As a small business owner or modern entrepreneur, how do you know it’s time for a brand refresh?  Today we’re talking through 5 reasons why you’d want to do this for your business and the benefits that come with refreshing your brand.

WHAT’S A BRAND REFRESH?

Before we dive in, a “brand refresh,” is not just about updating logos, fonts, colors and design.  It could be that, yes, but it could also be that plus refining your message and your overall brand strategy.  It could also be a simple, yet effective, update to your message.  You get to decide based on the reason for the refresh and the information you have at your fingertips. 

5 REASONS FOR A BRAND REFRESH

1 - FRESH PERSPECTIVE (You)

This first reason refers to you, the business owner.  You may have grown personally, gone through a huge life transition, transformed in some way or elevated how you do the genius work that you do.

When you have a completely new perspective on life and work, you may feel called to do a brand refresh so your brand gets an upgrade just as you have.

For example, this happened when I became a mom in a whirlwind adoption and overnight I had a whole new priority and outlook on life.  When I came back to work, it didn’t feel like my brand was “wrong,” but one reason I felt called to refresh my brand strategy and messaging was because I changed and I wanted my business, work and brand experience to reflect what that meant to me.  

I knew my audience would resonate with this because I have a personal brand where they care about the branding knowledge I share, but they’re also interested in the lifestyle I’m living and what the behind the scenes of my business looks like.

Please note, this wouldn’t necessarily be the only reason for a brand refresh, as your brand is directed at and meant to attract your target audience.  So even if you have personally gone through your own “refresh,” always keep your audience’s needs and wants in mind first and foremost.

2 - NEW INSIGHTS (Your Audience)

A great reason to refresh your brand is when you deliberately choose a different or expanded audience or you have new insights about your existing audience.  As your business grows, you work with more clients and get feedback from more customers.  This helps you get to know who you serve even better!  You may notice that a majority of them are THIS, or most clients have THAT as their biggest challenge.  Or, you could realize you have a more niche audience to serve and you can switch your focus completely to them.

The great thing about these new insights is you can update and refine your brand strategy and messaging to be even more relatable and specific when you’re addressing your audience and attract more of your best fit clients and customers.

3 - SHIFT TO STAND OUT (The Marketplace)

Perhaps you had a top-notch brand strategy and overall message or design that really resonated with your audience when you began your business a few years ago.  But, now as the market has become more saturated with entrepreneurs either doing what you do, or something related in your industry, more and more people have adopted a similar look and feel, giving people less reason to choose you because you now tend to blend in with the majority.

What a fantastic reason to undergo a brand refresh!  The benefit?  Stand out in your marketplace again, taking back your top spot as the trailblazing expert that you are.  You decide what’s needed - whether you’re refining your brand design with color palette or font choice tweaks, or you decide to do that and completely update how you speak about what you do and who it’s for. 

4 - PIECE-MEALED TO START (Your Foundation)

Raise your hand if you piece-mealed your brand together to start (or didn’t focus on it at all) and jumped straight into sales.  No shame in that!  Many entrepreneurs just get straight to business, and what tends to happen as you grow is you realize in order to really capture the hearts and minds of your customers, you need to be able to articulate who you are, what you stand for, your core values, your big picture purpose - - - i.e., your brand strategy.  You come to appreciate the power and value of having a brand strategy and you’re ready to get to business clarifying your brand.

This is a terrific reason for a brand refresh, and if you’re in this boat, it’s an exciting time!  If you’ve been in business for awhile, you now know more about what works, what doesn’t, who loves what you offer and why.  This is all great information to use when building your brand strategy foundation in order to grow.

5 - NEW DIRECTION, NEW FOCUS (Your Offerings)

When you update your existing offerings (whether products or services) or you have a different focus that attracts a new audience, this is a great reason to refresh your brand.  Your brand is the experience you provide your audience every time they interact with your brand.  It’s what they come to know, recognize and expect of your business.

That’s why if you have a new focus or direction, it’s important to refresh your brand so your current message is reflective of your evolving business.  

BENEFITS OF A BRAND REFRESH

Within these 5 reasons for a brand refresh, there are enormous benefits to updating your brand design, brand strategy, and/or brand messaging, including:

• Ensuring your brand feels authentic to you

• Refining your brand to be even more relatable and specific to your audience so you attract more of your best fit clients

• Standing out head and shoulders above the competition

• Increasing brand clarity and building your strategic brand foundation in order to grow

• Embracing the evolution of your brand and proactively readying it for a new focus and strategy

A brand is a living and breathing thing, meant to shift, move, grow, expand and evolve.  If your business and brand didn’t evolve, then I’d be worried!  This is a natural process for entrepreneurs and business owners so know that at some point you’ll be looking at some version of a brand refresh in order to stay relevant and relatable.

Not clear on what’s involved in developing, refining, or refreshing your brand strategy?  Check out How To Build Your Brand Foundation.

If you want to pick my brain about whether your reason for a brand refresh is valid before putting any energy, time or resources behind it, feel free to DM me on Instagram and let’s chat about it!