Have you been using one brand for a long time even though your business has changed? Are you holding back your message because your brand cannot contain your new perspective? A lot of business owners believe that they should never change their brand, but this is a misconception, one I held for many years.
Due to that misconception, I kept the same brand for years beyond significant changes in my business that warranted a new brand, and my business suffered. I thought that keeping the same name and message was important for continuity, but what happened was I confused potential customers, and a confused customer won’t buy.
Holding on to an outdated brand is a bad idea for a number of reasons including that it
- Keeps your perfect customers from easily recognizing you
- Gives the impression that your services are outdated
- Confuses people about who you really are
- Sends the message that you don’t care about your brand or your business
In effort to help you avoid the downsides of an outdated brand, I have come up with 5 Sure Signs that Your Brand is Outdated. Check these signs against your brand to see if your brand has been outgrown by your business.
1) Your Brand is about a specific offering but you offer more than that now. I speak to a lot of business owners who achieved a certain level of success with a brand based on a specific offering, but when they made changes to their offerings, they kept the same name. For instance, a woman who was a massage therapist created a Massage Center but when she expanded into holistic healing, she kept the same name and tagline that didn’t include the new offerings. When your name is holding you back from attracting folks interested in all you have to offer, that’s a good sign the brand needs to expand to cover all the offerings.
2) You have had a philosophic shift that your brand doesn’t reflect. For instance, in 1998 I had a deep spiritual shift which led to involvement with Law of Attraction principles. Looking back, I should have changed my brand then even though it was successful and growing in popularity. I did eventually change the brand to match my philosophy and became instantly more successful. What would have happened had I changed it in ’98 instead of ’12? Nobody will ever know.
3) People express confusion about what you actually do or how you can help them. If a lot of people act confused when you explain what you do, or if your website fails to attract any interest, that’s a good sign that your brand message needs clarification. You want your message to be an clear, authentic, and compelling reflection of your business offerings and your unique gifts. Instead of a confused look, your message should inspire excitement and interest in your perfect customers.
4) You are embarrassed to show your brand to anyone. Do you apologize when you hand your card out because your brand is not a great representation of your brilliance? Do you shyly admit that your website is not current or a poor reflection of your offerings? This is a sure sign that it’s time to upgrade your branding. An embarrassing brand is not an attractive brand!
5) Your logo looks like its from another era. It’s one thing to embrace a vintage look (like we did for SpiritualDiet.com) but another thing altogether to have a logo that just looks outdated. Even the biggest brands change over time. For instance the Ford logo has changed radically since its inception in 1903. The Apple logo (above) too has changed it’s symbol over the years. You may just need to tweak the logo to keep it a fresh representation of your business.
If you’re like many of the business owners I speak with, you have been living with an outdated brand for too long, but you’ve been afraid to change. I know how you feel, but I also know I was leaving a lot of money on the table in my business because my brand wasn’t a true reflection of me. If you have any of the above signs of an outdated brand, please do yourself and your business a favor and make the effort and the investment to upgrade your brand now. When you do you will notice a magical shift in the kind of clients you attract.
Are you ready for a brand that is a true reflection of your vision, your purpose, your personality and your attraction plan? Shining your light to the world is your destiny. Let me help your light be a beautiful, authentic and wildly attractive one. Apply for your complimentary Magical Strategy Session at http://www.magicalstrategysession.com/ or call Julia at (707) 823-3316 to schedule your appointment.
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