Is your business suffering from brand diffusion? Get refocused in 4 easy steps.
Ok, have you ever found yourself in this situation in your business?
You kicked off your business and maybe you invested in professional branding right away, or maybe you started off with a DIY setup. Now you've added services/programs/memberships, maybe individually branded them. Maybe you've up-leveled your brand along the way and maybe that branding hasn't made it to all your visual touchpoints. Maybe you added in some colors or fonts for events or holidays but they've stayed part of your visuals now. It's absolutely normal for this to happen as you grow and evolve your business but it can also lead to brand diffusion. Brand diffusion happens when your brand has gotten lost, scattered, and less clear as you've grown, evolved, and added to your business.
Why is brand diffusion a concern? If your brand isn't clear, if it's not recognizable in a few seconds, if it isn't what your ideal client has come to expect from you – you could be losing connection, recognition, and trust with your audience and potential clients.
“A confused mind always says no.” —DDT I was reminded of this truth more than once this week from multiple sources (my business bestie Amy, Denise Duffield-Thomas in episode 96 of the Chill and Propser Podcast, and Donald Miller of Storybrand).
Example: If your business style is red lipstick and stiletto heels but you've started showing up in flip-flops and in cargo shorts that might really throw your audience if it's not a strategic decision to pivot your brand. Many times brand diffusion creeps in when you've made a change, a shift, or an addition but it isn't carried through all your visuals. This is not to say you can't grow and evolve your brand, that's a natural part of building a business, but maintaining clarity of message and visuals is the key to successfully building a brand your audience can trust and invest in.
Ok, so what's the solution? Let's refocus and get clear on your brand again. Here's how:
Conduct a Brand Audit. I know this can feel overwhelming and sometimes frustrating but I've created a worksheet I used with my own rebrand to help me capture all the places I needed to update. I totally understand how easy it is for things to get lost in the day-to-day and slip through the cracks or get put off in other business efforts that are more important at the moment, but creating clarity and consistency across all your touchpoints is the foundation from where you can make future evaluations and decisions. I'm attaching the worksheet below so you can easily conduct your own audit! I recommend this as a regular (think seasonal or yearly) practice.
Sign up to get the free Brand Audit Checklist here.
Assess the Results. Once you've conducted the brand audit and found your inconsistencies you can see where your message isn't clear and where your brand isn't focused. Now you can choose the next steps to take and assign the solution.
Assign the solution. Look at this honestly. Who is the best person to bring the inconsistencies you've found back into alignment? Is this you? Is it a VA? Do you need to hire outside help? Is this even a marketing effort you want to pour into anymore?
Implement. Now it's just about putting your plan into action. Once you've brought your brand back into focus you'll have a solid, consistent foundation from which to evaluate other metrics like engagement, ideal client attraction via booked calls or booked projects, and growth opportunities like speaking engagements and guest expert opportunities.
