Stuck on Updating Your Content? Five First Steps to Refresh Your Brand
If you’ve been staring at your website or social media, thinking, “I really need to update this… someday,” you’re not alone. Refreshing your brand can feel like trying to move a mountain—and the thought of redesigning everything at once is enough to make anyone freeze. But here’s the secret: big brand changes don’t have to be paralyzing. By breaking the process into manageable steps, you can start making meaningful updates today—without losing your mind in the process.
Updating your content or overhauling your brand can feel… impossible. You know your website is outdated, your visuals don’t match your messaging, and your social media feels disjointed—but every time you sit down to fix it, it feels like staring at a mountain.
You’re not alone. Most business owners put off updating content because a brand overhaul feels overwhelming. But the good news? You can tackle it—without burning out—by breaking it down into small, strategic steps. Here are five first steps to make big brand changes feel doable.
1. Start With Clarity
Before you touch a single logo, font, or blog post, get clear on why your brand needs an update. Ask yourself:
Who is my ideal client?
What message do I want to communicate now that might be different from before?
Which parts of my current branding are working, and which aren’t?
This clarity becomes your guiding light. Every decision after this is easier because you have a North Star to reference. Too often we want to create a pretty website (because we are visual beings) but we do it before we ever research what our ideal client is searching or needing. Research the kinds of questions your ideal client is searching for solutions and answers to— then create content that serves it up on a platter to them.
2. Audit Your Existing Content
Take a hard look at everything you currently have: website pages, social media posts, blogs, videos, and downloadable resources. Often we don’t need to throw the baby out with the bathwater. There maybe some sections that are working pretty well- while others may need come CPR. aAsk:
Does this reflect the new direction I want to take?
Is this valuable to my audience?
Can it be updated instead of replaced?
Doing a content audit can feel tedious, but it gives you a roadmap—what to keep, what to improve, and what to retire. It is kind of like cleaning out your content. We all keep things we like, but doesn’t fit any more. Or nick knacks that just collect dust.. we are actually working harder to have those things. Your website can be the same. The great thing about a website is that is should be an organic living and breathing part of your marketing plan— meaning you get made changes as you go. In the end you want a site that is a powerhouse for you not a heavy weight you carry around your neck.
3. Define Your Priority Areas
Not everything needs to change at once. Focus on what will make the biggest impact first. Usually, this includes:
Your website homepage (first impression counts!)
Key service or product pages
Social media profiles that potential clients see most often
Start where it matters most. Small, strategic wins will keep your momentum going. Small bites, small steps, small changes add up and often end up being more thoughtful and impactful than one large shift.
4. Break It Into Small Tasks
A brand overhaul is a huge project, but it becomes manageable when broken into bite-sized tasks. For example:
Week 1: Rewrite homepage copy
Week 2: Update your logo usage and colors across all platforms
Week 3: Refresh social media templates
When you tackle one thing at a time, it stops feeling like an impossible mountain and starts feeling like a series of small, achievable steps.
5. Get Support
You don’t have to do it alone. A branding photographer, designer, or strategist can help translate your vision into visuals and messaging that actually resonate. Even small guidance—like having someone review your content or suggest updates—can save weeks of trial and error. I am not a branding stragiest— but I am a great visualizer. I love the consult because we can brainstorm through all of the ideas. We can take your end goal- attract more XYC clients, grow your audience, sell more of a certain products, books more of a certain service — and we can creatively start to break it in to actionable steps and envision images to go with it.
Team work does make the dream work. You can DIY a lot of things, but in the end you may find that you spend more time and money (without the results you want) and you would have been miles ahead if you put the right team in place.
Remember: Brand overhauls don’t happen overnight, and that’s okay. Progress, not perfection, is what counts. Start small, stay focused, and you’ll be amazed at how much you can shift your brand without losing your sanity.
