What wouldn’t any of us give for the ability to start anew at the snap of a finger?
How amazing would it be to go back in time and redo life to make it just the way we want it to be. It would save us so much disappointment, embarrassment and failures.
Unfortunately, that’s not how the world works. Instead, we learn from our experiences and learn to adjust and improve ourselves through those experiences. That’s why at the start of every new year, we gaze at the fireworks and make our affirmations for the new year. In our personal lives, that may mean getting an entirely new wardrobe, taking solid steps towards building a new career or a dedication to exercising more and eating healthier. Just the same, why not try creating actionable resolutions for your business too?
Resolutions often involve purging the areas in our lives that don’t add value and making changes that allow us to shine and become the best version of ourselves. You can do the same for your business. Purge yourself of the things that are subtracting rather than adding value, and commit to creating new strategies that help your brand to stand out from the competition. So, if you’re creating a new you this year, go all out and make a new image for your brand too. Stick around to find out ways your business can start afresh this year.
Scrub Your Website of Outdated Information
Type ‘YES’ in the comment section if you have ever been to a website, and clicked on a link that led you to a 404-error page that went something like this:
It can be quite annoying - especially if it’s on the website of a company you do business with regularly. Alternatively, imagine going on to CNN or BBC World’s website to find out about current events, only to see that the first few articles that greet you are dated some two to three months ago! Your immediate impression would be that the website was unreliable and it would quickly lose credibility. No one likes to come across outdated information when shopping or searching for information online.
Yet I’m sure some of us have started up websites with a bang, and as time went on, got too busy or too relaxed about regularly monitoring and keeping pages up-to-date. But think about how frustrating it would be for your customers to see what would be an enticing offer on your page, only to click it and find out that the page has long since been taken down. Not only does this make your website seem unprofessional and amateurish, but it can also damage the trust built between you and your audience.
Take the time to go through your entire website for the new year. Revamp your website to make it as modern and up-to-date as possible. This can include updating the questions and answers in your FAQ section, replacing old front-page information with fresh new deals, products or services you might have added on since your last update, rearranging or renaming the tabs on your website to make it more user-friendly and ensuring that your copyright date at the bottom of your website says 2022 instead of 2002. When customers see that your page is being constantly updated, you will become a trusted source in your business for new and relevant information.
Revamp Your Imagery and Message
If you’re a millennial, then expressions such as ‘on fleek’, ‘sorry not sorry’ and ‘woke’ should be no stranger to your vocabulary. We use these expressions because they allow us to fit in and connect with other individuals, groups or societies we relate to. However, like with most things in life, people and their perceptions change - and daily expressions used change right along with them. What was once relatable becomes cringy or even downright disrespectful. Just imagine being the parent of a Gen-Zer and using expressions like ‘swag’ or ‘groovy’ to describe something cool. Get prepared for those weird stares, because expressions like those were most definitely used by dinosaurs! It’s no longer relatable. It’s just laughable. In the same way, if you’ve been promoting the same brand message for over a decade.
Now, if it’s not timeless, it’s probably not as effective as it first was when you created it. Microsoft’s first logo in 1975, for example, was in black and white, had blocky font, and was overall representative of the time it existed, when disco balls and funky dancing ruled. Now, in more modern times, and a more inter-connected world, the Microsoft logo has changed to be a bit more colourful with a much softer font that fits in with more current trends.
Before you decide to revamp, ask yourself these questions about your brand: Are your products or services very different now from what they were before? How have your goals or vision changed since creating your logo? How your audience has changed? Use your analysis to update your message accordingly, or replace your current brand images with ones that are more relatable and help to better get your new message across.
Add a New Pop Colour
A change in the colour shade or even the addition of another colour or two can really make the difference to help your brand’s message stand out more clearly. Just like we acquaint certain colours to certain events or aspects of life (e.g., red for Valentine’s Day, red, green and gold for Christmas, black for funerals), so too can colour convey a particular meaning about your business. While some may be inclined to dismiss the importance of colours in your business, a new colour added to your brand can indicate new things to come or a new attitude to your way of doing business. Just take a look at how Walmart’s logo changed from 1992 to 2008. The logo went from a hard dark blue to a much lighter shade nearing baby blue. The colour change emits a friendlier, less business-like tone, which helps customers of the brand to feel more at ease and comfortable shopping there, whether it be alone, with friends or with family.
If you’re not sure how to effectively use colours to highlight your brand message, check out this article at 99designs.com which walks you through everything you need to know about choosing the branding colours that will match your business.
Introducing the New You!
A new brand image can change the way your customers look at you and create a regenerated interest in your company. If done right, loyalties can be strengthened, new customers can be generated and your company can thrive in ways it never did before. Just like people will notice you when you add a new watch to your collection or when something is different about you, so it is for your brand. People will notice the new look and look forward to what those changes mean. Don’t disappoint. Follow these tips and make your brand shine this year.
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