Branding is crucial in today’s ever-evolving digital world. According to a report by Stackla, 88% of consumers find authenticity to be important when deciding which brands to support. Consumers are looking for authentic brand stories, user-friendly websites, attractive visuals, and resonating brand values. Today, an outdated brand can hold your business back. With this in mind, here are 5 key reasons why you need to update your brand today.
1. Your brand no longer reflects your business
As a brand or business owner, you are always looking to grow. In this process, you may have additional services, new products, or new target audiences. This evolution of your business needs to be reflected in your brand, which may require a brand update.
A good example is a tech company that may have started with software services, but now offers AI solutions. This would need to be reflected in their brand. This may not always result in a visual update, but more in the brand values, mission, or story. The reason for this is that an outdated brand can confuse customers. If a consumer visits this tech website and does not see the AI services the company may be promoting in person or on social media, the consumer would be left confused.
Therefore, it is important to monitor your company’s growth regularly and revisit it promptly to address any changes that might need to be made to your brand story, vision, or mission, or your brand visuals (website, social media, logo).
2. Your brand visual identity feels outdated
Design trends constantly change, and with more businesses being online, there are a variety of modern brands in the market. Logos, colours, fonts, and website aesthetics are important. For example, in 2010 when Instagram launched, they started with a vintage Polaroid camera logo. Today, their logo is an outline of a camera with a gradient tone, which they rebranded in 2022. Gradient tones were a popular design trend that year. They wanted to keep the rainbow colours from the original Polaroid logo, resulting in the gradient colours of the logo we see today.
Another key visual aspect to keep in mind is to have a modern and mobile-friendly design. Many people browse websites and social media on their phones. Therefore, it is crucial to have a mobile-friendly website, but it is equally important to maintain visual brand consistency across your platforms.
3. Your brand does not stand out in a crowded market
Your competitors may have refreshed their brands, making yours look outdated or stale. There is a need for differentiation and maintaining a competitive edge in today’s market. The key idea here is to talk about your brand values, and brand story, and make it authentic and relatable to your target audience. A fresh brand can capture attention and boost customer engagement.
A good example of this that we got to experience ourselves is when we, B-Zinga Marketing, recently refreshed our brand photos. Our founder, Andrea Rowland, shares that it is important to update your headshots regularly, as you do not want to use a headshot from 5 years ago when you may look different today. You could have coloured your hair or got glasses. Therefore, you want to use photos that are updated, clear, modern and show the true identity of your brand. Your newer photos will also be of better quality and in tune with today’s more modern approach to headshots. When we recently teased our new photos on our Instagram story, we saw an uptick in engagement, with replies requesting more photos to be shared.
There are many creative ways to have your brand stand out. It does not always have to be visual. You do have to ensure that your brand is updated by keeping up with the changing trends. However, you choose which trend would help your brand grow and refresh your brand accordingly.
4. Your messaging feels outdated or inconsistent
Sometimes, there can be a disconnect between brand voice and customer expectations. A formal tone in a market that now values authenticity and relatability might not be appealing to your target audience. Many brands have adapted to this, including big tech giants like Microsoft and Google.
For example, brands today do not shy away from using a casual tone of language on social media. This makes them more relatable and approachable to the target consumer.
If you are taking this approach, it is important to update your brand values and messaging for clarity and consistency. You want to ensure the tone, casual vs Gen-Z lingo, is clear. You do not want to do the latter unless that is your target audience.
5. Your consumers have changed
Another time you may want to refresh your brand is if your consumers have changed. There might be a shift in demographics, behaviours, and expectations. The need to align branding with evolving consumer preferences is high. Marketing analytics play a key role here and reviewing this data regularly can keep your brand on the map.
A popular example of this is how brands have adapted to sustainability and social responsibility trends. Almost every brand today, from tech giants to small businesses, has sustainability, ethical sourcing of products, and social responsibility as part of their brand values and/or mission.
Conclusion
Updating your brand is not just about aesthetics – it is about staying relevant. It keeps you connected to your evolving audience, and ahead of your competitors. By revisiting your brand and the current trends every few years, your brand is on the path of growth.
Above all, remember that your brand is the core of your business. You want it to be authentic, true to your values, and relevant. To be so, take the time to assess your brand and consider a refresh if you haven’t already.
If you need help with updating or redefining your brand, B-Zinga marketing is here to help. Book a free discovery call today!