I want to give you a look behind the curtain for moment. As a team, we recently took on the challenge to update the Imagine Communications website. Right out of the gate, we realized we also need to update the brand to best showcase our style and voice on the website.

But what is Imagine’s style? What does our voice sound like? Who are we talking to? More importantly, who are we?

The answers to those questions are so much easier to find when you’re not talking about yourself. And we understand our clients have the same struggle — this process has reminded us of that.

The challenge we’re faced with is not unique, but I want to share it with you, because I think it’s a challenge that every business faces when thinking about marketing.

We want to show the world the amazing work we have done, what we can do, and what we are capable of doing. But we also want to talk to the audience we believe is looking for us and listening to us. There is a fine line in between those two things and the goal is to walk that line.

The hardest pill to swallow with that challenge is there are no perfect answers. Sacrifices need to be made. Risk is required.

One of the obstacles we’ve come across in this process is the Imagine blog. Yes, the very medium I’m using to communicate with you on right now. There’s a lot of cool stuff in our blog. In fact, our blog is the biggest source of website traffic we have. But is gaining that website traffic bringing us anything else? The simplified answer is no. Sacrifices might need to be made.

Another obstacle we’ve come across is our audience. Does showcasing our creative work at its finest scare off or overwhelm potential clients? Very possible. Or would it attract the kind of clients we hope to attract? Very possible. Risk is required.

The bottom line is marketing for your own business is a scary thing. And even though rebuilding our website and advancing our own brand is already a big challenge, it’s a challenge that’s going to help us become better marketers for our clients. Let this serve as a reminder to not ignore a challenge, or the risk that comes with it. Bring it on.