Is It Time To Rebrand?
Is It Time To Rebrand?
Are you thinking about rebranding? Your business identity is responsible for so much; marketing, making a good first impression, growing your business just to name a few. It’s important to raise this question from time to time so that you can make adjustments quickly and avoid confusing your target audience. As a brand strategist who literally fields this question all day long I know it’s a tough call, a big decision, and sometimes an even bigger investment. That’s why I’ve created this list. Not only so you can really gauge where you’re at in your brand and business development, but so you can get the absolute most out of your future rebrand which will help you earn back that investment quickly. Here are 7 signs that it’s time to rebrand.
INEFFECTIVE CONNECTION AND COMMUNICATION
Your brand is responsible for connecting and communicating with people on the daily. Your website, social media content, blog content, video content, etc. etc are all there to essentially market and silently sell for you even when you’re not online. If your business has plateaued and doesn’t seem to be connecting or communicating anymore it might be time for a change. Maybe your audience has changed? Maybe the industry is evolving in a different direction? Sometimes our business grows and we start offering different products or services than we used to, but our brand doesn’t really reflect those changes which can be confusing to the audience, and if they’re confused they tend to check out.
Which leads me to….
INCONSISTENCY
Sometimes, as business owners we get complacent in maintaining a cohesive brand experience that makes sense. This can really hurt the impression and the reputation we’re trying to build. Every visual element: color, font, textures, graphics, shapes, photos, etc should all be contributing to ONE cohesive brand experience and ONE digital atmosphere. You’ve heard the phrase “build it and they will come”, and that’s semi true for branding. If you build something super consistent and thoughtful that allows your audience to feel understood and well taken care of, not only will they come but they will tell everyone they know, bring their friends and return over and over again.
GROWTH
Like I mentioned before business evolution happens, and sometimes we just outgrow our branding. Usually our business takes on a life of its own. It can turn into something we weren’t necessarily planning for if we aren’t maintaining it with a plan. Sometimes our audience changes. It’s very common to build a brand for the wrong audience in the beginning. Who we thought we’d be selling to in the beginning is not always who we’re selling to today.
QUALITY
As our business evolves so do our high expectations. It is very common to see a small business owner sacrifice quality branding in the beginning and opt to do it themselves to save money, or to skip branding altogether because they’re just not sure of the direction they want to go. That’s totally okay. You didn’t know what you didn’t know! BUT NOW, that lower quality brand identity (or lack of an identity at all) just won’t do. If you find yourself enjoying success and are about niche down or increase your prices, it’s the perfect time to rebrand. A high quality brand identity will help you build buzz around your business, relaunch with impact and convert more lookers into buyers and followers.
USELESS DESIGN
The branding industry is evolving itself and small business branding isn’t done the same as it was even a few years ago. It used to be very common to select design elements for a business because you liked them, because that was a popular style, or that’s what your designer suggested. Well that’s just not good enough anymore. Everyone has a site these days and yours has to be special in order to stick out in the minds of your audience. That special experience makes all the difference when it comes time for someone to tell people about your business.
Design elements that don’t help:
grab attention
make a lasting impression
help your audience feel incredible
serve a purpose beyond looking nice
are just useless. That’s where brand strategy comes in to help you pick elements with purpose. Let’s figure out what you’re trying to say and how you want to make people feel and we can make creative decisions that help you serve that purpose and grow your business.
PREDICTABLE CONTENT
Branding isn't just your logo and your website, it's EVERYTHING. That means even your social media content, blog, newsletter, you tube videos, Facebook lives, Instagram Stories etc are all contributing to your brand's recognition and reputation. If the content isn't clear or it just becomes flat and predictable you will have a harder time building buzz and excitement around your business. Show me the value! Show me why I need to follow you, support you, and do business with you. A rebrand will not only help you reestablish your objectives, goals, and message, but it will help you create and maintain content across all platforms. Content that is exciting, super high in value for your audience, and helps convert clicks and funnel sales.
BLENDING IN
The whole point of branding is to create a business identity that helps you stand out, so creating a brand that follows the trends instead of sets them can have you really struggling to be seen and heard. Your business doesn’t stick out in a memorable way when it looks like dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of others. This is one area where you do not want to look like everyone else. The rebranding process (specifically brand development and discovery) can help you find an original style through creative direction, and get clear on what visual elements will help your audience feel that connection with your business. That connection is what keeps them coming back and supporting you.
So now that I’ve got your wheels spinning on rebranding I want to be clear about a few things. Rebranding first and foremost can be a number of things. Most often it’s just making adjustments to your current brand as your business evolves and outgrows certain things. But rebranding can also be a massive overhaul, and completely change the identity of your business to better fit the new direction it’s going in. Both are completely normal, so don’t get nervous. It’s actually a really good sign that your business is headed in a successful direction. If you’re ready for a rebrand but don’t know how to get started I suggest contacting a brand strategist for an assessment, so they can validate or rebuff your concerns. I know a really good one! Wink, wink. Then, you can make a super informed decision about the future of your business, how to take really good care of it’s identity, AND your audience as you move forward.