It’s surprising how many companies believe giving their brand a makeover simply means updating their logo.

In previous blogs, we’ve used the metaphor of a brand being like a person. The logo is like your outer appearance and your brand is like your personality. Think about your logo in terms of a visit to a hair salon. You can change the colour and style of your hair, but that doesn’t mean you emerge reinvented. Everything beneath the surface is still the same.

When building your brand you need to consider the whole picture. You don’t just need to change the exterior; your values, your aims and goals, they are all important, too.

If you are building or refreshing your brand you need to ask yourself some important questions:

How do your customers perceive your brand?

It’s not just a matter of how you envisage your brand. What do others think? Taking it back to the personality metaphor again;you might see yourself as a fun-loving prankster, on the other hand your friends and work colleagues may just see you as quite annoying. But how will you know if you don’t ask for outsiders opinions?

Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and find out what’s important to them and discover what their expectations are. There are several ways you can achieve this:

Follow your customers/clients on social media platforms. Take notice of what they are sharing, posting, saying to their friends.

Ask your customers face-to-face for their honest opinion and then utilise their suggestions. Customers want to feel important and know that when they suggest ways to make your service or product better – you listen.

Conduct anonymous surveys. Some people don’t deal with conflict and being asked to be completely honest may sugar-coat the truth. Surveys are a great non-threatening way where your customers can be brutally honest, even if it’s not quite what you want to hear.
How well do you know your own brand?

Before you can promote your brand to its potential, you have to know it inside out. It’s like getting to know your best friend. You spend time with them getting to know what makes them special, their goals, and their likes/dislikes. Being self-aware about your brand means understanding what makes your service or product special. Ask yourself what makes you stand out from the competitors and your goals for the future? What does your brand stand for? How is your brand going to communicate everything you believe in?

How well do you under your positioning in the marketplace?

You need to familiar with what your competitors are offering. You can’t claim to be Australia’s only environmentally friendly drycleaner if there are other businesses promoting the same tagline.Research your opposition and make what your company offers unique.

Nike are known for their slogan of ‘Just do it. McDonalds use ‘I’m lovin’ it. What are you going to use that customers will relate to your name every time they hear it?

Whether you’re in mining and infrastructure or property development, offer a dating service orparty hire equipment, apply the above components to ensure you’re developing and building a timeless brand you can be proud of.