How to Know When You’re Due for a Brand Refresh
It’s 2020, people, and it’s time to act like it. How do you act like it’s 2020, you might ask? You refresh your branding efforts, that’s how. Now, don’t get confused… We’re not talking about a complete rebranding. Instead, we’re suggesting a simple brand refresher. Just like the new year inspires you to get that cute new pixie cut, it should also inspire you to order new business cards and update your website.
Much like most anything these days, branding goes out of style. Technology has made our audiences into some pretty fancy people, so we need to make sure our brands stay up-to-date and intriguing. Think of it like moving the furniture around your living room every few months. It’s not like you’re building a new house, you’re just changing how people see your current one.
So, how do you know when it’s time for a brand refresh? And how do you know what to change? Don’t worry, we’ve got that covered too. Important times to refresh your branding can be:
Important times to refresh your branding can be:
- When your company has gone through a major change-
If your company is going through changes internally, you should look into making changes externally to mirror your internal activity. Changes such as ownership, budget, location, and management can be good indicators that it is time for a brand refresh.
- When you’re not reaching your target audience-
If you are struggling to get a response from your intended target audience, it may be time to refresh your brand in order to better connect with them. Even something that may seem like a minor detail, such as the color or colors of your logo, can heavily influence your audience.
- When you anticipate growth-
If your company is positioning itself for growth, you need to assess your branding and be sure that it will represent the growth. If you are planning to expand your audience, add products or services, or bring on a bigger staff, your branding should reflect these changes. And be sure to share news of the exciting changes with your audiences by sharing content on social media, with press releases, emails and direct mail.
- When your branding it outdated or inconsistent-
If you look over your current branding and you notice that maybe you’re using outdated font styles, for example, or your logo colors don’t match your website, it’s time to change that up. Inconsistent branding can confuse your audience, and outdated branding will bore them.
- When your products or services have changed-
If you have recently taken a service off your offerings list, or maybe added new products to your line, don’t hide it! Spread the word and let your audience know. It’s important to keep your audience up-to-date with what you have going on.
Don’t be intimidated by the thought of a brand refresh. Updating your branding can be as easy as changing the font in your logo, or redesigning it and applying those changes to your digital and print collateral; It’s nothing to be afraid of! But, you shouldn’t make changes unless they are called for. If you find yourself bored with your branding and wanting to change things up, be sure to only make changes with a clear mind and goals in place. Over time you build equity with your brand and making unnecessary major changes can harm that equity. So, when the time does come to do some rebranding, be sure to incorporate some of your previous branding in with the new. It is important to keep your current customers in mind when trying to reach new ones.
