Update Your Brand for the New Year
As we transition from one year to the next, this is the perfect time to update, refresh, and refine your brand. While you’re settled with a few extra days off of work and a slower pace for the holiday I highly recommend that you dedicate some time to your brand. Below are 5 fairly simple things you can do that I guarantee will make a major impact for you in the coming year.
Get a Professional Headshot
Getting a professional headshot is important for so many reasons. The main reasons are quality and professionalism. Let’s be so very honest, using a selfie for your website, features, and/or other spaces where you are recognized professionally is not the best look. Yes, a headshot can be a bit of an investment but I promise it’ll make a major difference in how serious people take you and how professional you and/or your business look. If you plan right, since photographers allow you to do an outfit change or two, you can get bang for your buck.
Ensure Your Links are Working
Nothing’s worse than trying to get information or make a purchase and the link is broken. Check your website, your social media, and your in-person marketing items (banners, pop-ups, QR codes) to make sure that all of your links are working and going to the right place. Don’t wait until someone needs to use a link and has to let you know.
Digitizing Your Forms and Written Documents
When you’re out and about, people may not have time in the moment to fill out a paper form. Paper forms also create extra work for you and your organization because someone has to physically input the information in the right place. Digitizing your forms will make it easy for people to sign up, join, participate in, support, and share information regarding you and your business/organization.
The second part of this is to digitize your documents. I’ve been a part of too many organizations where there are no SOPs or all of the policy documents are printed and nowhere digitally to share. Save you and those you’re working with time and energy by digitizing and organizing. This will be so helpful when you’re onboarding, training, passing on leadership, and growing.
Refresh Your Website.
Does your website reflect the current status of your business or personal brand? Are the pictures and videos up to date? Could any pages use a rewrite? Now is a perfect time to go back through your site with a fine-tooth comb. Reread every page and make sure it is clear what you do and how people can connect with you. It would also be great to have someone proofread for you as well.
While you’re online updating your website visually, I would also recommend that you go ahead and update those SEO tags and headers. This is gonna just give you some extra juice on Google search.
Make Sure Your Public Contact Information is Correct
Whether you’re a business, brand, or public figure people are trying to contact you. You can miss some important communication all because your profiles and/or website still has that old email address don’t check anymore. Make it as easy as possible for people to book, connect, and collaborate with you. Ensure you have a public-facing email and phone number (if possible/necessary) that is correct and that you check frequently. A lot of people will not do business in your DMs. Others will give up if it’s not easy to figure out how to contact you.