The new year rings in reflection and for business owners and managers it’s often a time for mental review of their brand. Here are some simple but important questions to spend those mental energies on:

Logo ― does it answer these questions?

  1. What do we do? Is it immediately obvious through our logo?
  2. Does our brand’s logo reflect the industry?
  3. Is our logo unique and memorable? Does it make an impact?
  4. Is our logo easy to use? Is it easy to place on materials whether the space provided is square, rectangle, or vertical without losing its proportions?

Marketing ― does it do this?

  1. Can customers find us in the crowd? Do they know we exist? (Have we targeted our audience well?)
  2. Can customers interact with us? Do we respond? (Are we waiting for a phone call while the customer is looking for us on the web – or vice-a-versa?)
  3. Is our pricing on-point and competitive? (does it work for us and the customer?)
  4. Is our messaging clear? Does the customer know our offerings are exactly what they need and why?
  5. Can customers navigate our systems? Do we make it easy to buy? And buy again?

Promotion ― is it working?

  1. Do customers see our brand regularly?
  2. Are we generating excitement?
  3. Do we understand what our customer is looking for today?
  4. Are we testing, tweaking, tracking, and repeating or dropping promotions?
  5. Are we considering all the avenues for promotion? Advertising, social media, in-person networking, mailings, creative out-of-the-box thinking…the list is endless.

The New Year ― a reminder to let go of old patterns and habits that really aren’t working. Are you right where you want to be in terms of who you are now and where you want to go? Does your brand reflect that?