What Are The Key Signs It’s Time To Rebrand?

 

 

By Sara Poljak, Brand & Editorial Lead at RCCO 

Defining your brand is very important as it tells the world exactly who you are, what you do and how this benefits your target audience. Defining your company’s brand according to your offering and core values is key. It’s so much more than the name and logo, your brand is your core messaging and how your business communicates with the market and your audience. As the famous Marty Neumeier defines it, your brand is “the gut feeling your audience gets about your product, service, or organization.” (The Brand Gap by Marty Neumeier) If your brand doesn’t resonate with your target audience, they simply won’t see you and established customers will start to lose trust in your business. 

The decision to rebrand is not an easy one, as there needs to be a strong reason to undertake the rebranding process. Furthermore, timing is vital to its success – but if done well, your business will boom, enjoying new growth, greater trust, and the ability to stand out from the crowd more easily. 

Key Signs The Time Is Right For A Rebrand

Recognising when to rebrand will be a key factor in its success and internal changes should play an important role. Some brands are very recognisable and won’t need significant change for a long time, whilst others will rebrand after a short time because the company might alter something internally whether that’s positioning, audience or offer for example. Rebranding shouldn’t be something that businesses rely on to initiate these changes, but it should reflect the changes that happened – or are happening.

Different Times

Branding assets such as name, logo, colours and fonts that were chosen to reflect the business when it was founded, or during a previous rebrand, will not necessarily reflect that same business if it went through internal and external changes based on the market and industry requirements.

Different Audiences

If your business has changed then it’s likely your target audience has too. As each audience looks for different requirements in a product or service, it’s vital you know exactly who you’re targeting and that your brand matches and supports this goal. 

Different USPs

If your USP (unique selling point) has evolved over time, then you need to rebrand in order to stand out from the crowd. It may be that your offering has become too like your competitors’ or that the one thing that differentiated you from the crowd has changed, and it’s important this is reflected in your messaging through your brand. 

Different Business

If your company has changed significantly since the early days, this needs to be reflected in your brand. It could be that you started your business on a small budget and now it’s very successful or it might be your values that have changed over the years – if your company is a different entity today, make sure your image reflects this. 

How To Rebrand

The first thing to do is go back to basics – think long and hard about your business, how it looks and feels now and if it truly feels realistic to who you are, your growth and your achievements. Does it make your offering clear to your target audience, or can you see any misalignments? Is there anything that doesn’t sound quite right? Anything you think needs to change? Decide what you want the new brand to achieve, whether this is to start talking to a different audience or attract a new one, increase trust or improve engagement on social media. It is important to start the rebranding process with clear expectations. Once you know your goal, you might be getting ready for a funding round, for instance, you can start the process.

The initial process involves understanding your market, competitors and industry, and establishing just how you want your business to be seen within the marketplace and against your competitors. Simplify exactly what your business has to offer and why this is different to other businesses offering a similar service or product. 

When you’re ready, roll your new brand out internally so that you can incorporate your employees’ feedback into the finished brand, before launching externally. 

Rebrand Types 

When considering your brand and deciding if it’s time for a rebrand, remember that there are different types, and you don’t always need a complete overhaul to breathe new life into your business. 

Refresh

Refreshing your brand involves making smaller changes to the messaging and look of your business. Usually, with a refresh, there’s an update to the logo and tweaked visuals. 

Partial 

You might want to do a partial rebrand if there’s a particular change to the business, such as a new service offering, or a new product launch. You want to adjust your brand’s visual identity and messaging to reflect this. 

Full 

A full rebrand involves a complete overhaul of your business – your name, logo, values, and everything about your existing brand changes. A rebrand enables a business to reinvent itself, reach new markets and audiences, and stand out from its competitors.