- E-Commerce
- A Look at Your Online Customer Service
- How to Prevent Abandoned Shopping Carts
- Checkout Options for Your Online Store
- General
- Wholesale Gift And Novelty Items Always A Boom
- The Essential Elements of Great Customer Service
- Your Wholesale Business & Angry Customers
- Marketing
- Tips for Doing More With Less in a Down Economy
- Effective Email Marketing for Your Wholesale Business
- Blogging and the Wholesale Business Owner
- Search Engine Optimization - SEO
- The Basic Rules of Search Engine Optimization
- Basic SEO Tips for Online Wholesalers
Is It Time for a Business Makeover?
By Sarah Pearson Published: 04/02/2009
Makeovers are a trend that is permeating almost every aspect of our culture right now. To see it, all you need to do is turn on the television, and you'll run across a ton of different shows making over a ton of different things, from fashion to home décor to lifestyles. But this trend is not only relegated to pop culture – businesses are doing it, too. Companies like Kraft Foods and Pepsi have been updating their logos and branding, giving a new look and a new life to even the most familiar of products.
So have a look around you at what you're doing with your business - could it do with a makeover of its own? Giving your business a few updates can breathe new life into things, which can translate into a boost in profits and visibility, which is something every business owner needs right now in these trying economic times. With that in mind, here are a few ideas to get you started:
• Don't change your business model so drastically that your current customers can't recognize you anymore. If you currently market to the budget-minded, and do a complete 180 in hopes of appealing to customers that are not on a limited budget, your original customers are going to run like crazy, thinking you're no longer a suitable company to patronize. You don't want that. It's fine to want to appeal to a broader base, but in doing so, don't change so much that you ignore the customers you already have.
• Same thing goes for branding. Giving your current logo an update is a great way to inject that new life you're looking for, but if it looks completely different from your old one, people won't know you are still who you are. Aim to keep the basic idea and ramp it up from there, as long as it's still recognizable.
• Be consistent. If you change your logo, make sure it is then reflected on everything, from your website to your business cards to your product packaging, and so on, to cut down on confusion and let the benefits of your updated look get a foothold.
Giving your business a makeover is a great idea, but it is one that requires careful planning and attention to detail. Before you begin implementing any major changes, make sure you and your partners or employees examine it from all angles to see any potential pitfalls before they happen.
