You’re in a slump. Maybe you’re not hurting for sales, but things could definitely be better. Without moving forward, you’re just standing still. Yes, it’s better than moving backward, but what’s next? Let’s talk about how to breathe life into your business this summer.
Start here: Branding
When was the last time you refreshed your brand? When was the last time you asked yourself, “Who are we?” Has anything changed? Could anything change? Do you know your vision statement? Is it even meaningful?
These may just seem like questions, but their answers help define who you are as an organization. If you can’t answer them, or you don’t like the answers you come up with, you may be facing a full-on identity crisis. But that’s okay! Step one is defining who you are and this is done through branding.
If you feel like your business is at a standstill, then the first place to look is internally. This way, you can ensure that you feel confident in what you put out to the rest of the world. Some things that you should consider are:
- Your mission, vision, and values—are they worthwhile? Do they have meaning? Or are they just words on a page? Audiences consider these business aspects before investing in them (LinkedIn). Customers aside, having a purposeful mission, vision, and values gives you purpose.
- Your logo—we’re not saying you need a completely new logo, but maybe it could use a refresh. Trends that were in when it was created could very well be out now. Additionally, it might not be capturing the attention of your audience. They say, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” but we all totally do.
- Your brand’s story—this includes your logo, iconography, color palettes, voice, photography, videography, etc. Anything that can potentially clue people in on who you are is part of your brand story
Then, rebuild your website
The next thing that has the potential to hold you back is your website. Your website will most likely be your consumers’ first impression of your company. An out-of-date site fails to give a good one. Remember the thing about your logo and not judging a book by its cover? Well, prepare to be judged. There’s no avoiding it.
Some things that are likely turning people away from your website rather than driving conversions include:
- Misalignment between your brand and your website
- Outdated fonts, colors, images, links, elements of style, etc.
- Bad SEO, no attention to keywords, headlines that don’t hit, and a flow that doesn’t make sense
- Slow loading speeds
- Poor usability
- Slow loading speeds
- Useless plugins
- Pages that have no business being there
The list could go on forever. By rebranding yourself and then building a new website, you can ensure there’s consistency no matter where audiences interact with your brand. Your website will also be current, developed with today’s best practices, filled with the right landing pages, and have a site map designed specifically to drive sales.
Don’t let a bad website stand in your way of converting new customers.
Implement your digital marketing plan
The final step in driving your organization forward is a rock-solid marketing plan. You can have a beautiful new brand, mission, vision, and values that perfectly encapsulate who you are and a website ready to work, but it will all be pointless if you’re not prepared to market. While you’ll still be findable, you just won’t be as easily found. A good digital marketing strategy will include:
- A social media marketing strategy in line with your new branding and business goals
- A content plan (SEO strategy, blog creation, email marketing, etc.)
- A Search Engine Ad strategy
- A solution for tracking metrics
And more. Your brand is your identity, and your website is a tool. Your marketing strategy is how you’re going to use your tool and present it to your audience. Without it, you’ll find yourself standing still… still.
Get started with The Cultural North
All of this probably sounds great, but now you actually need to get started. Interested in learning more about The Cultural North and our Duluth-based digital marketing agency? Contact us to set up your first meeting!