Branding is not a one-time thing. It’s an ongoing process that requires constant attention, and adaptation, it evolves as your business grows.

Your brand is not just your logo, your slogan, or your colours. It’s your identity, your personality, and your promise to your customers. It’s how you communicate your value, mission, and vision.

But the world is changing fast, and so are your customers. Their needs, preferences, and expectations are evolving, and so are your competitors. If you want to stay relevant, competitive, and profitable, you need to refresh your brand regularly.

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What does it mean to refresh your brand?

Don’t worry, it doesn’t mean change everything. It means to update, improve, and optimize the elements of your brand that matter most to your target audience. Align your brand with the current trends, technologies, and best practices in your industry. Keep your brand fresh, consistent, and engaging across all platforms and channels.

Let’s break it down and look some of the key areas where you should focus your brand refresh efforts in 2024:

 

Brand Photography

Professional visuals are essential for creating a strong brand image and attracting attention. Your brand photography should reflect your brand identity, personality, and values. Your imagery should also showcase your products, services, and benefits in a clear, compelling, and authentic way.

Here are a few action points for refreshing your brand imagery;

1. Review your existing photos and see if they are still relevant, appealing, and consistent with your brand message and style.
2. Hire a professional photographer to take new photos that capture your brand essence, your unique selling proposition, and your customer testimonials.
3. Mix it up and use a variety of photos that suit different purposes and platforms, such as product shots, lifestyle shots, behind-the-scenes shots, location photography, portrait photography and user-generated content.
4. Optimize your photos for web and mobile devices, using the right size, format, and resolution. Your photographer will be able to help you with this. Also, use alt text, captions, and hashtags to improve your SEO and social media reach.

 

Social Media Content

We all know that social media is a powerful tool for building brand awareness, loyalty, and advocacy. It is so important that your social media content is relevant, engaging, and valuable to your followers. Creating consistency with your brand voice, tone, and personality is essential to building trust.

Here are a few action points for refreshing your social media content;

1. Look at how you’re doing at the moment and audit your current social media presence and performance, and identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. We all love a SWOT analysis!
2. Define your social media goals, objectives, and metrics, and align them with your overall brand strategy and marketing plan.
3. Create a social media calendar and plan your content ahead of time, using a mix of formats, such as text, images, videos, stories, polls, and live streams.
4. Use social media tools and analytics to schedule, publish, monitor, and measure your content, and adjust your strategy accordingly.
5. Engage with your audience, respond to their comments and messages, and encourage user-generated content and feedback.

 

Website

Your website is your online storefront and your most important brand asset. Having a website that is user-friendly, responsive, and secure will mean that your audience stay and look, rather than clicking away. A website should also be informative, persuasive, and conversion orientated, with clear call to actions and navigation.

Here are a few action points for refreshing your website;

1. Look at your website and conduct a website audit and check your site speed, performance, security, and SEO.
2. Update your website design and layout, using a client focussed style, that matches your brand identity and enhances your user experience.
3. Update your website content and copy, using clear, concise, and compelling language that showcases your brand value proposition, benefits, and differentiation.
4. Optimize your website for conversions, using clear and prominent calls to action, landing pages, forms, and pop-ups (sparingly).
5. Test your website on different browsers, devices, and screen sizes, and fix any issues or errors. Consider what device your target audience will likely be viewing your website on.

 

Marketing

Marketing is your way of reaching, attracting, and retaining your customers. It should be strategic, creative, and effective, while being consistent with your brand identity, message, and goals.

Here are a few action points for refreshing your marketing;

1. Review your current marketing strategy and tactics, and evaluate their results and ROI.
2. Research your target market and customer segments, and understand their needs, pain points, and motivations.
3. Research your competitors and industry trends, and identify your competitive advantages and opportunities.
4. Develop a marketing plan and budget, and choose the best marketing channels and tools for your brand and audience.
5. Implement, monitor, and measure your marketing campaigns, and optimize them based on your data and feedback.

 

Refreshing your brand is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. It’s a way of keeping your brand alive, relevant, and profitable in a changing world. By refreshing your brand photography, social media content, website, and marketing, you can create a stronger, more memorable, and more engaging brand that connects with your customers and stands out from the crowd.

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Useful Tools

Google Analytics (Free)

One of the best tools for tracking and measuring your website traffic, conversion and user behaviours. You can also link your social media accounts.

Buffer (Free 14 Day Trial- subscription thereafter)

Link all of your social media channels, schedule, plan and create ideas to streamline your process of creating and distributing content.

Buffer also offers detailed social media analytics for creators and brands (paid service).

Networking – Connect with Professionals

The business community is a rich pool of professionals who all have their area of expertise. If you need help with marketing, website, social media or brand photography connect with an expert. There are lots of guides, tools and opportunities to learn from them.

Chat with…

Elliot Ghali – Example Marketing (Strategy, marketing, social media and website) https://www.example-marketing.co.uk/

Emma Easton- Business Bollox (Marketing strategy, mentoring, accountability and planning) https://business-bollox.co.uk/

Michelle Jones – Squark Design (Visual Brand Storyteller- Branding and design) https://www.squarkdesign.com/

Tom Stansfield- Lincolnshire Marketing (Marketing strategy, 121 support, social media management) https://www.lincolnshiremarketing.co.uk/

Jen Heppell- Starchelle Communications (Marketing and Automation) https://www.starchelle.com/

Thomas Atkinson- Identity Agency (Creative Agency- Branding, design, website) https://identityagency.co.uk/

Julie Priestly- DBS Digital Agency (Marketing strategy, website design, development and management, SEO, social media management)  https://www.dbs.digital/

Paul Tompsett LMRT Design (Branding and design) https://www.lmrtdesign.com/

And of course, us – Natural Aspect https://naturalaspect-srzw6o8mbu.live-website.com/contact/