Wanting a Brand Refresh? Start Here.

This time of year always inspires us to do a “spring refresh” for our business. As a small business owner, you’ve probably done most of the heavy lifting on your own, including website set up, social media management, photography, copywriting, and everything else!

It’s a big accomplishment to have your business up and running, but as it grows and evolves, it is good practice to revisit your brand and zhuzh things up. And we highly recommend that you do this once a year.

To help you get going with a “spring refresh” for your business, start by doing a brand audit. A brand audit is checkup that evaluates how you are showing up online and in your industry, and helps you identify areas where you can improve your positioning and how you are communicating/telling your story.

Here’s a quick 3 step guide to conducting a brand audit:

Step #1: Look closely at how you’re describing your business

When you pull up your homepage, your Instagram profile, and any other social media channels you’re active on, what words and statements are you using to describe your business? Is it clear what you have to offer, who you serve and what makes your business different? Are you describing your business consistently on every channel?

Ask yourself: If my dream customer spent 1 minute on my website or Instagram, would they walk away knowing the 3 most important things about my business?

Those 3 things could include:

• What you have to offer

• Who your product/service/business is for

• How your business is different from competitors (and how it’s the best choice for your customers)

• Your brand values and what you stand for

• How your business can serve your ideal customer or solve a problem for them

Pro Tip: Avoid using industry jargon or fluff words, like “amazing” or “innovative.” Use specific adjectives and be straightforward – pick words that your customers understand and relate to. Once you determine the best words and phrases to describe your business, be sure to use them consistently across all of your owned channels, like your website, social media profiles, and marketing materials.

Step #2: Review your visuals

Look at the images, fonts, colors, and graphics on your website and social media channels. Do your visuals represent the brand you are building? For example, if you have a luxury brand, do your visuals feel luxury – or do they feel DIY?

Getting your visuals right is incredibly important because your website and social channels are likely the first impression of your business for customers, editors, and influencers.

Here are the top visuals you should evaluate:

• Fonts – have you chosen fonts that represent your brand personality and do you use them in the same way consistently

• Colors – do your brand colors represent your values and brand story? Do they help set you apart from the competition?

• Photography – Imagery is key to selling your product or service online and for influencer/media opportunities. Avoid using generic stock photography and invest in quality photos that showcase what you have to offer in a compelling way.

• Marketing materials – Do you have branded materials, like an About page or bio, that have your logo and fonts in place? Make sure your logo and fonts are consistent on all marketing materials.

Pro Tip: You don’t have to be a graphic design pro to develop a color palette, fonts, graphics or marketing materials. There are plenty of resources – many of them free. We love using Canva for everything from social media and website graphics to marketing materials and Reels.

Step #3: Bring your brand story to life

Now that you have looked closely at how you’re describing your business and the visuals you’re using, you should have ideas of how to refresh and revamp. Start by fine tuning your messaging and make a list of visuals, such as photography, that can help bring your story to life.

Note: You don’t need to refresh everything at once. We know some of these updates require time and budget. Plan ahead for when it would make sense to move forward with updates, and feel free to go one step at a time. 

Pro Tip: Feeling stuck or uncertain about how to move forward with a refresh? We recommend looking at established brands that inspire you. Pull up their websites and social channels and take notes on their messaging and visuals, and how they flow seamlessly together. 

We cover how to build your brand foundation and much more in detail in our online course The Brand Starter Kit. If you’re wanting a brand refresh, or if you’re creating your brand from scratch, we highly recommend you start with here.