Do you actually need a rebrand?
Have you ever tried to redesign your brand logo, visuals, and layout but don’t feel like you’re seeing the desired impact from it? You’ve tried to grow your brand by giving it a “new look and feel” but the results are different from what you expected. You probably know that some changes need to be made, but you are not sure what exactly you want to change and how to begin.
As entrepreneurs, service providers and coaches, it is normal to feel stuck in your journey. You can take a deep breath and pause for a moment here. You’re not alone! So many people like you feel like they’re missing something in their brand. They feel that they’re not aligning with how they’re presenting their brand.
And perhaps, this is how you’ve been feeling.
You look at your website, and you don’t feel proud of it anymore. As you review the sales, you know you can do better but you are unsure about what changes you need to make.
Perhaps a potential solution is… A REBRAND! Right?
Well, not exactly! Yes, potential solution, but not always the ONLY solution.
Rebranding your visuals isn’t always the answer
When you feel misaligned with your brand, you often think the core problem is your brand identity. You think the answer to the brand’s success lies in the visuals and if you upgrade the visuals everything will work out. And while in some cases that’s true, that it’s really the visuals that’s holding them back, but for most cases that’s not the only thing.
Good visuals matter. A cohesive brand identity leads to a memorable and distinctive brand experience, but good visuals cannot replace poor products and services. They cannot replace the lack of trust from your customers towards your brand. These are some things that good visuals cannot replace.
And maybe you have great products and services, amazing customer service, and cohesive visuals.. but you’re still not converting those customers!! Ugh… What’s wrong now? Well, maybe it’s your onboarding process? There are many things that might need an upgrade aside from just visuals because building a brand and running a successful business go beyond just visuals.
What makes brand identity a failure isn’t that the design isn’t good enough, but it’s because it’s not backed up by an established brand strategy that actually ensures every touch point in the brand experience aligns with the customers.
Rebranding goes beyond just upgrading your brand identity
One thing that we realise as we work in the branding industry is that when people ask for a “rebrand” for their business, what they meant mostly revolves around a new logo design, a new palette of colors for their brand, and anything that revolves around the visuals of the brand.
That mindset has made lots of entrepreneurs think they have “rebranded” their business once they have changed their logo or visual aspects.
We also found a lot of people who started their company’s branding by designing their business’ logo first.
It’s not until way later that they would define their goals, purpose, and customers…when it should have been the other way around.
Your brand is SO MUCH MORE than just visuals!!
While it is true that logo, palette, and designs for marketing materials are important for your business, growing your brand and rebranding your business require more than just upgrading your visuals.
Sure, your visuals are a part of your brand. As Marty Neumeier said, “A logo is a very useful tool for a business, but it’s not the brand. It’s a symbol for the brand.”
He also further explained in his book, “The Brand Gap”, that “A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product, service, or company. You can’t control the process, but you can influence it.”
Consumers are NOT buying from businesses anymore, they buy from people they adore or relate to! Lets help you rebrand your service biz into a professional, personality- infused brand so that you can stand out in your space and create a community of super fans ✨
And you can build this perception in so many ways.
Coming up with strong visuals that represent the company’s values and speak to the target customer is one of them, but… maybe not the first and only step? Keep reading and let’s talk more about rebranding.
Rebranding your business: Where to start?
Now that we know upgrading your visuals and logo should not be the first step to take when we want to do rebranding (or branding).. where should we start?
Developing your brand strategy
If you have always thought of branding as just visuals, it’s okay.
It doesn’t mean that your business is now in ‘trouble’.
It means that this is a good time to pause, bring in a brand partner, and dig deep into your goals, vision, and customers to map out your brand strategy.
💡 How do I define my brand strategy?
In our previous article, we took an in-depth dive into brand strategy and what that would look like for you as entrepreneurs, service providers and coaches. It’s about getting clear on your vision and goals—your brand purpose!
It’s about knowing your super fans and evaluating your entire brand experience, from your messaging, website, onboarding process, and much more.
Not sure if you can go through all these steps on your own? No worries!! We can walk with you step-by-step to figure out your brand strategy. We’re here to be your brand partner!
A brand strategy is a company’s plan on how to develop its brand. It is the bridge between where your brand currently is and where it wants to be. A brand strategy contains steps on how to get your brand to where it aims to be.
An important thing to keep in mind is that to come up with an effective brand strategy, you need to know who your ideal target client is as different clients require different approaches, and your ideal target client is your brand’s super fan.
This brings us to your next important thing to do when you want to rebrand or build your brand: knowing your ideal client.
Knowing your dream client , a.k.a. super fans!
A super fan is someone who does not only buy your products and services but someone who loves your brand. And beyond that, they are so enthusiastic about your brand to the point where they would naturally share about your brand to others for free, through word-of-mouth marketing or referrals.
So, you absolutely want to get these people on board!
You want them to know about your brand and stick with you.
As you build your brand or rebrand your business, you want to keep them in mind as the people that you want to build trust and connection with.
Super fans are your brand’s target market as they are the group of people that will increase your sales and bring in new customers for you.
Creating an action plan
Once you what your brand is, who you want to target, and what strategy you will use, you can start coming up with an action plan that aligns with your goals and speaks to your super fans.
Part of this action plan may include changing your logo, colour palettes, or making promotional materials. It can also include more than upgrading your visuals because there are things that your visuals cannot replace.
Maybe you want to revamp your products and services, work on your customer service, and come up with more engaging loyalty programs for your customers.
The key is that this action plan comes after you define your brand strategy, not before. It is at this point that you’ll have clarity whether you need a rebrand or not for your business.
TL:DR Takeaways
- Branding is not something you do just once, it requires you to evaluate your brand and business all the time and adjust as you go.
- Rebranding means you get to build a brand identity that aligns more with your brand strategy and super fans.
- A strategy-led rebranding not only strengthens your relationship with your current loyal customers but also helps you to reach out to your other super fans out there.
- Strong rebranding differentiates your brand from your competitors.
Want to transform your business and build a professional, personality – infused brand?
Evaluating your brand, coming up with brand strategies, and rebranding your business are brave steps you can take as entrepreneurs to grow your brand.
You don’t have to do this alone, we’re here for you to be a part of that journey!
Let’s build a strong brand and grow into a sustainable business so you can share your influence and purpose, and reach those big brand goals!
