures attached.
Increased Website and Content Offerings: We set about publishing more content, more frequently. We didn’t focus solely on the blog, but also created ebooks for the website, added a monthly newsletter (shameless plug – sign up here if you haven’t already!) and we increased social media sharing on more platforms.
How to Know if You Need a Brand Refresh
Here are a few things to ask yourself if you think your company might need a brand refresh.
Does my brand still stand out from the crowd? If you’re not entirely sure, it might be time to do another SWOT analysis – but this time on your brand. Take an honest look at what your competitors are doing, and how you stack up to them, creatively?
Does your brand still tell the right “story”? Your brand identity is your story – how your audience perceives who you are and what you do. Consider your company’s current visual brand, as well as your brand voice, values and personality. Do these elements still represent and accurately reflect who you are today?
Has your customer or client base shifted? Generally speaking, businesses are organic. They grow and shift over time, and hopefully become more successful, right? If you’re a B2C company, maybe trends have changed and your audience base has branched off in different direction? If you’re a B2B organization, perhaps you’ve added new staff with different skill-sets, and in do doing have attracted a new arm when it comes to your client base?
Don’t Be Afraid of Change
The bottom line is this: change can be uncomfortable, but change is also often really good. It forces you to take a critical look at who you are and who you want to become in the next ten years! It proved you can adapt and scale to accommodate new societal shifts or changes in technology. And it’s a clear visual sign that you’re a company that keeps its finger on the pulse internally as well as externally.
You’ve worked hard growing your business, and watched it grow into a successful representation of who you are. Don’t be afraid to change things up now and then!
I would love to hear your thoughts! Have you been through a brand refresh? What inspired you to make changes? Please leave your comments below!
