Should I re-brand?

I’ve recently moved house.

(I can almost hear sighs of anguish as you empathise with what I’ve just been through… thank you!!)

Let’s just be honest from the outset and agree that no one enjoys moving. It requires us to sort, purge, pack, lift, sweat, organise, clean, unpack, re-organise, and clean some more—and unless you’re one of those crazy, housework-loving people, the prospect of moving is enough to make you want to find a great big (comfortable) rock to crawl underneath and hide.

In my recent moving experience however, I’ve come to learn that it’s not all doom and gloom.  That there are some incredible perks of moving house—and ones that are ironically and unequivocally reminiscent of a successful re-branding project.

Let me explain.

When you move house, you step out of your comfort zone and into unfamiliar territory. You put your hand up for help. You let go of what’s been and embrace a new season. You consider what you’re going to need moving forward and what’s important to you—while getting rid of the rest. You get a new space to decorate and style! You say ‘goodbye’ to what’s stale and unnecessary, and ‘hello’ to what’s fresh, current, inspiring and exciting!  Moving house takes determination, willpower, emotion, and creativity!

When you re-brand, these experiences and emotions are mirrored… wait, MAGNIFIED.

Answering ‘Yes!’ to the question: ‘Should I re-brand?’, as scary as it may seem, is one of the most exciting adventures any business owner could embark upon.  The ongoing, compounding value of a successful re-brand is unmatched and perpetually rewarding.

For some business owners, the answer to the question of whether or not to rebrand is obvious. Maybe you’ve taken over the business recently and know you need to make your mark on it. Perhaps you’ve owned it for some time and have been advised that a re-brand is necessary for ongoing success.

For other business owners however, the answer doesn’t come as easily.  Maybe you’re quite precious about your brand—and understandably so—but the prospect of re-branding makes you feel threatened or like you’ve somehow failed.

I should clarify here that that is not how re-branding should make you feel, and re-branding in no way equates to failure.  Re-branding takes guts. It takes self-awareness. It takes a willingness to seek help.

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to determine if your business is in need of a re-brand:

Are you happy with the type of clients who are making enquiries?

For example, are the clients who are contacting you, making contact for the right reasons? Are you finding that you’re having to spend a lot of time educating them (because they’re not your ‘ideal client’), when your time could be spent more effectively elsewhere?  Are the clients you’re getting the types of clients you want to work with or do you feel like you’re missing the pool of quality clients who you’d consider to be your ideal?  Investing time into understanding who your core clients are and understanding how to communicate to them through your branding could be your ticket to success. It’s something we take very seriously in our initial branding consults!

Do your brand materials (ie. business cards, website, social media accounts etc.) feel like a ‘set’?

The internet has opened up a Pandora’s Box of limitless options and possibilities for your clients. With so many options presented before them, the last thing you want is for your brand to be confusing, inconsistent and messy to a potential client if and when they find you in amongst your competitors.  They want to know that you’ve ‘got it together’.  After all, consistency brings trust!  If some parts of your brand are different colours, if you’re using a mix of brand elements and imagery, if you don’t use consistent fonts, if your logo looks different depending on the application, if your ‘voice’ and ‘tone’ changes invariably, then it might be time to consider a re-brand.

Was your brand built on personal taste without considering who your ‘ideal client’ is?

This is a tricky one, because sometimes personal taste plays an important role in developing your brand identity. After all, you are your brand—right? Well, not all the time. There is a fine line between reflecting your own personal taste and that of your ‘ideal client’.  You know what you like, but that isn’t always (in fact, rarely is) a perfect representation of what your target market would be attracted to. Understanding the boundaries here and having reasons as to why your personal taste (has relevance to, but) shouldn’t define your business branding is of utmost importance.

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Your brand is the image, message, tone, and personality of your business.  You want to attract the right people to your business, and that means speaking the right language as well as being likable and appealing to your target market.  You want to attract the people who you want to work with; who align with your values and who are part of your tribe!

Further, it’s so important to feel proud of the brand you present to the marketplace. This can only be achieved when your brand is consistent and feels like a ‘set’.  A consistent and reliable brand identity will build trust among your clients as well as confidence in you to be shameless and bold in the promotion of your brand.

And finally, you want to feel personally connected to your brand—while knowing that it’s not the sum total of who you are. Branding  according to your own taste is limiting and caps potential future growth.  If you want to attract a certain type of client, you need to be intentional about creating a brand identity that is attractive to them—not just you.

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Have you found yourself asking the question: ‘Should I re-brand?’

We specialise in all things branding and love working with clients who are embarking on the fabulous adventure of a re-brand!

Get in touch with us today to talk more about the re-branding process or to get a quote. Email info@vervedesign.org

Or tell us about your re-branding experience by leaving a comment below.