Keeping your brand fresh and relevant is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge. Whether you’re looking to attract new customers, reinvigorate your existing client base, or simply breathe new life into your company’s image, a brand refresh can be a powerful tool.
Assess Your Current Brand Position
Start by reviewing your brand’s core elements: your mission statement, values, and unique selling proposition (USP). Have these changed since your brand was first established? Are they still relevant to your target audience and market position?
Conduct a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) of your brand. This will help you identify areas where your brand excels and where it might be falling short. Consider using tools like brand tracking surveys or social media listening to gather insights from your customers and the wider market.
Analyse your competitors’ branding strategies. How does your brand compare? Are there gaps in the market that you could potentially fill with your refreshed brand?
Don’t forget to involve your team in this assessment process. Your employees often have valuable insights into how your brand is perceived both internally and externally.
Define Your Brand Refresh Goals
What do you hope to achieve with this update? Your goals will guide the entire refresh process and help you measure its success.
Common goals for a brand refresh might include:
- Modernising your brand image to appeal to a younger demographic
- Differentiating your brand from new competitors in the market
- Reflecting changes in your product or service offerings
- Aligning your brand with new company values or mission
- Expanding into new markets or geographical areas
Be specific in defining your goals. Instead of a vague aim like “improve brand image,” try something more measurable like “increase brand recognition among 25-35-year-olds by 20% within six months.”
Consider using the SMART framework (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) to ensure your goals are clear and actionable.
Find A Colour Scheme That Speaks To You
Colour plays a crucial role in brand identity, influencing emotions, perceptions, and behaviour. Choosing the right colour scheme for your refreshed brand can significantly impact its effectiveness and appeal.
Start by understanding the psychology of colour in branding. Different colours evoke different emotions and associations. For example, blue often conveys trust and professionalism, while green is associated with growth and sustainability.
Consider your industry norms and whether you want to conform to or challenge them. For example, a champagne colour code speaks to success and good fortune, and it can be used as a base or a highlight. Adobe’s colour tips can help you create the perfect revamped brand for your business. Visit their website to learn more.
Think about how your colour choices will work across different mediums – from digital platforms to print materials and physical signage. Ensure your chosen colours are reproducible and recognisable across all these formats.
Update Your Logo and Visual Elements
Ask yourself whether a complete redesign is necessary or if subtle updates would be sufficient. Sometimes, modernising the font, tweaking the colours, or simplifying the design can give your logo a fresh look while maintaining brand recognition.
Ensure your updated logo works well in different sizes and formats. It should be recognisable whether it’s on a billboard or a social media profile picture. Consider creating variations of your logo for different uses, such as a simplified version for small formats.
Beyond your logo, think about other visual elements that make up your brand identity. This might include patterns, icons, or imagery styles. Ensure these elements complement your updated logo and colour scheme while reflecting your brand’s personality.
Don’t forget about typography. The fonts you use in your branding materials can significantly impact how your brand is perceived.
Refine Your Brand Voice and Messaging
Start by reviewing your current brand voice. Does it still align with your company values and appeal to your target audience? If not, consider how it needs to evolve. For example, you might want to shift from a formal, corporate tone to a more casual, conversational one to appeal to a younger demographic. Consider important issues shaping consumer behaviour like sustainability.
Develop a clear set of brand voice guidelines. This should include guidance on tone, vocabulary, and writing style. Ensure these guidelines are easily accessible to all team members involved in creating content for your brand.
Review and update your key brand messages. These should clearly communicate your USP and brand values. Consider creating a brand messaging hierarchy to ensure consistency across all your communications.
Monitor Feedback and Measure Success
Set up social listening tools to track mentions of your brand across social media and online platforms. Pay attention to both the volume and sentiment of these mentions.
Conduct surveys or focus groups to gather direct feedback from your customers. How do they perceive your refreshed brand? Does it resonate with them more than your previous branding?
Track relevant metrics that align with your brand refresh goals. This might include website traffic, social media engagement, customer acquisition rates, or sales figures. Compare these to your pre-refresh baseline to measure impact.
Be prepared to adjust based on feedback and performance data. A brand refresh is an ongoing process, and you may need to fine-tune elements of your new brand identity over time.
