Does your business need a rebrand?

Rebranding is common place within business and tends to happen at several stages throughout a lifespan of any successful concern. This doesn’t necessarily mean a complete overhaul, but it’s important to review your brand regularly, to make sure it is working for you and helping your business achieve it’s goals.

Here we look at signs that it’s time for a rebrand.

* You’re apologetic about your brand

If you’re embarrassed to hand out your business card then it’s definitely time for a change. You should be proud of your marketing material, and be confident that it showcases your business in the best light.

* You’ve outgrown your brand

This is common within long standing businesses. What might have been an appropriate name or brand 10 years ago, may not be fitting for where the business is now. Times change, and you have to change with them to ensure you’re keeping up with (or outstripping) the competition.

* It’s too simple or too complicated

When you started out several years ago, you may have only provided 1 service. But as you have grown, you have adapted – now providing several different services in different sectors. Is your brand still advertising you appropriately for what you provide?

The opposite is also true. You may have started out providing the basics in lots of different areas, but as you have grown, have started to specialise in a few specific areas. Does you brand showcase your niche?

* There is lack of consistency within your brand

Consistency is paramount within your brand. Some companies may experiment with using new colours, logo variations, font types or graphical styles – which leads to confusion with their message. A re-brand can help streamline the way your business is presented and ensure it is consistent across the board. The creation of brand guidelines will provide the structure it needs to be carried through to all future marketing projects.

* Your clients have changed

Some companies grow with their customers, which may mean your branding is now too immature for your ageing client base. Client’s buying habits also change overtime. A lot more people now shop or search for services online. Does your brand transition on to the web and social media?

Lastly, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it!

If your brand is doing all the above and you are happy with the message it sends, then leave it. Rebranding can be an expensive exercise, and it needs to be done for the right reason. Clients like to work with companies they trust, and if you have not built up your brand enough for people to remember it, changing it may impact on their loyalty. Lots of big companies go through big re-branding processes only to revert to their original logo. Make sure there is a legitimate reason as discussed above as to why you need to rebrand and that way you won’t follow suit.