It happens to the best of us – we start off our new business with a idea of where we want to go, but somewhere along the way, we fall off track. Maybe you didn’t have enough capital to fully realize your vision, so you cut corners along the way. Maybe you took on a client that didn’t really match your vibe, and things just snowballed from there. Or maybe you simply didn’t know how to stay consistent with your message, and now you’re all over the place. Whatever the reason, everyone needs to sit back and reassess their brand from time to time.
Questions to Ask Yourself
• Am I serving my target market? For sure, when you started out you had a clear idea of the kind of person you wanted to work with. If you take a look at your client base now and find that it’s way off the mark, think about why that might be.
• What are my competitors doing? Think of a few businesses that you admire and would like to emulate, and then look at what they’re doing. If you feel like you’re on a similar track, then you’re probably doing ok. But if their blog posts or their social media presence is vastly different from your own, then you may need to rethink things.
• Do I like the work that I’m doing? We don’t always end up doing what we wanted to do. Especially in the beginning, it is easy to take on any client that comes your way, simply because you need to make money. If you find that you don’t like much of the work that you’re doing now, refocus and concentrate on the things that you really love.
• Does my social media presence/website/newsletter project the right image? For instance, if you want to be a social media manager, but all of your social media posts are about celebrity gossip, you’re probably not reflecting the right image. Take the time to sit down and really think about what you’re going to put out there, and how you want people to feel about your brand.
• Do you feel like your brand reflects the “authentic you”? One of the best ways to succeed in business today is to be real. People don’t want to feel like they’re interacting with a faceless corporation – they want real, human interaction. They want to feel like they’re a part of your life. If your brand doesn’t reflect the real essence of what makes you YOU, then switch things up.
Get Back on Track
Even seasoned business pros find themselves going off track sometimes, so it’s nothing to be ashamed of. If you feel like your business isn’t heading in the right direction, a few simple fixes, like those mentioned above, can help you get back in the road to success in a heartbeat.