YOUR BRAND IS NOT A CROCKPOT? MEAL

There is massive relief that accompanies the branding or rebranding of your company. You spend months assessing how to make it happen and who to hire (if you hire someone) and then months and months actually making it happen. By the time a solid branding timeline has been completed you’re likely 4-6 months deep. So, once you’ve launched you’re likely ready to be done with it for a while.

It’s out in the world. People know who you are. Your brand is ready to go to work for you and the sales will start pouring in.

Right?

…RIGHT?!

(I promise I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing?with?you.)

Branding isn't a set-it-and-forget-it investment.

This is where business owners get caught up. They think because they’ve invested so much effort already, that they can sit back and watch it work. Unfortunately, branding isn’t a slow cooker meal. You can’t toss a few potatoes and carrots in with a rump roast, set it on low and come back when it’s ready. I mean you could, and that rump will definitely fall apart, but not in the delectable sense.

Branding an ongoing commitment. Forever or until it’s not?(but we won’t go there).

After you’ve branded or rebranded, that’s when the real work starts. The only way to build a sustainable brand is to keep it sustained.

This means investing in marketing (social or otherwise); reviewing your analytics; getting systems in place to gather consumer or client data; pivoting when necessary; creating additional visual assets, etc. Basically, all the things you didn’t want to have to do.

5 Things to Do Post Brand?Launch

At this point, you should know I’m here to help (still not laughing at you). To prove it, here are 5 things to do after your launch to keep your brand top of mind.

• Market your brand.?Your brand is mostly worthless until you market. If it’s not visible, it’s not working. Put your focus in pushing the brand. Start (or reboot) your social channels and stay consistent. Create freebies that incentivize people to join your email list. Keep in constant communication with your audience. You must keep the buzz going; from now until forever.
• Systematize everything.?If you’re stuck in the minutiae of everyday, you’re missing the bigger picture of what’s happening to your brand or business. Get comfy with?Zapier. Automate everything you can. Create nurture sequences for your email list. Hire an administrator if you can to take care of your social posting and email responses. Free up that brain to take on the bigger brand vision.
• Talk to your audience.?Focus on gathering that data that will help you to make your next move. Set up a?Google Analytics?account. Send out social media polls. Gather real feedback with a reviews template or?Google My Business. The only way you’ll know how well you're doing is through their commentary.
• Over analyze.?You must learn to police yourself and the data. Pay attention to what is coming in. Draw connections and conclusions from what data is telling you. This is how you’re going to know what is working and what isn’t. Ignorance isn’t bliss when it comes to business, it’s just bad business.
• Expand creative assets where necessary.?You can’t account for every physical representation of your brand from the start. Most of the visual need will come from working?with?the brand. Feel through it. Make slight adjustments, add illustration/ image styles, have photography done or create additional collateral as needed.

This list is definitely not exhaustive, but it is a solid start, especially if you’re new to creating or maintaining a brand.

While it may not be the finish you hoped for, now is the opportunity to live in the thing you created and help it continue to flourish, because leaving your brand to its own devices may eventually lead to its own demise.

Still not sure what goes into a brand? Download our Complete Brand Checklist HERE.