When should you rebrand your business?
As a business evolves, sometimes it reaches a point where its brand isn’t working anymore. While there may be various reasons why a brand stops being effective, this is when business owners often start asking themselves, “Should I rebrand my business?”
We approach rebrands in one of two ways:
- Brand Refresh: Refining and improving a business’s current brand elements, building on what’s working and removing what isn’t
- Brand New: Starting from scratch and creating a whole new brand, with a unique look and feel
A brand isn’t just a logo — it’s a collection of visual elements, content that expresses a business’s unique value, voice, and brand promise, and actions that add up to an overall brand experience for target audiences. A brand is the expression of your values and strategic goals.
So when should you rebrand your business?
- Your business name has changed
- Your mission, vision, and values have shifted
- Your non-profit organization has changed leadership and has been using the same look for 20 years
- You’ve gone through a strategic planning process and your brand no longer aligns with how you want to position your business in the future
- A namesake leaves your business and your target audience is confused about who’s running the show now
- When business ownership changes and you want to inject new energy into your brand
- When your brand feels dated compared to your peers and competitors, and it’s impacting business, and potentially, hurting your reputation
- You start getting feedback from your target audiences that they’re confused about who you are or what you do
If you’ve answered yes to any of the above, it’s time for a rebrand. Now, it’s time to have a bit of fun and get excited about finding creative solutions!
Dream big, be open minded & start reimagining how your brand could evolve:
- What does your new brand need to communicate now, compared to before?
- Is your target audience changing or staying the same?
- What’s the look and feel you’re going for now? Every business wants to look polished and professional, but how else do you want to be perceived by your target audience? Do you want to be sassy? Serious? Rugged? Optimistic? Cool and relaxed?
- What do you NOT want to be?
- What values do you want your company to bring to life?
- What inspiration can you draw from to start creating a new brand you’ll love for years to come? Start collecting visual inspiration, quotes, content snippets, and things that feel aligned to what you want your brand to be.
On the practical side, after deciding and dreaming big about your brand, you need to consider the timing and budget for your rebrand project and who’s going to do the work for you. When does it make sense for you to rebrand? Is there a slower time of the year when you’ll have capacity to focus on this work?
A rebrand is usually less costly than building a new brand from scratch — so it’s worth considering, what can you or your organization realistically afford to invest in a rebrand? Do you have an in-house marketing, communications, and/or design team to lead this for you? Or do you need to hire an outside team?
This work is strategic and it takes time and consideration. But, the outcome of this process is a refreshed or new brand that you’ll be excited to share. And most importantly, that’ll help you meet your business goals and engage your target audience to fall in love with you all over again!
Are you considering a rebrand? We’d love to help you, contact us today and download our FREE brand worksheet to help get you started.