If you have an established business and you’ve invested in your brand and website it’s highly likely you’ve heard the phrases – ‘brand refresh’ or ‘website refresh’
Since brand and website refreshes are closely connected, we (Clare Blackstock of Blade Creative and Meirav Dulberg of Webby Web Design) often collaborate as a team to deliver the best outcomes, working with professional service providers and firms.
This collaborative blog post explores both aspects of there fresh.
What does a ‘refresh’ mean?
If your business is evolving, your brand and website will need to evolve with it.
As a collaborative team we’ve worked together on many brand and web refresh projects with professional service providers, so we’ve put together a few tips to help you understand when, or if, it’s time to refresh your brand and/or website.
A brand refresh can be anything from a small revision of colour or shape or could be a more significant overhaul, but the difference between a brand refresh and a complete rebrand is that the image will remain familiar to your audience. Your business name won’t have changed, but smaller details, such as your tagline could have been updated.
A website refresh can be a few tweaks or a completely fresh look or even a new platform, this depends on the reason for a refresh and how old your website is.
But how do you know it’s time to refresh?
Here are a few pointers that we’ve put together to help you decide if it’s time to take the plunge.
How to know when it’s time to refresh your brand:
· Outdated Design: If your logo looks dated, it’s time for a refresh.
· Evolving Target Market: If your brand no longer resonates with your ideal customers, a refresh can help you attract new ones. (for example, if your target market was originally their 40s and a new generation with new characteristics has replaced the older one).
· Evolving Market: If your brand looks similar to your competitors, a refresh can help you stand out.
· Your audience is confused: Maybe your brand’s image isn’t clear and you find yourself explaining or clarifying what you do even after people have seen your brand’s identity. Refining the visual identity or even changing your tagline can help communicate a clearer brand message.
· You’re not excited about your brand any more: Small business owners are their brand, and being proud of your brand’s identity is important. If you find that you’re just not into it any more or you feel that it doesn’t represent you and your vibe, it’s probably time for an update.
· Not flexible enough: Do you find yourself struggling to work out which logo version to use where and is it difficult to make it fit in the spaces it needs to fit? That means it’s time to look at your logo suite and brand assets to make sure they’re working hard enough for you and create some versions that communicate your brand clearly
How to know when it’s time to refresh your website:
· Outdated Design: If it’s been 2-3 years since your last refresh, a refresh is most likely due to stay current with design trends.
· Changes in technology – technology changes fast, the way websites are designed and developed is changing all the time so it’s best to keep up to date with the latest in web technology to support your customers.
· Slow Website: a slow-loading website can frustrate users and impact search engine rankings. This most likely means that you are using older technology that slows down the site or you might need to declutter old files.
· Non-Responsive Design: If your website was created more than 10 years ago chances, are it is not responsive for different devices and especially for mobile. You will need your website re-developed using responsive design methodology.
· Outdated Content: If your business has evolved it means your content will need updating. Small updates should be completed on monthly basis but when changes are more comprehensive – for example new service offerings, mergers, team structure or even your location – a refresh will ensure better site structure and easier navigation for users.
· Low Conversion Rates: If your website isn’t helping you achieve your business goals, it might be time for a refresh. Before a refresh, do a reviewed of your analytics, sales and competitors.
Below are a few examples for our past collaborative work refreshing brands and websites:
https://www.esa2.com.au/- Environmental consulting firm
https://www.nambiarhogg.com.au/– Family Law Firm
https://www.invoicemoney.com.au/- Lending firm
https://www.samsays.com.au/– Social Media Agency
https://www.activehealthpartners.com.au/– Occupational Health & Safety Firm
https://www.rescue-1.com.au/- Frist Aid Training Provider (RTO)
https://www.prooftechsolutions.com.au/- Commercial Building Company
https://easineducation.com.au/– Training for EA’s in Education Sector