Discover five ways you can improve your brand’s effectiveness

We’re counting down to the end of the financial year. Marketing departments are busy planning for the first quarter, but many still have some budget left to spend before year end.

Now’s the time to put it to good use with some relatively small but valuable adjustments, explains Sara Ruber, Director of Hampshire branding agency Become:

1. Make websites responsive

Mobile devices are now more popular than desktops for viewing websites. In recognition of this fact, Google rankings now take into account how mobile-friendly a site is.

In fact, 100% of the websites we’ve been asked to build here at Become over the last two years have been fully responsive, with website builds comprising over 75% of our work overall. If you haven’t already, make user experience a priority or risk losing out to competitors who do.

2. Revisit written assets

Do your brand’s written and visual styles align? Does your tone of voice reflect your company values? Successful brands consider all expressions of their identity to create a consistent customer experience.

Effective copywriting is one of the most important aspects of a brand’s communication, yet it’s so often overlooked. There’s little point investing in design if your copy is lifeless, or worse still, contradicts your promises. Imagine a company professing to be young and energetic while using overly formal language. Contradictions ultimately erode trust.

3. Update case studies

Your past projects are some of your most influential assets; living proof that you support claims with actions. Do they do the job as well as they could? Has the writer considered your business goals? If not, key information might have been excluded. Revisit your case studies. Check they’re compelling, concise and visible – and that they support your brand messages as best they can. Employ a professional copywriter if necessary.

4. Strengthen brand execution

How you look, talk and behave as a business should all be considered. Identify the gaps in your brand. A short-sighted approach to your logo execution may have resulted in a fragmented brand that doesn’t work well across all channels. Or perhaps a whole level of brand communication has been missed. Maybe nobody considered that if your company boasts high levels of efficiency, call queues should be minimised as a priority! A little backtracking to ensure your brand is solid will reaps rewards in the long run.

5. Produce fresh imagery

When your business first started out, budgets may well have been tight. Stock imagery might have been purchased as an alternative to commissioning a photographer.

It may not reflect your business adequately, here and now. Take a fresh look at the images you use. Do they show your products, services and recent projects in the best possible light? And do they capture your brand’s personality well?  If a customer had to form an impression of your business based on your imagery alone, would it be the right one? If not, it might be time for a rethink.