How you know it’s time to re-brand?
As we get closer to the end of the year you might be feeling like your business is in need of a change after revisiting your goals from this year and seeing what worked and what didn’t. One thing that you might be considering is a rebranding. But what are some of the signs that you might look for when considering a change? Here are 6 reason why you might be ready for a rebranding of your business.
1: THE VISION FOR YOUR BUSINESS HAS CHANGED
When your identity and vision changes, it might confuse your customers as to who you are and what exactly you specialize in. So before making any big or small changes in your business structure, take an honest look at your business and see how is perceived by clients from the buyers perspective. For example, when I started by business 11 years ago I was the photographer that “shot it all” but my heart wasn’t with shooting family sessions and newborns even though it was the bulk of my business. I wanted to focus on senior portraits, personal branding, and weddings so I made changes to my brand and no longer marketed to families and took them off my website all together. When you look at my website and social media it obvious I don’t shoot families and children and that’s exactly what I want for my brand. I want it to be obvious what I specialize in.
2: YOU’RE CHANGING YOUR NAME
This is very common especially if your business is named after you. I have had photographer friends that started their business when they were single but then once they got married they wanted to change their name and this meant changing their business name as well. Other times business outgrow their names because it doesn’t reflect what they specialize in, it’s hard to remember, or confusing for clients. So if you feel like the original business name you came up with no longer reflects you then it’s time for a change up that is clear and consistent with what you offer for your customers.
3: YOU’VE GOTTEN A NEW LOGO
No matter what kind of business you own you will have competition, that’s just a fact. So if you were like many people starting a small business you chose a name and then created a simple and perhaps a non memorable logo and slapped it up on your website or store front. So if you’re in the process of changing your logo now is the perfect time to fully rebrand your business! Once you have decided on a new logo it’s time to show your clients what makes you different from the competition. Remember that a logo is just a small part of business branding. So make sure that whatever logo you choose it must clearly identify your business based on what you offer to your customers.
4: YOUR WEBSITE IS GETTING A FACELIFT
If your in the process of either designing a whole new website or just making a few changes to your existing one then this is the perfect time to rebrand and change several aspects of your overall brand. I rebranded about 5 years ago and I completely rebuilt my website from the ground up. While it took me months to really get it the way I wanted it to look it was the perfect timing because I was moving across the country. So I was marketing to a whole different area and type of client. So no matter if you're wanting a whole new fresh look or just changing the layout it's a great way to incorporate your new logo and launch your new website at the same time.
5: YOUR IDEAL CLIENT HAS CHANGED
If you’re having a hard time attracting your ideal customers, or are wanting to target a different audience, you may need to consider a rebranding of your business. You may have been the business that cast your net wide and attempted to draw in anyone and everyone that would pay you for your services. However, you might have found that this only means someone is coming to you because they want a good deal rather than investing in an experience. Here is where rebranding to clients that truly value what you do and become return customers is extremely important. Rebranding will show your future clients that you are different from the competition because you take note of what they like and want, that you understand their concerns, and and cater to their preferences.
6: YOU NEED TO BRING YOUR BUSINESS UP TODATE
Modernizing and refreshing your business is surprisingly common! So take an honest look at your business and brand as a whole and if it looks outdated then a fresh start might be what you need. This ties in with points 3 and 4, sometimes you just need a freshstart! If you haven’t had a rebrand in a couple decades you’re probably in need of a rebrand that is modern, flexible, so you can keep your existing customers happy and attract new ones at the some time.
Great advice, Nina…for any business. Speaking from my very own experience as a photographer, I’ve changed my logo and website colors with our move to Arizona in the beginning of the year. My beloved blue just wasn’t a good fit for my style especially since gravitating towards a warmer colors in my photographs.