Spring Clean Your Brand: Find Out What’s Working (& What’s Not)
There’s a reason why “spring cleaning” is so widely applicable to every area of our lives. Think about the revolving seasons, and what Spring means after a long winter of burrowing in stagnancy: re-birth, renewal… coming back to life!
When that fresh air hits and those flowers bloom, you’re guaranteed to feel a wave of motivation to find a fresh perspective and bring in a new, vibrant energy into your life. Think of what this opportunity could mean for your small business. It’s not just about bringing new products or content for your audience to engage with--it’s about finding that second wind to propel you forward to even more success.
What does spring cleaning for your brand mean? It means reassessing what’s working for your content or business strategy, and being honest with yourself: What’s not working? The more you can find out as you “spring clean” your brand, the more you can adjust as needed and get the most out of your brand and business potential.
So, get your dusters ready to clear out the cobwebs and learn how to get started in re-vamping your brand:
Recap and Review (AKA: Yearly Debrief)
What’s working and not working so far? When you’re stuck in the weeds of running your business, it can get increasingly difficult to constantly assess the bigger picture. That’s why we recommend a yearly (ideally, half-yearly) review or debrief of what is and isn’t working for your business. There are a couple of ways to do this, but here are some suggestions to get you started:
Check what images on your website and social media brought in the most engagement.
See what topics your clients loved the most via Google Analytics.
Evaluate insights and analytics on all the platforms you’re on to learn more about your different audiences and traffic you’re generating.
Internal debrief: How do YOU feel about your brand? Do you feel confident and proud? Or, better yet, what’s bringing your stress or uncertainty?
Consider Asking For Feedback
We’ve seen a lot of small business owners shy away from directly confronting their audience and getting “real.” We get it—as a consumer yourself, you may not always pay attention to those surveys you get via email. However, the beauty of small businesses is that they’re small. People choose small businesses because they want community. And we’re willing to bet that your business values community!
When people see the person behind the brand, they are more likely to care about supporting you just as much as you are supporting them. Don’t shy away from an Instagram post asking for feedback. This is a great CTA opportunity to garner engagement in the comments, too. Take it a step further and create a Google survey. Show them you care about them, and ask them what they love, and what they don’t.
Take a Look in the Mirror
This might just be the hardest part of spring cleaning your brand. Chalk this up to journaling about your feelings… in fact, you might want to actually take a pen and paper and write this step out! Ask yourself some hard-hitting questions about how you feel when it comes to your brand and your business:
Do you still resonate with your brand? Meaning, when you look at your content, website, social media engagement, and design, do you feel bored, or still excited? How do you see your brand differently than how you saw it, say, a year ago? Does your brand reflect where you’re at with your business, or do you need to make tweaks? We don’t mean to encourage self-criticism, but it is sometimes healthy to give yourself a critique. If you had all the resources in the world, what would you change?
If you’ve gone through these steps and your feelings about your brand aren’t a resounding, “Heck yes! Nothing needs to change!” then… it’s probably time for a spring cleaning. After all, you’re a human being: you evolve, learn, and grow… so should your brand! Don’t let your business stay stuck in old trends and ideas. Society is moving and growing, and so are you.
From there, it’s about adjusting and getting back to your why: your mission, your purpose, and your goals for the rest of the year. And Dox Design is the perfect place to start. Get in touch so we can clean out your closets and get your business clear and ready to usher in some exciting new engagement!
And if you’re looking for a wonderful place for feedback, our Facebook Group is the place to go. The group is full of other small businesses out there looking to uplift their brand and support fellow business owners. Join us here.