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Was 2022 a 3X year for you? Did you build a bold brand and craft a powerful message that took your breath away? Or are you mired in a swamp of the same old thing?
If you feel a twinge of stagnancy in your brand or your business — it’s time to freshen up your look and messaging. Brands are ever-evolving and require a refresh regularly. A branding refresh may look like simple tweaks to your website or an updated website. Whatever change is needed, the slightest update to your messaging has the power to elicit connection and curiosity with your audience.
In early 2022, I did the unthinkable and did a complete brand overhaul. I changed the name of our flagship brand from “Femcasters”— a female-focused media company, to “The Mediacasters.” The reason for this brand overhaul was, quite frankly, that half of our audience was male, and we desired a gender-neutral presence. This process of brand reinvention was time-consuming because it included changing our social media presence, our website, our logo, our podcast and everything in between.
If you are not poised to rebrand boldly, take small steps to freshen up the look of your overall online presence. Here are my favorite tips to revitalize all that represents you!
Related: 3 Strategies to Triple Your Company’s Growth
1. Choose a new color palette
Choose colors that represent your brand’s vision and mood. If you are stuck and do not know where to start, create a mood board that locks in your vision.
What is a mood board? A mood board is an arrangement of images, materials, pieces of text, etc., intended to evoke or project a particular style or concept.
2. Get intentional about your messaging
Take a deep dive into the content on your website and remove all the fluff and extra rhetoric that does not add value to your client or audience. Understand your audience’s pain points and curate a solution to their problems. Make your messaging personal and connect with them on a deep level. Your website should immediately reveal to your audience the solution to their problems. Your website should be clear in the offerings you provide to alleviate their pain points.
You must have a solid call to action. Do you want your audience to read your book, sign up for a course or listen to the podcast you guested on? Make it a priority to have a clear call to action so there is no doubt in the minds of your audience. A clear call to action evokes growth within the audience you wish to cultivate.
Related: How to Grow Your Business by 500%
3. Invest in new headshots
When was the last time you hired a photographer to take new pictures? Your face is your best asset, and often we repurpose old photos that do not represent who we are today. Nothing is more off-putting than a picture from a decade ago that does not represent the evolution of who you are today.
Have you ever met someone face-to-face and you do not recognize them because the picture they used is outdated? (Hand Raised). I have used the online booking website SNAPPR (www.snappr.com). Snapper matches you with a local photographer, and the price point is reasonable. If a new photo shoot is not in your budget, recruit a friend who is a novice photographer.
4. Rethink the user experience (UX)
Many entrepreneurs are lured into the concept that packs tons of information into your website and gives consumers all the juicy options and packages you deliver. This looks like advertisements, scattered programs, endless opt-ins and pop-ups. The savvy scroller desires clear call-to-actions, minimalism and agile content.
Create a look that minimizes distractions. Clear your website of unnecessary ads and pop-ups. Consumers of your content are fussy, and their bandwidth is limited. Prioritize your brand’s message and hit them with a wallop of how you can change their life.
5. Understand your story
Be firm in storytelling to take your business to the next level. Content consumers do not want to be sold. In fact, the idea of selling during the scroll makes most squirm. Understand the power of your story. Understand your hero’s journey and how you went from a regular person, surmounted obstacles, and ultimately came back a hero.
The perfectly crafted hero’s story has the power to stop the scroll. For example, my hero’s journey started as someone who dimmed their light to appease everyone around me. I never felt comfortable in my own skin, so I did everything I thought was necessary to please the people around me. This led me to make decisions that were not aligned with my essence, and I was miserable. Not until I decided to take calculated risks and leap into the creative space of entrepreneurship did I feel like me. I took my power back, built a successful business and never looked back.
What is your story? What was that moment that changed everything about your life? This is key in building your brand and creating a space of vulnerability. We do not have to be perfect. Perfection inhibits us as leaders and hinders our ability to connect with others. The flaws and lessons we learn in life are the greatest building blocks of success. After all, Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times before he invented the lightbulb.
Learn from your 1X year. Commit to 3x in 2023. This is where your power lies. Instead of doing things the same, do things bolder and just a slight bit differently.