Five Reasons to Consider Rebranding
Your brand is more than just your company name and logo. Your brand is the entire set of impressions that your company expresses to the world at large and your clients in particular. It communicates what your company does, and how you interact with your customers. Your brand is how you tell YOUR story in a visual way. As your company ages, your customer base evolves and changes over time, and sometimes it is important to rebrand.
When should my company consider rebranding? Below are some ways that you can know that the time is right for rebranding.
Rebrand to distinguish yourself from your competition
Your brand should not only tell your story to your customers, it should tell it in a way that is exciting, moving, and memorable. Your clients are savvy. They won’t just hit the top result in the search engine anymore. They will browse your website and those of your competitors. If you have a stock website that looks like everyone else, you’ll get lost in the crowd. You need to make sure that your brand stands out, your website is working, and that your customer will remember you in a positive and distinct way.
Rebrand to give a fresh look to outdated materials
That 1990s color palette and clip-art logo are saying something about your business. Do you like what they are saying? Styles change, and while you don’t want to run away from your past, your business needs to look like it is in touch with your client of today. If you hate to hand out your business card or to direct people to your website, it’s probably past time for an update to your brand. Your website and digital presence are often the first contacts that prospective clients will have with your company. If your website is slow and out of date - you are right - that will be the first impression of YOU.
Rebrand when your business evolves
Sometimes rebranding is needed when your company has changed or outgrown its original mission. There is a tension between making a business name say exactly what it is that you provide or sell and giving yourself room to expand as your market changes. If you started off selling only mattresses but are expanding into other bedroom furniture, your branding needs to change to reflect your growth. Otherwise it will limit your reach.
Rebrand when your customer base changes
It may be time to re-brand when you are trying to attract new audiences or to become more appealing to your current audience. Whether it is a new market opportunity, or a change in technology when your customer base changes, you need to consider if your current brand is still telling your story in the way that you want.
Rebrand when you are sending the wrong message
While it is definitely important to build and maintain “brand consistency”, when your logo says the wrong things to your audience, it’s time to give it a face lift. If your current branding says “old, stogey, out of touch”, then you need to change that impression. We can help you rebrand without losing the original identity. Sometimes it is merely adding another color or changing the spacing. We have the experience you need to make decisions on rebranding in a way that does not waste the value of your current identity.
Before you rebrand, do your due diligence. Research what you are doing well and what needs to change. It is crucial that you are able to clearly state your company’s mission and values.
Have you been thinking about taking your business in a new direction? What you have been doing for years may not be the strategy needed to continue to grow. If you are looking at a new strategy, you might want to think about a new look. You wouldn’t present yourself in an investor meeting in a 20 year old suit, would you? If your brand is a bit too snug or just out of date, rebranding can help present your best face to the world again.
We can help businesses rebrand, keeping their signature elements and packaging them in a style that speaks to today’s clients. With your brand spread across the web, social media, print and digital advertising, it helps to have a partner that will make sure that you are sending a consistent and powerful message that YOUR customers will respond to.
11 Fingers has affordable packages for businesses who want to freshen up their look, expand into new markets, or even re-brand themselves entirely.