6 signs it’s time for a rebrand
15/10/2018
Your brand is more than a name or a logo; it creates trust, recognition and is a promise and an emotional contract with each and every customer.
Visual: How the business looks. Logo, fonts, design, colours, imagery.
Verbal: How the business sounds. Company name, voice/tone, messages, website copy.
Experience: How the business acts. Policies, customer service, hiring.
However, when do you know it’s time for a rebrand? If any of the below apply to your company, it may be something to consider.
1. Your brand vision/benefits have changed
-You may have launched your business to initially provide A, B and C for people, but over the years, the business shifted to provide different benefits based on market trends or customer feedback. Look at Amazon – starting out as an online bookseller, and evolving over the years to now provide, well, almost anything and everything. Their main rebrand took place in 2000, 5 years after they began, as they were branching out into other areas, and their logo and tagline were no longer relevant to their offerings. Consider what people think of when they look at your site, your logo, your social media pages. Does your branding project what you offer?
2. You’re embarrassed to hand out your business card or web address
-What was once a fresh and modern site in 2010, just won’t hold up today. People are spending more and more time online, and websites are expected to be fast, responsive, and user friendly – not unfair expectations, but some that so many companies trip up on. Sometimes, the old one is still working, but it can almost always be doing more. Unless you’re hot on the analytics, do you know how many people are turned away by your site? How many more people would’ve hit ‘Contact us’ if they had been impressed by your site? Consistent and up to date branding is essential in both creating new leads and retaining your existing customers.
3. You want to shake off an image
-In the ever-changing digital landscape, things can go south very quickly. Overnight, a word can suddenly have very negative connotations, or be associated with some sort of scandal. Suddenly, the Google search results are full of the latest news about X Thing, and X Company is losing sales. One (very extreme) example - when ISIS originally surfaced, many companies with Isis or something similar in their names suddenly found themselves with declining sales – some high street stores were even harassed. Sometimes, the negativity can be short lived, so never rush into a rebrand from a negative association – it may die down – but it’s something to keep in mind.
4. You want to tap into a new demographic
-Say you want to appeal to the 18-24 demographic. You’ll now need social media, modern and clean branding, and likely a quick wit. Maybe your site was getting that market 5 years ago, but sales have started to drop off. There’s no catchy social posts to remind them that you exist, to tag friends in, to share. Your site might remind them of one shown in a movie as being -old-, and unintuitive to navigate. If you want to change your audience, make sure you’re using the right tools to do so. Running a flashy marketing campaign won’t mean anything if once people get to your site, they don’t stay there.
5. You want to push ahead of the competition
-Your main competitor has just launched their new website, with their own integrated e-commerce system, flashy new branding, a sharp logo, and a hip social media manager at the helm of their online accounts, armed with sassy responses. People want to connect with that company, their posts will end up being screenshotted and shared, the consumers will end up doing the marketing for them. If you have a choice between a company using the same website they’ve had for the last 15 years, a logo that looks like it was made on Microsoft Paint, and very little online presence, or a company with a clear and consistently branded site, up to date with all the latest info, regular posts about relevant articles and what’s going on, and a smooth user experience, who would you go for?
6. Your offerings/price points have changed
-If you’re selling high value/prestige items or services, you want your branding to exude the right aura. Keeping things current inspires customers to trust the company. Say you came across two stores on a high street, selling diamond rings for £1000 a pop. Are you going to go into the brightly lit store, with attractive colours and eye catching displays, or the one with peeling paint, shadowy corners, and a weird feeling that you just can’t figure out? Inspiring confidence in customers when they are looking to make a high commitment purchase is key.
Examples of rebranding we've done for clients:
If you need help with rebranding, why not talk to Jane on 01223 873349 or email info@catfishwebdesign.com