Giving your Brand a Spring Clean
The days are getting longer, the trees are blossoming, and the world feels like it’s starting to emerge from our year of lockdown. It’s a wonderful time of year, and after a challenging 12 months, we are hopeful.
As the light flows into our homes we feel differently about our living spaces and have a desire to replace the cosy hibernation vibes with a freshness, we may find ourselves decluttering and rearranging things for better impact. But what about your brand? Has it been neglected recently, holding tight while you navigated the tricky waters of the last few months? Fear not because I’ve got you. Just as a Spring clean can make a world of difference to your home, so too can small changes have a big impact on your brand.
5 Steps to Give Your Brand a Spring Clean
Your logo
Your logo is the signature of your whole brand. If you don’t love it, your brand won’t be coming across well, trust me. Ask yourself the following questions:
Does this logo still convey what I want it to in my business?
Does it appeal to my target audience, and...
Do I have a clean high res version of it or am I using an old or fuzzy file?
If you answer no to any of the above, it’s likely you need a revamp.
Style guide
Consistency is so vital to a powerful brand, so if you don’t have a style guide, now’s the time to get one created. A style guide is a place where your brand colours and fonts are recorded so that you can ensure you are always using the exact right shade rather than having to guess on a colour picker (we’ve all been there...)
Photography
Do you have a few up to date professional portraits? If not, now is a great time to plan. As things start to open back up, reach out to photographers and enquire whether they are booking already. If you need a haircut/colour/new clothes (hello lockdown hair!) then tee it all up so that you’ll be photoshoot ready when things are open. P.S. here are some of my favourite photographers if you’re in the UK
Your website
Load up your website, and if you haven’t updated in some time, here are some quick things you can do to keep it in good order:
Update your homepage – it’s a good idea to show a bit of movement on your website, both for users but also for SEO so that Google knows your website is alive and relevant, but this change doesn’t need to be drastic. Even just changing a little bit of copy or updating your header banner can really breathe new life into your website.
Write a blog post – No judgement here if it’s been months since you posted a blog post, or even years, but adding a new blog post can really remind Google your website exists so it’s well worth doing. If you find blogging tricky, my simple blog post guide should help.
Check for any broken links – Use a tool like Ahref’s link checker to get a quick and free snapshot of any dead links (no download or opt in required)
Social media
Finally, load up your social media profiles and imagine you are a stranger viewing them:
Is your bio clear what you do and for who?
Does your branding and overall aesthetic come through enough?
Have you posted anything in the last week?
In conclusion, your brand doesn't need reinventing every year, in fact you shouldn’t constantly tweak it. However, the renewed energy of a new season as a chance to take stock after the winter months, focusing on what’s working and identifying areas that could use a little extra va-va-voom.
By thoughtfully assessing your logo, website, or social presence, you ensure they’re fresh and vibrant - and crucially, that you feel confident about your brand and promoting your business.