Your business had its act together, and the result was a brand with a fierce and loyal following. But slowly customers began drifting to other vendors that seemed hipper and more in tune with the times. You can’t scrap your act and go home, but you can capture the magic and return to greatness. Just follow these steps to get your brand back together.

Set the tone up front

Think of your business as a band you love. The lead singer is the face of your brand and the reason customers seek you out. Your lead is your logo, your advertising, your facilities, products and website – anything that’s up front that the customer can experience. Without a good presence up front, you’re just a lounge act, so if any of these areas are failing, it’s time to make some changes.

Let’s start with the most visible part of your brand; your logo. Is it still in tune with the market? Does the typeface and color scheme still resonate with customers? You may be too close to the subject to be objective, but your employees or customers might have an opinion.

A new logo can’t change everything, but it’s a visible start that shows you’re serious. What’s more, the changes don’t have to be significant. Like any good song, all it may need is a key change and a new hook. For some great real-world examples of successful logo updates, check out this piece on 1stwebdesigner.

Keep the beat

Drummers are extremely important, but largely invisible. Think of the drummer as your business operations – behind the scenes keeping everything on tempo and driving your business and brand forward. If something falls out of place – for instance, if a supplier can’t deliver genuine mahogany stock for the custom guitar necks you make, it’s up to operations to find a new supplier so that your customers don’t lose faith in your product and brand.

Remember, brands usually don’t fall out of favor overnight. Like a finely tuned instrument that’s been neglected, things can slowly degrade until your brand and your customers are way off key. A good operations presence can help prevent this.

Give it soul

Guitars add soul to music the same way that your people give your brand an essence that’s unique. Are your employees still in tune with your brand promise? If your business promises speedy turnaround, are your sales and manufacturing employees synched to make it happen? Are your people hitting the chords that resonate with each other and your customers?

While employees can come and go, finding people who believe in your business and your brand is key. Like concertgoers who leave the venue singing long after the show is over, they’re advocates who can energize your customer base and give prospects a reason to listen. If your brand is suffering, find out who’s out of rhythm and make the necessary changes.

Example: How one company got its brand back together

Perhaps you’ve heard of UPS – the world-leading shipping company with the dynamic logo and a passion for logistics? This wasn’t always the case.

Prior to 2003, the company logo consisted of a simple line-art drawing of a string-tied package atop the letters ‘UPS’. Nothing in the shipping business said package delivery quite so clearly. However, UPS had evolved to offer so much more, ranging from inventory and storage solutions to complex supply chain management. And company leadership felt the time was right to capitalize on this.

So, they ditched the string and unveiled the bold UPS shield we see today, along with the essence-distilling tag line, ‘synchronizing the world of commerce.’ This eventually became ‘we love logistics,’ a candid proclamation that employees could buy into and exemplify with passion.

In essence, they got a new lead singer, changed the drumbeat and gave the guitars a hook that struck a chord with everyone. And the brand has been rocking ever since.

To see how ten other companies that got their brand back together, check out this Business Insider post. For more insights from The Wire on brand awareness, click here.