Spring Cleaning For Your Brand
The birds are singing, flowers are blooming, and the snow is (hopefully) gone for good, which can only mean one thing: spring is here. Most people rush to purge their closets and scrub their floors, but did you ever stop to think that your brand could use some spring cleaning as well? After all, brands are dynamic and so is advertising around that brand. In order to keep up with the changing times, it’s important to give your brand a yearly once-over. It’s the equivalent to opening your windows after a long winter and letting the fresh air in.
To reinvigorate your brand for spring, be mindful of the following suggestions.
Consider your offerings. Where are you falling behind? What are your competitors doing that you are not? It’s a great idea to reevaluate industry trends and changing markets. Does everyone else have a strong digital presence but you’ve got basic HTML and CSS? It may be time to hire a web designer. On the other hand, are there services you offer that don’t seem to have much benefit? It’s easy to get stuck in a certain way of doing things because it’s comfortable, not necessarily worthwhile. It may be time to cut the fat and invest in new ideas.
Check behind the scenes. We’ve touted before the importance of keywords for searchability, and these assets are not set-it-and-forget-it. Spring is the perfect time to update your keywords to make sure you are on top of your consumers’ minds. Likewise, consider doing a website audit to make sure your digital presence is in tip-top shape. Website audits evaluate your content for broken links, page errors, site speed, and more. Fixing any issues helps you stay visible and relevant.
Get #social. Are there any updates you can make to your social presence? Perhaps you’ve been putting off updating your bios or adding photos from that super awesome project you completed. Social media is an extension of your brand and it’s how consumers stay up-to-date with what you’re doing, so don’t leave them in the dark! Maybe you’ve been slacking off on your LinkedIn, or your Twitter header doesn’t reflect your brand. Update your social media to be cohesive with your brand, and don’t forget to find ways to interact and engage with your audience.
Revisit your goals. Here at AFFIRM, we declare KPIs (key performance indicators) and priorities each quarter. Basically, we evaluate what is important to our business and create measurable goals to track our progress. Spring is a great time to take a hard look at where you currently are and where you would like to be. If it is necessary, tweak old goals to fit your new ones and decide what your goals are going forward. And while goals are important, the most crucial part is to map out concrete steps on how you are going to reach them. Want to be an SEO master? Maybe one of your steps is to look into online courses, and another is to attend a digital conference. The possibilities are endless, and the great thing about goals is that you can start or revise any time.
