You are joining us at the perfect time! We’re just beginning a 5-part series on how to rebrand your business. Whether rebranding is the right answer for your business or not, this is a smart question to ask yourself every so often to ensure you’re managing a healthy brand and taking advantage of every opportunity to improve your business’s image. Let’s get started by asking the most critical question…
Do I need to rebrand?
The answer to this question isn’t always yes. For as many rebranding success stories you’ll find, you can also compare them against the many rebranding fails (take a look at these). Rebranding requires a lot of work and can be a risky move. When you think your business is in need of a complete branding overhaul, carefully weigh the pros against the cons.
People often forget that true branding is not just your logo. It’s the public perception and emotional attachment to your business that are years in the making. When you think of it this way, you’ll better understand why beginning the journey of rebranding is a big – and powerful – step.
For businesses who have experienced success as a result of rebranding, they could justify this decision because at least of the following sentences was personally true for. Let’s take a look at what these are and I urge you to carefully consider whether any of these sentences ring true for you as well.
- My brand lacks clarity.
When people see your logo, website and marketing materials, are they able to easily identify what service or product you provide? Your brand needs to quickly and clearly communicate what you do. Brand clarity also applies to communicating why people should want to do business with you (i.e. how you’re different from the competition or the value and quality of service you offer). If you hand someone your business card and they still have to ask you what it is you do, this sentence is likely true of your brand.
- My brand does not appeal to my target audience.
Your brand needs to speak to the people who are actually going to spend money with you. While it may be cool to have a trendy, abstract logo with slang in your tagline, if your core customer base is age 65+, you are not going to appeal to them. Hopefully you’ve nailed down the demographics of your target audience (if not, definitely stay tuned for next week’s blog!). Does your brand reflect this research? If not, this sentence is likely a true statement of your brand.
- My brand does not align with my current mission and/or future vision of my company.
Your business should be constantly evolving. You should be honing in on the products or services that make you money and narrowing down your target audience so that marketing to them is a science. Because of this evolution, it’s understandable that your brand may need to be altered as well to keep up with these changes. Whether you’re going through something as drastic as a merger or acquisition or you simply discovered your target audience has proven to be different than who you thought they would be 5+ years ago, this sentence may be true for your brand.
- My employees don’t feel connected to or accurately represented by our brand.
Just as your brand is the public’s perception and emotional connection to your business, it is also you and your employees’ perception and emotional connection to the business. You should be excited to hand out your business card, visit your website or review your marketing materials. If you’ve found that your staff have become apathetic or embarrassed by your brand, this is likely because they can no longer relate to it. If this is the case, rebranding may help you pump excitement back into your business.
When you said these sentences, were any true of your brand right now? Then you’ll definitely want to stay tuned for next week’s post as we continue our 5-part rebranding series with expert advice on how to reevaluate your customer base.
And remember…rebranding alone won’t fix a poorly run business or a broken process any more than a bandage will fix a gaping wound. When venturing down the road to rebranding, be sure to reevaluate all aspects of your business to identify weak spots!
Join in the conversation by commenting below!
The Comm Entrepreneur 
Reblogged this on Gr8fullsoul.
Reblogged this on Boston Metro Marketing and commented:
Great series.
When it comes to rebranding, I strongly agree with the second and third point, target audience and aligning the brand and mission statement. Most of all, the marketing of a business must be 100 percent directed to the target audience.
Aligning the brand and mission statement must be a priority because these two marketing techniques form the overall public relations of a business. Companies often evolve for the best, but the brand and mission statement must stay up to date to have a well rounded PR strategy.
Very well put, Rachel. I especially agree with your point that even while a business might evolve and grow, it’s brand will not necessarily follow unless a conscious effort is made to keep it updated and relevant. Thank you for commenting!