Creativity is a crucial part of brand building. It’s a tool for expressing your value in a way that sets you apart from your competitors—and sharing powerful messages that stick with your audience. So if your brand is starting to lag behind on fresh, inspired ideas to engage your customers, it might just be time for a creative reboot.
At Upswing Creative, we help brands share their message through a range of commercial creative services. Let’s walk through four signs that your business might be ready for a creative reboot.
1. Your Message Doesn’t Resonate
Today’s B2B buyers are flooded with ads and offers every moment of every day. As a result, they’ve gotten really good at ignoring ones that aren’t relevant or compelling. A message that doesn’t resonate with its audience flops—no matter how unique, flashy or clever it is. So if you feel like your marketing just isn’t gaining traction with your target audience, it’s probably time to rethink your message.
What does your customer really care about? Which words, images and ideas will they connect with emotionally? If you can solve that puzzle, you’ve got the golden ticket to great creative. That’s why we offer an in-depth creative discovery process to fine-tune your message. But there’s some great data online to help guide your brand update, too.
Did you know that B2B customers have become desensitized to words like “intelligence,” “forecasts” and “reports” across email marketing? How about the fact that seven in ten B2B buyers depend on video to guide their purchasing decisions? You can use data like this (along with studies on your own customers) to refresh your brand’s creative and make it relevant to your unique audience.
2. Your Branding is Outdated (or Boring)
We’ve all seen those awesome articles on wince-worthy logos, but off-base branding isn’t always so obvious. Over time, what’s fresh and sharp becomes dull and overdone. That idea doesn’t stop with visuals; a brand’s message and values can also become outdated—to the point of feeling archaic and unprofessional.
Businesses have to evolve alongside their audience to stay fresh and compelling. So if you haven’t touched up your aesthetic or branding in a while, you should consider a creative refresh. One of the best ways to start that process is by gathering honest feedback on your brand.
Ask your current clients (and audiences you’d like to attract) for their thoughts on your logo, design elements and messaging. You can also reach out to other companies and marketers you trust for their take. Those insights will help you make the final call on whether or not to revamp your branding.
3. You’re Flopping on Social Media
Here’s an amazing stat to chew on: 84% of CEOS and VPs use social media to make purchasing decisions. Here’s another: 55% of B2B buyers use social media to search for information on vendors or products. In the current B2B climate, social media is far too important to ignore. If your brand’s content isn’t making any waves on social, this is the perfect time for a creative reboot.
Social media is a tricky animal for B2B brands—especially ones with complex services or products. But with the right creative and strategy, you can turn your social pages into thriving platforms that engage customers and build loyalty. Now, let’s look at some more data to see which types of creative are winning attention on social channels.
Did you know that video generates 1200% more shares on social media than image and text content combined? COMBINED! That’s why more and more B2B brands are investing in professional video services to capture their audiences online. Blogs are also a big winner in the B2B space (as always), with 42% of B2B buyers stating that blogs had a major impact on their research process.
4. You’re Embarrassed to Show Your Creative
When a customer asks to see your website, brochures or other creative assets, are you excited to show them off? Or do you feel a twinge of self-consciousness instead? Maybe it’s over your outdated logo—or that stiff copy on your website. In any case, if you aren’t proud to show off every piece of your brand, it’s time to make a change.
You deserve thoughtful, inspiring creative that you’re proud to share with the world. And if your content hasn’t reached that level yet, a creative reboot is the perfect place to start. With the right agency at your side, you can reinvigorate your brand—and take your creative marketing to new heights.
Reboot Your Brand with Upswing Creative
If you’re looking for a strategic partner to help guide your creative reboot, then be sure to connect with Upswing today. We offer a variety of services to give your B2B brand a creative edge, including commercial video, strategic messaging and branding. You can also reach out if you want advice on whether your B2B business should invest in a brand update.