How Do You Know It’s Time to Rebrand?
Is it time to rebrand? Always a tough question. Your brand is a tool to attract your customers, tell your story and market your products or services. You want it to be a relevant as possible at all times. Rebranding when not necessary is a waste of time and money and can confuse your audience, while waiting too long to rebrand can cripple your business. A rebrand doesn’t have to mean a complete overhaul of your business - it can also be an update to your brand, to help clarify your message or improve your position on the market. Here are 9 situations - if any of these applies to you, you might want to consider a rebrand.
Your brand isn’t communicating anything - your brand exists to communicate your message visually. Your brand voice and visuals need to deliver your message to the world about who you are and what you do. This helps you attract the right people, the one’s who’ll be excited about your offers. If your branding has no real thought behind it, it might send confusing messages to your audience. Do that rebrand and create a style that communicates what your business is about.
Your vision and goals have changed - this happens a lot more often than you would think. With time, and with all experience we gather on the way, our vision and business goals tweak slightly all the time. As you gain clarity in your business, you also need to bring your branding inline with your vision. Your visuals tell a story for you, make sure it’s the current version.
Your brand is not consistent - to have a professional, trust-worthy image, your brand needs to be consistent at every point of your online and offline presence. It needs to be recognisable, using the same brand elements all around. Your visual brand should be true to your business vision.
You’re not reaching your ideal clients - if you’re struggling to reach the group of customers you’d love to work with, take a look at your brand and see if it aligns with your business. If not, a change in your branding can help shift the perception of your business to the right direction.
You are now clearer on your target audience - this could be for many different reasons. A change of heart could be one. Another possible reason is that you had your branding planned and designed when you were just starting out and since then you have got to know your audience better. You have gained a much deeper understanding of who your target audience is and what appeals to them. Define your ideal clients, define the ideal offer and consider what you can change about your branding to reach that.
Your brand isn’t standing out - this happens a lot in industries that are crowded with people who are all claiming to do the same thing. Find out what makes you and your business different from others and translate that into your visual brand. That will help you connect with people who need exactly what you have to offer.
Your visuals look outdated - have you ever run into a website thinking wow this looks so 2012? Though WordArt is not common anymore, visual trends change over time. Your brand is the public face of your business, and you definitely don’t want it to look outdated. Sometimes, especially if your original branding was designed using visuals that were very popular at the time of designing, your presence can quickly appear out of date. If your brand is following a trend that has long since come and gone, it’s probably time to revisit and redesign.
You don’t feel connected to your brand anymore - how do you feel when looking at your website, social media presence or that brand board you created? Is it content and excitement? Do they still represent your values? The problem is, when you stop feeling connected and excited about your branding, you’ll feel uninspired and it will affect your productivity, and the way you connect to your audience. Don’t have second thoughts, go and rebrand your business.
You’re not proud of your brand - your brand should give you confidence and make you proud. If it makes you feel ashamed on any level, it might prevent you from showing up, sharing your business or seeking opportunities.