5 Tips for a Successful Brand Refresh: How to Stay Relevant in a Changing Market
Is it time for a brand refresh?
We evolve. Our businesses evolve. Our brands evolve. And thank goodness they do! How boring would it be if we all stayed the same?!
Like you, I started at ground zero. Blank slate. White canvas.
I knew big-picture that I was called to serve impact entrepreneurs- people who use business as a tool to empower others to lift themselves to a better way of life. But I had no idea what that looked like when I first started.
Now, a few years in, my team, my business, and I have evolved, and I'm excited for a new "look" to reflect our growth and to share what I learned with you. Here are five tips for a successful brand refresh to stay relevant in a changing market.
My Tips for Your Brand Refresh
#1 Start (or continue) with what you have.
No need to spend a bunch of money or get stalled by obstacles. At first, I used my existing bio picture. It was a few years old, but it was what I had. My first podcast cover art was a picture I took of myself. It was not great, but the resolution was higher than my bio pic and at least matched my brand a bit better. It was three years before I had new photos taken for my brand refresh.
#2 Create for your dream client, customer, or beneficiary.
Some call it an avatar or persona - an imaginary character of sorts. This is not a bad idea, but it can still be overwhelming with where to start, especially if you’re “in your own head” a lot already.
I created Trisha Bailey, Ph.D., and Avant-garde Entrepreneur for a real human. She was the most perfect person I could imagine serving. I compiled a list of questions about her challenges and preferences and literally asked her directly.
I was so nervous to ask her. I had doubts that what I had in mind was even useful. For the first several months, every piece of content I created was to help her. She even had the final decision on the brand colors and name, Avant-garde Entrepreneur. Today, she is my trusted advisor, business manager, and program liaison.
You can do this, too! Who would it be your dream to work with or serve? Be brave, ask about their challenges and preferences, and create your products, services, and brand for him or her, specifically.
#3 Get opinions from a few (3-4 max) trusted people who know you and your business well.
My personal rule is that I don’t ask for advice unless I intend to use it.
Wise council means people with wisdom - who might even know you better than you know yourself. While polling is a great way to engage people - and I do use it to find out what people want more of - I don’t ask a lot of people for advice regarding strategic or tactical decisions about my business.
I save these big, trajectory-altering questions for John, Kayla, and Bee.
Let creatives do their thing (while staying on-brand).
Likely, you’re the “brain” behind your business, and unless you’re a full-on artist, you’ll want to enlist some help with brand graphics, logos, fonts, and colors, even if it’s from a friend who’s an artist.
For example, I created the Five Diamond Framework in Canva freestyle from a blank project. That was after I’d had someone help me define my brand colors, fonts, and logo. I did have some of my own ideas, but enlisting a creative person -and letting her do her thing- is what brought it all to life.
Other examples are the curves on my podcast cover art and the shade of gold on some of the pages. The shade is my brand color at 50% transparency. The curves on my podcast cover art differ from my original diamond background, but the curves literally “flow,” which depicts my “go with the flow” style, and my diamond is still included in the logo.
Be okay with big changes.
I started with my name as my brand, but Avant-garde Entrepreneur has come more to the forefront as our suite of offerings has expanded and our team has expanded.
So, a big change is that my name, “Trisha Bailey, Ph.D. ~ Elevating Social Entrepreneurs,” is going to the background. Avant-garde Entrepreneur (even though it’s a pain to spell quickly) is taking center stage. It’s about us, not me. We even started the trademark process!
Conclusion
So, my tips for a brand refresh include: starting with what you have, creating for your dream client, customer, or beneficiary; getting opinions from a few (3-4 max) trusted people who know you and your business well; letting creatives do their thing (while staying on-brand); and being okay with big changes.
In the coming months, you can expect:
- more blogs and written resources,
- the ability for you to ask me questions in real-time about anything I’ve ever talked about on the podcast or YouTube, and
- more interactive workshops to suit a variety of time zones…all kinds of great free stuff to serve you!
- Plus, we’re even launching a self-led version of Avant-garde Entrepreneur Academy!
Exciting stuff! Stay tuned.
