Every business needs a good brand system to be successful. It’s as integral to your company’s image as your product or service. Your brand is the way people identify you in a competitive market, and it takes regular upkeep to ensure that your brand has stayed relevant over time. In order to keep up to date with your branding and consecutive re-branding efforts, there are a few steps that you can follow.
Rebranding
It may seem like once you’ve established your brand, it’s settled and you don’t need to develop it further. However, your industry will evolve with the times and you will need to make sure that your brand evolves accordingly as well. It’s particularly important to take stock of your brand before the launch of new products or services. Timing your rebrand around a new product or service release allows you to give a full revamp to your services that will align with the market positioning and the latest consumer trends. You’ll also be able to filter out any outdated collaterals and give your brand a whole new look and feel to accompany your new product or service.
Brand Audit
A brand audit is a comprehensive analysis of your brand’s current position and effectiveness in the market. Specifically, you will want to evaluate how your company stacks up against your competitors and realign your branding and marketing strategies accordingly to ensure your marketing efforts are reaching the right audience. A brand audit helps to analyse weaknesses in your market strategy, particularly inconsistencies and gaps. Building a brand is not a one-off effort, instead, it is making adjustments along the way as you gain more insights on your target market and competitors.
To perform a brand audit, you’ll need to re-examine all of the following:
- Your target audience
- Your existing verbal content
- Your marketing materials
- Your sales and marketing process
- Your website analytics
- Your social media analytics
You’ll be able to identify any problem areas where your brand message gets lost.
Brand Strategy
A brand strategy involves how you present your brand to your audience and how you want them to feel about your brand. Brand strategy is critical, otherwise, it’s incredibly easy for your brand to get lost in the midst of your marketing, your sales process, and your content. A brand strategy is the foundation of your brand that guides everything you do and differentiates you from your competitors.
Brand Style Guide
A brand book (also known as a brand style guide) effectively outlines your brand strategy and the visual assets that you use to convey that distinct brand. This makes it easier to have a consistent look across the board. It also ensures that no matter which touchpoint a customer comes in contact with, they can instantly recognise it as your brand. This can include the application of your logo, typography, colour palette, as well as the tone of voice and any other important assets.
Marketing Roadmap
A marketing roadmap is a clear cut action plan intended to outline every step of your marketing strategy. It covers every goal and the strategies to achieve that desired goal, giving you measurable markers to keep your goals on track.
Once you have all of these assets in place, you are ready to grow your business. Go out there and make things happen – communicate with your audience, promote your product or service, expand your content, guide a new marketing initiative, to name a few.
Whether you’re trying your hand at social media marketing for the first time or you’re trying to get a solid handle on your brand, a brand consulting firm is a must. At Etereo, we focus on providing our clients with the best possible branding strategy through social media, content, and other digital marketing options. If you are ready to completely rework, revamp, or simply refine your brand, you can contact us here.
