Knowing your Brand Seasons
Most business owners are familiar with the product lifecycle, but did you know that your brand also has a cycle of its own? For new business owners, understanding the ebb and flow of your brand as it matures, can be wildly enlightenting. The elements of each of the brand seasons might not be as pronounced or as routinely structured as those within our annual calendar, (especially here in Nova Scotia ?), however, each has unique characteristics and an important place along your branding journey.
The four seasons I will outline today include:
Launch Season
This is the springtime of brand seasons. Everything is new and fresh. The true magic of the launch season is the smell of hope in the air. You’ve worked for months putting together your business plan and corporate identity, in the launch season, you’re setting all of these elements free. Launch season is both scary and exhilarating all at once
Formation Season
After launch, your brand will move into the formational season. Here, you’ll take a moment to reflect on the roots you put down in the launch season and watch them grow into the pillars of your brand. This is the summer of your brand seasons. It isn’t exactly carefree, but you’ve gained some awareness and carved out a space for your brand to cultivate.
Growth Season
The fall of your brand seasons! New starts, changes and big moves. You’ve spent some time in your launch and formation seasons, now it is time to grow! Most businesses require growth periods to be sustainable. By now, you know what is working and what isn’t, you likely know how to reach your customers and what they are looking for. Use the knowledge from the previous seasons to expand or refine your offerings.
Mastery Season
In the final season, you’ve paved the path, laid down the foundation and nurtured the design, structure and offerings. In the winter of your brand seasons, you are establishing yourself as authority in your field. Focus on offering the best product or service you possibly can. This is also a great season to give back, offer value added products or services to your audience. As an expert in your field, be sure to wield your expertise (blogs, interviews, podcasts, etc.) as much as possible, you’ve earned it!
All that said, every business is different. You may spend a different amount of time in each season, you may skip one entirely and come back to it in a different order or not at all. Depending on your path and offerings, your business may also run through each of the seasons several times throughout your brand journey.
Have questions about your branding or wondering where you fit? Get in touch, I love to chat branding!