Blog

5 Essential Parts to Embrace in a Strategic Model Refresh

5 Crucial Elements to Include in a Strategic Brand Refresh

Many people mistakenly think of the brand as a logo, but the truth is that the brand is so much more than that. A brand is a way your company and your customers perceive your company. It is the perception, the feeling that they get when they interact with your product or service.

However, it's not that elusive and its elements can only be changed if you are sure that your brand needs a refresh. If you tackle this task strategically, you can build a stronger brand that will win your customers' trust, attention, and loyalty. For those who want to embark on this journey, here are some items that should refresh your brand.

Complement the mix with competition analyzes

The business world is highly competitive regardless of the industry, and keeping it in mind is quite a challenge. Companies use different tactics to get customers to point them out and make a purchase. This often includes rule 7, which basically means that customers have to see your brand seven times to remember you and take action.

With a memorable brand, this number could be even lower, but one question arises: how do you become memorable? Well, being memorable means standing out from the crowd and standing out from the competition. You have to get to know them first. A competitive analysis is the perfect tool to get the information you need. You can do this by checking the logos, fonts, colors, styles, value proposition, website, social media presence, content marketing and other elements. Only when you know this information can you find a way to differentiate your brand.

Improve content quality

Excellent graphics are fundamental and will get your audience to explore and offer your website further. If the content they come across is of poor quality, you cannot hope that it will be converted. As part of your brand update, you need to improve the quality of your content. You can start with what you have and use it again, especially if a particular blog post was popular.

Contrary to what many people think, quantity will never exceed quality. It is better to reduce the number of weekly blog posts from 5 to 3 and make them SEO-optimized and engaging. Don't avoid confusing written content with visual elements or converting the text into a video or infographic, as these formats are more interesting for people who don't have time to read a long blog post. Another trick that you can try is to be inspired by influencers, as they are not only passionate about their content, but usually also push boundaries and introduce new trends.

Rethink your logo and visual identity

As the name suggests, a brand update is a refreshment of your brand and not a radical change that falls under the category or redesign. With a refresher, you keep the good stuff and cut or adjust what needs to be changed, and this is important because you already have a customer base that has contacted these visuals and too many changes can be risky: You can attract new ones, but you can also lose old customers.

Visual elements such as your logo, illustrations, images and infographic design are important elements of a brand because they are powerful tools for conveying the message of your brand and are unforgettable. Because they are so important, it is important to get them right. For this reason, many companies that are planning to refresh and even redesign are turning to experts like Infostarters to take care of every element and make them online and consistent for every channel of your brand.

Optimize your website for cell phones

If you haven't lived in a bunker like Kimmy Schmidt from the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt show for the past 15 years, you must have noticed that cell phones have grown in importance. People use smartphones for communication to search for specific information or a place to eat and to shop. This is where your brand comes in. If you haven't used the optimization of your mobile phone, it's time to start.

Not only can you optimize your website for mobile phone users, you can also create a mobile app. This step can be what turns the tables to your advantage and what sets you apart from your competition. Of course, you need to make sure it is easy to use and a seamless continuation of your brand.

Activate your social media profiles

If your brand has profiles on different social media but you don't use them regularly, your brand will not be visible. If you still don't know what Facebook, Instagram and other networks are all about, some numbers speak for themselves: Studies assume that over 3 billion people will live on social media by 2021. As you can see for yourself, the sooner you board this train, the better.

Any change you make must be made through social media. Therefore, you should first find out which networks your target group uses the most and deal with them. This change in your brand activities will not go unnoticed, especially if you promote your blog posts on social media. Also, don't forget to add buttons to your website that lead to your brand's profiles on social networks so your customers have direct access and don't search for the right profile.

Wrap up

After a few years, the initial ideas on which you have built your brand could easily deteriorate, and this is only natural. The growth of every company is followed by changes and adjustments that are necessary for it to reach its full potential. So if you feel that your brand needs to be refreshed, you should listen to your instinct.

However, this is not a must to dive headfirst. You need a strategy to keep your current customers and attract new ones. From researching your competition to mistaking it on social media, every step has to be thought through and, above all, tailored to your wishes and needs. Sometimes it is better to stagnate a bit than to implement an inefficient strategy that will cost you time and money. So think about your options, create a detailed plan and update your brand!