Are your sales declining, fewer prospects or more competitors in the marketplace? Maybe it’s time for a business “makeover”.
One thing you can count on is that if you continue to do exactly what you’ve been doing then you can pretty much expect, at best, the same results.
So to give your business a much needed facelift, start on the surface with your branding.
Do some research and source your main competitors – online and offline – and print out their logos, take note of their marketing message, their Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and their positioning.
Now compare your logo, brand and USP to your competitors’. Does it clearly stand out? Does it feel fresh and modern or old and tired? If you were a potential customer, would it be inviting to you?
Now let’s go deeper into your organisation. If your USP says that you are more ‘innovative’ or ‘reliable’ than your competitors, then you need to back this up throughout your business.
Test the effectiveness of your USP across all areas, from point of sale to customer service, your brochure copy to the way you answer the phone and down to your elevator pitch – the 30-second ad that sums up what your business is all about.
Finally, you need to be realistic about your makeover budget. How much will you invest in your new look? An upgrade of your existing branding can cost between five and twenty thousand dollars depending on the size of your company, while new brand development can cost in excess of thirty thousand dollars and involve market research, new signage across your operation and a re-design of your website.
A business makeover allows you to freshen up your position in the marketplace, re-energise your sales team and shake up the competition. It strengthens your brand by aligning everything together with a common theme and message together with re-focusing your marketing strategies to achieve better returns and support long-term growth
Tony Eades is the creative director for BrandManager and DesignShop, Australia’s fastest growing online design and print solution provider. He is a business marketing expert, with more than 20 years experience in design, advertising and client media campaigns.
Photo: Picklepud
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