Many businesses encounter a familiar challenge: their marketing website should capture the company’s dynamic essence but often looks outdated and misaligned. Although a website redesign, driven by executive decisions using metrics from tools like Google Analytics, may appear to be the obvious fix, the deeper issue could extend to the core of your brand identity.
Determining the Need for a Brand-first Strategy or a Digital-first Strategy.
Deciding whether to invest in a new website or a comprehensive rebranding should hinge on the underlying issues. With extensive expertise and numerous projects over the years, we’ve observed that many businesses incorrectly attribute their challenges to their website when, in fact, these issues stem from a foundational branding problem.
Root Causes of Website Challenges.
Challenges often stem from an unclear corporate direction, complicating decisions related to content structure, taxonomy, navigation, calls to action, and the overall user experience. For example, a company with many products or services might overwhelm visitors if everything is highlighted in the website navigation. Simplifying your offerings can convey a more strategic and coherent narrative about your company, a crucial part of any Brand-first Strategy.
However, these issues often highlight a more profound need to redefine the brand’s narrative and objectives. Questions such as “Who are our key audiences?” “What message do we want them to take away?” and “What are the core elements of our approach we want highlighted?” are fundamentally branding inquiries.
Emphasising a Brand-first Strategy.
Addressing these branding questions from the outset ensures that your website’s content strategy and user interface align seamlessly with your company’s mission, engaging your audience more effectively. This alignment is the essence of a ‘Brand-first Strategy,’ where the brand’s core values and narrative guide all other digital and marketing strategies.