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A guide to when and why to improve your brand (6 simple steps)

Aug 11, 2021 | Branding, Marketing best practices, Tips for small businesses

Is it time to improve your brand? If so, where should you start from? Here are 6 clear signs that your brand is in need for a refresh.

More often than not, the route of many problems begins with the fact that your brand isn’t established or original enough, or ultimately understood by your staff. 

Whether your company is small, medium or large, your brand needs to be distinctive, consistent and compelling. It needs to represent your vision, mission and values and it needs to work effectively for your customers! Even the most timeless, established and successful brands need to evolve and make improvements from time to time. 

Refreshing or evolving your brand is a huge project that involves not just your marketing or brand colleagues, but your whole company. There are many reasons why you may need to improve your brand. We recommend you tread carefully and don’t make impulsive updates for non-essential reasons. So, be prepared and only proceed if it’s absolutely necessary!

Here are our top 6 reasons why you should improve your brand

1. Your market has massively changed

You may be doing a superb job and everything is working like clockwork, but things are always changing in the external world. 

Perhaps the market has become more digitalised due to Covid, or the customer’s focus on sustainability has shifted the need for your product. Or there are suddenly a lot more competitors to stand out against. 

Whatever the reason – if your market has significantly changed and you’re struggling to get noticed, then we recommend you consider improving your brand. 

2. Your audience’s needs have shifted 

It’s important to constantly listen to your customers in order to inform your business and therefore your campaigns, and ultimately your brand. It may be that your audience’s needs have shifted so far that your brand isn’t fit for purpose anymore. 

We have seen this so much during Covid with the need for home deliveries and digital services. We have also seen this with Gen-Z who are always very conscious of today’s issues. Perhaps Gen-Z is your core audience and you now need to be focusing more on sustainability as that’s what drives them in 2021. 

Ultimately, if your audience’s needs have shifted, then you need to improve your brand!

3. Your brand isn’t relevant anymore 

When you have an established and loyal audience it can sometimes be easy to take for granted that your brand is relevant. 

It’s only when times are tough (for example with Covid) and sales go down that you realise you can’t just rely on your loyal customers. 

We have seen time and time again companies ignoring the need to improve their brand. Most businesses think that a revamp is not essential. This is especially true when sales are still really high and no one has complained. But, you need to be ready for a crisis or any unforeseen events. Even the most robust and profitable brands have struggled during this turbulent time. In fact, it’s in times like this that brands need to be seen to be relevant, useful and purposeful. 

Perhaps your brand is simply too old-fashioned and you’ve just not prioritised this. This isn’t something to ignore. Your brand must be relevant in 2021. 

4. Your company is going in a new direction 

So, you have been working on an amazing new strategy for your company and you can’t wait to roll it out. But wait, this actually doesn’t fit with your current brand and your customers may be confused by this new direction. 

Sometimes when your company strategy shifts so significantly, it’s inevitable that your brand needs a revamp too. It could be that you’re focussing on being more green, or more digital. Or perhaps you’re working in new areas of the world. Ultimately, if your brand isn’t fit for purpose in the context of this new direction, then it is time to refresh and improve your brand. 

5. You’re creating a new service or product

This one is very exciting! Maybe you’re launching a new product or service. This is where sometimes sub-brands work very effectively and really help to build a bigger ‘umbrella’ brand for your company. 

Sub-brands are very useful if you have a very distinct product or service for a particular purpose or audience. However, they aren’t always needed and some companies fail by having too many smaller brands. This means diluting the main brand without even realising. 

If you need support with understanding whether to improve your wider brand or create a new one, then do reach out. You could also sign up to a personalised workshop on how to transform/refresh your brand identity & messaging

6. You need to attract more customers

Have you been struggling with your sales for a long time? Does your brand story and look & feel need a much-needed overhaul? Do you need to stand out of the crowd in a very busy market? 

We must remind you that a brand refresh or revamp won’t guarantee an increase in sales. This approach does need to be supported by a detailed marketing and sales plan. A cute new logo will not be enough! 

If you’re in desperate need of attracting new customers, then ensure you have a robust marketing and sales plan. This is a must-have before your launch your revised or revamped brand. 

Conclusion

If you’re in a very competitive market it may be that your service or product isn’t actually unique. If that’s the case, your brand is all you have to set you apart! Read more about marketing your business when your audience is everyone.

To be a successful brand you need to be relevant, memorable and useful!

If your brand isn’t reflecting this right now, maybe it’s time to make some essential improvements?

If you’ve liked our video, please like it – leave your comments below and shout about it! 

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