Have you ever looked at someone and wanted to make him/her over? Yesterday I saw a woman with frizzy, long and shapeless hair wearing an equally long and shapeless dress of a circa 1982 vintage.  Perhaps vintage wines are good but dresses fade and look, well, dated. I wondered if she was aware of how she appeared: as someone who did not care about her appearance and/or hadn't been shopping in 30 years and/or didn't have a good friend to tell her she needed to update.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="338"]<a title="Little Claire on the Prairie by chris_ford_uk, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/11694215@N00/817748586/"><img alt="Little Claire on the Prairie" src="http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1021/817748586_e6ec6ed504.jpg" width="338" height="450" /></a> Little Claire on the Prairie by Chris_Ford_UK on Flickr[/caption]

What does this 80s refugee have to do with marketing and communications? Simple, they too can benefit from an update and a makeover. When was the last time you really examined your website? Does the design indicate that we are in 2013 or is it the same look you had when you launched your website back in 1996? When was the last time you posted something on your blog or changed your about us page? How about your logo? Still using fonts that were popular in the 1970s?

But updates don't only refer to outward appearance. You must also look at the back end. Is your software up to date? Have you looked at your mission statement lately? Or your target audience description? Perhaps your messaging needs an update too.

Make it one your goals for 2013 to determine what needs to be updated and then get it done! Here is a list to help you:
<ul>
	<li>Logo</li>
	<li>Tagline</li>
	<li>Website (including blog)</li>
	<li>Brochure (even if it's a PDF/online version)</li>
	<li>Business stationery (including letterhead and business cards)</li>
	<li>Annual report</li>
	<li>Press release boilerplate</li>
	<li>Organizational mission/vision</li>
	<li>Target audience description</li>
	<li>Organizational description in various formats and lengths</li>
	<li>Services/products list (and pricing if appropriate)</li>
	<li>Social media avatars/biographies/descriptions</li>
</ul>
<strong>A makeover is a chance to refresh and renew. </strong> With people, makeovers tend to make them look younger and more attractive. With organizations, makeovers make them look in touch, modern and more attractive (to potential customers/clients/donors/supporters).

What are you going to change this year?

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