The sun is finally shining after what seems like the longest winter ever. It’s been a difficult one for small businesses, as the impact of the pandemic is still felt by many business owners. If you run a business, then you’ll know all too well how difficult the last few months have been. 

I don’t know about you, but once the days get longer and we have nicer weather, I start to feel like everything is achievable again. I also think this is a great time to take a look at your business, and your branding in particular, to assess whether it’s still working for you.

Perhaps you have pivoted your business, or you are now focusing on just one or two key services. Or maybe you just feel like your brand no longer reflects your personality. Whatever your situation, now is the perfect time to bring fresh eyes to your business. 

It’s the season of spring cleaning, after all… so why not spring clean your brand? Here are my top tips for getting started.

Assess your goals

One of the biggest benefits of having a small business is that you can be agile. By adapting to situations quickly, you can offer your potential clients exactly what they need right now… and, unlike in big corporations, you don’t have to wait ages to make even the smallest changes to your offering.

Before making any changes to your brand, take a look at your current business goals. Are you still working towards those goals? Or perhaps you have reached one or two! Maybe the direction for your business has changed. Whatever is happening inside your business, you want to make sure the outside reflects that. Start by writing down all of your current goals, and any new ones you intend to set for the year ahead. 

I tend to split these into short-term (monthly or quarterly), mid-term (6-12 months) and long-term (1-5 years and beyond). This will give you a great overview of where your business is at, and how close you are to achieving your dreams. 

Gather all of your assets

Now you have a clearer picture of where you are with your business; it’s time to gather all of your brand assets. You could even print these off if you prefer to see them all laid out across table. This will help you see things from a different perspective!

Your brand assets are anything you use to communicate your brand, such as your logo, photography, fonts, icons, Powerpoint decks, letterheads, email signatures, etc. 

By looking at everything together like this, you will likely start to spot some inconsistencies. This is particularly common for small businesses that have grown quickly and had to make smart decisions to adapt to the changing times. Are you always using the same font? Have you randomly switched up your brand colours? Does your website still reflect the branding on your business card? 

As well as assessing the practicalities of your brand, take this moment to determine how it makes you feel. Does it still feel representative of you and your brand? Or does it feel a little stale? The answers to these questions will help you make the next big decision…

Just a tweak or a complete brand overhaul?

Now you’ve spent some time revisiting your objectives and know a bit more about how you want to come across as a brand; you might be tempted to throw everything out and start again. This might be the right solution for you, but keep in mind the costs of a complete rebrand can be significant. A new logo, website, business cards, design assets… the list is endless. 

If there are things you still love about your brand, then keep them. I recommend simplifying things, choose your favourite aspects of what you have and adding to them. Perhaps you love your logo but you’ve noticed you are using a few different fonts or colours outside of your original brand? Streamline this by creating a brand toolkit, so you and anyone else working on your brand can stay consistent.

New photography can help refresh your brand and bring your digital personality to life. As a brand photographer, I work with owner-managed businesses across the North East and beyond to bring their brand personalities to life. From choosing the right location for your shoot, through to dressing the part – I’m here to guide you through the process and make sure you get the most out of your brand photography.

Get started today

So, hopefully this has helped you kick off your brand spring clean! If you’re ready to bring your brand to life, book a discovery call with me to learn more about how photography can transform your brand.