Time for a Refresh

A nap? A drink? Or maybe a website refresh? Chances are, you’ve taken a few of the first, and had too many of the second during this quarantine. A website refresh though, at a time like this? Is that really a good idea? Yep, we think it is. Here’s our logic behind it.

It goes without saying that this has been an interesting time for businesses, but weathering this storm has given way to some interesting opportunities. Consumers are spending more time online, therefore seeing more ads, are drawn even more to authentic branding and advertising, and those who are making a difference are standing out. 

This poses opportunities for businesses looking to gain momentum as we start to reintegrate. As we move back into a normal routine and work to stimulate and grow the economy, some consumers will be ready to resume or increase spending. Is your business ready? Is your brand in line with what you’ve learned about your business during this time? 

Let’s take a walk through what we have learned so far eight weeks into quarantine. This will help guide where you focus your efforts and your spend. Focus on the things that have made you successful now, more than ever. Is part of your business that you’ve always seen as normal now the key reason why people choose you? Is your meaningful organic content what keeps customers loyal? These things play into your business’s core values. If your core brand message is not aligned with what kept customers around during the COVID shutdown, you may need to re-evaluate your go-to market message and strategy. Whatever people look to you for during this time is probably your highest value point. 

Now let’s take those reflections and put them to good use. In harder economic times, consumers buy from brands they truly trust— they cut the chaff and leave only their highest value purchases. Dial into those things you reflected on and make the necessary changes to:

Your social presence

• Whatever it is that is making the difference for you offline, bring it online. 
• Give everyone’s favorite customer service guy, Dave, the Instagram story once a week, freshen up your images to bring them up to the same level as your other customer experiences, or change up your content to reflect the more meaningful conversations your company has been having lately. Whatever it is that makes you stick, communicate that on all of your platforms.

Your advertising

• Customers buy from brands they trust. When you are spending those ad dollars, make sure they aren’t toward ads with copy that is insensitive to the situation we are in. Just like your social content, make sure your ads reflect the more meaningful aspects of what you’re offering. 
• Educate your consumers. This is the perfect time for brand awareness and making sure consumers know who you are, what you do, and why you do it.
• Most importantly, make sure you move past the “look at this shiny thing/service we offer” gimmick. 

Your website

• The last thing you want is a social and digital advertising message and strategy which does not align with your web presence. Your website will need to look, sound, and feel the same as the advertisements and social posts you are making. In fact, you will want to start with this before updating your social message and paid advertisement strategy.
• Your social media and paid ad efforts are the things that bring people to your site, but your website still needs to continue the same message in order to keep your potential customer engaged.

Your brand

• The big cahuna. This may not seem like a natural time for a brand refresh, but tweaking things like color scheme, font, or logo/symbol go a long way. You may not necessarily need a brand upheaval to bring your brand more in line with what you’ve discovered. But, whatever experience your customers are having with your various marketing efforts should be rooted in a singular brand message. 

As customers re-engage with the market, this is the perfect time for your refresh to greet them with fresh comfortability, authenticity, and a direct correlation to what you are offering them. Whatever is bringing you business now is most likely something at the core of your business. Lean into that. And as always, if that means you have a project in mind, we'd love to chat.