Think it might be time to update your brand, but not really sure? Read this post for 5 signs that it’s time to give your branding some TLC.
Here’s the most basic answer—
If you’re asking yourself if it’s time to update your branding, it’s probably time. Trust your instincts.
But there are a lot of things that can signal it’s time if you’re still feeling a little fuzzy on it. Here are 5 signs that come up a lot in conversations with my clients.
1. Your branding isn’t cohesive
This could show up in the form of having lots of different visual styles or conflicting messaging in your marketing, but basically, it means there are some noticeable inconsistencies that could be causing friction in your brand.
Listen, this is always a judgment-free zone and it happens to the best of us.
Many (maybe even most?) of us are so in the thick of running our business that it’s difficult to stay on top of things like fonts and colors if nobody ever helped you figure out a plan for that stuff.
Or maybe you hired people to help with social media or website updates that resulted in some not-so-cohesive results, but you just don’t have the time or energy to fix it yourself.
These are all indicators that your brand could use some jazzing up.
2. Your services or audience are changing
Expanding or evolving your services (especially if you’re completely overhauling them) is a good time to refresh your branding. You want to make sure that the value in your new offers comes across in your marketing and messaging.
And similar to updating your services, shifting your target audience is usually a big ol’ blinking neon sign that it’s time to give your branding some love.
If you want to reach new people, it’s crucial to do some deep digging on your target audience and learn everything about your ideal client (we do this in my branding packages).
Why?
Because your branding needs to reflect what they’re looking for. So that when they find you, they’ll know within a few heartbeats that you’re the one for them.
Of course, bold and underline all of this if you’re also changing your brand or business name—you’ll definitely want fresh logos and branding that matches your vision for this new era.
3. You DIY-ed your branding
I see this one all the time. You’re determined and resourceful and you needed a logo and some simple branding to get your business started, so guess what? You made it happen.
There is zero shame in DIY-ing your branding. To me, it just reinforces how cool of a human you are for getting it done with limited resources.
And now that you’ve built this vibrant, growing business, it might be time to invest in professional branding that fully captures it and supports you as you grow.
4. Your branding and values aren’t meshing
This can happen if you’re changing your brand’s mission or values. But it also usually happens if you’ve DIY-ed your branding—you sort of end up working backwards.
Maybe this sounds familiar:
You whipped up a logo and some brand elements so you could get your business off the ground, but now you’ve started doing the deeper work of carving out your brand values and overall mission—yay!
But it’s becoming clear that something’s just not matching up.
For example, a wedding photographer who started their business with a simplistic logo and stuck to black and white so their photos could be the main focus.
After some experience and getting clear on their values, they realize that their minimalist logo lacks personality and the black-and-white-only approach doesn’t showcase their values of artistic excellence and effortless joy that they promise every client.
Again, there’s absolutely no shame if this is how you got started. It’s actually awesome that you took messy action instead of waiting for things to be perfect (spoiler alert: they never are).
5. It just doesn’t feel right
This is probably the one I hear most often. Something just feels off.
(Like I said at the top, trust your instincts. They aren’t lying to you.)
Your branding can feel off for so many reasons. Maybe it’s been a while since you’ve had a refresh (or you’ve never had one) and things feel outdated.
Maybe you feel like your personality isn’t reflected in your branding.
Or maybe your style has evolved and you’re feeling a little disconnected from your branding because of it.
Whatever the reason, it all boils down to this—
If it doesn’t feel right to you, it probably doesn’t feel right to your dream clients either.
Do you feel like it’s time to update your branding?
Book a free discovery call with me. It’s is a quick, no-pressure call and the perfect way for us to get to know each other and chat about a potential collab.
Grab my free brand consistency checklist. This is a great option if you’re not quite ready to work together but you still want some guidance on making your brand look and feel more cohesive.
