You know when you look in your closet and you don’t love everything you see? That’s when it’s usually time to start adding in new pieces and freshening things up! The same goes for your business’s brand — with a few exceptions.
After all, you’ve worked hard to build a brand that’s gorgeous and recognizable. So when should you make updates, and what kind of updates should you make?
One of the biggest reasons for a brand refresh is a changing audience or new offers! Perhaps your services or products have evolved and changed. Or maybe your target audience is different than when you first started your business. It could be that your voice or mission has changed or become more solidified over time.
No matter the reason for wanting to refresh your brand, there are 4 elements to consider before you make the updates (or announce your new brand).
These elements help ensure your website and other social media platforms seamlessly reflect the changes instead of feeling jumbled and chaotic. Let’s take a look at where to start.
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Update Brand #1 | Outline What Has Changed
Before you create new designs or purchase a new site template, take some time and really outline these three things: your audience (who you serve), your offers (your benefit), and HOW you offer it differently. These components will guide all the other elements of your brand.
Your audience
As your business grows, it’s important to evaluate your target audience – who your ideal customer is. You want your branding and messaging to consistently speak to those you are specifically trying to reach.
An easy way to narrow in on your ideal customer is to create an ideal customer profile. What kind of people are you talking to? How do they talk? What are they searching for? Where can you find them? You want your refreshed brand to match who you are trying to reach.
Your offers
Take a look at what products or services you currently offer – do they reflect where you want your business to go? Which offers bring the most revenue to your bottom line? Those two things combined will help guide you as you actively promote them on your site and social.
Consider updating your offerings to align with what your customers are purchasing – they are telling you what they want! Maybe you want to expand certain offers or think about offering tiered pricing to meet your customers where they are at. If you’ve never increased your prices before, it may be time to update your pricing structure.
What makes you different
The products you offer are unlike anyone else’s, and your branding needs to reflect your unique voice. Customers have so many choices on where to buy things and making sure they remember your brand is essential for your success!
Related post: Time to Update Your Brand? 4 Elements to Review
Update Brand #2 | Look at Your Copy and Visuals
After you have outlined your audience, offers, and what makes you stand apart from the competition, shift your focus to updating your copy and imagery. A sure sign that your site needs to be refreshed is that your content is out of date and doesn’t align with your current goals and mission. Remove what’s no longer relevant and create content that matches your goals and target audience. Use an editorial plan to help you stay consistent and organized!
Aside from the words and tone you use in your copy, take a look at the visual elements of your site and social accounts. Do they align with your new branding?
We will discuss your branding style guide next, but you want to ensure that your images use the same colors and fonts across your site and social media. When people see your images, you want them to immediately associate them with your brand and business before even clicking on them!
We suggest creating a template for each social platform so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time you need a new graphic. Check out our social media templates to make this easier than ever!
Related post: 4 Tips to Create Visual Consistency in Your Brand
Update Brand #3 | Create a Brand Style Guide
As you refresh your offers and copy, create a brand style guide that includes colors, fonts, and even words that align with your new or updated brand. You want your customers to land on your home page and feel like it sounds and looks like you! Take a look at the banners, headers, and other visual elements on your site.
Check to ensure these things align with your refreshed look:
- Your logo
- Account photo or headshot
- Fonts & color palettes
- Handles & titles
- Anything else that makes your brand unique!
Related post: How to Create Your Brand Guidelines in Just a Few Hours
Update Brand #4 | Make Shifts Slowly
Start to shift your messaging to match your new brand. Bring in the new voice, start to gently shift over graphics, and let people know about the updates! Now’s not the time to change everything overnight — since this is an update and not a total re-brand!
Whether you want your voice to be playful and informal, or more informative and sleek, there are personalities in every shape and size. You don’t have to just pick one. It can be a combination as the most important thing is to personify your brand, regardless of what products or services you offer. Stick to your brand ethos and what makes you “you!”
Extra tip if you’re shifting your messaging: Read your words aloud! It may feel a little silly, but it’s one of the easiest ways to evaluate if your copy and messaging sound like you and if it reflects the way you want your brand to come across to your customers.
Related post: How to Find Your Unique Voice
Final Thoughts
It can feel overwhelming to know where to start when it’s time to update your brand, but these four elements are a great place to start.
If you’re looking to update your site’s theme, shop our Bluchic WordPress themes to find the one that best suits your business’s needs!
Need a bit more support to update your brand — no hair-pulling involved? Don’t forget to check out our Canva templates to ensure that your website and social media are just as gorgeous as your site.
