There's been a lot of talk around here lately about dying brands. How to notice, when to act, and how to act, etc. But what about those of you whose brand is staying afloat but just isn't quite producing like it once was? You aren't in danger of going under (not right now at least) but at the same time your marketing efforts aren't really producing any new results.
Is it time for an extreme brand makeover? Well, that depends. Here are some questions you need to ask yourself to find out.
- Do You Have Set Goals? Or are you just kind of floundering in the water, splashing a little here and there but not really accomplishing anything? If your marketing efforts are not pinpoint focused on achieving specific results, your brand will suffer and you need to rethink things.
- Is your message succinct? Layout all your marketing materials in front of you. What do you see? Do you see a common thread throughout? Does each piece look like it came from the same book? Or does it look like someone different created each one? For your brand's sake, your marketing materials should be connected. Inconsistency in marketing materials equals inconsistency in branding equals inconsistency in performance (at least, that's how the clients will view it).
- Do we have We-We syndrome? In copywriting terms, "We-We Syndrome" is when a company's copy is very self-centered. It reads "we do this we do that we're so awesome we we we we." Your marketing materials should be customer-focused. That means second person point of view copy. Otherwise your potential customers will be turned off by your egotism.
- Do I look like an amateur compared to the other guy? You need to stay one up on the competition. That means you need to analyze their strengths-not just their weaknesses. If their marketing and branding efforts outshine yours, maybe you need a makeover. Of course, don't jump the gun here. If it ain't broke...
Have questions about getting help for your brand makeover? Ask away.