'When should I consider a rebrand?' Do you ask yourself this question every year?
I hear this question from business owners all the time, and to answer this question, there's no right time.
I get it, every year something new comes out, the trend change, you see someone in your industry is doing way better than you; still, you both offer the same stuff, you get discouraged, and you wonder what did you do wrong? Is it your brand, or for whatever reason makes you feel this way, I understand your concerns and want to let you know it's normal to feel this way. Before you start considering a rebrand, keep in mind that randomly wanting to rebrand when you wish to should not be the only reason to do so because everyone else is doing it. I mean, who doesn't have FOMO, right? We're all just trying to do the best we can, the best way we know-how. You should consider a rebrand only when you feel like your brand vision has changed.
In this blog post, I will address 5 great questions for you to ask yourself if your business is ready for a rebrand before you make that commitment to start.
1. WHAT IS YOUR BRAND VISION? HAS IT CHANGED SINCE YOU STARTED?
For startups, it's normal if you have already tweaked your brand once or twice since you started. I understand how you feel, and I went through the same struggle when I first started my business too. Perhaps, you are those who have been in business for 3-5 years already and start questioning if this is the right time to rebrand because everyone else is doing so.
Keep in mind, both rebranding too often or rebranding just for the heck of a rebrand can hurt your business. When your audience sees that you are continually changing up your brand message, it's a big no for them to make that commitment to you because they won't know how you can help them. If your business is doing well and you're already making the big bucks, just rebranding for the heck of it can confuse those who are already a big fan of yours. These examples can also hurt your brand because your colors and brand elements play a big part in your brand personality and the type of people you attract - it's essential to be very clear on your mission and vision.
2. HAS YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE CHANGED?`
When considering a rebrand, ask yourself if you are still serving the same audience from when you started your business. For example, when you first started, you provide services for your target audience, now your focus has changed to offer digital courses to individuals who want to grow their business in the same industry. When this happens, it may be time to consider updating your brand to serve your target audience.
3. HAS YOUR BRAND PERSONALITY CHANGED?
A lot has happened over the last few years; you no longer serve the same audience when you first started; therefore your imagery and visual branding is no longer irrelevant to your new target audience, this may be the time to consider a rebrand as well. To attract more of the new target audience that you want to gain visibility from, you may need to consider updating your logo, colors, or even fonts because they no fit the brand personality.
4. IS YOUR BRAND CONSISTENT?
As a business owner, not only do you have to play the role of an expert in your industry, but you also have tons of administration duties to take care of along with keeping up with your personal life; the list keeps ongoing. The last thing you want to do is add on another responsibility, like designing your brand. I've seen many amazing female entrepreneurs spend countless hours searching for DIY design projects ends up being unhappy with the results because of inconsistent branding, do not make this mistake. Brand INCONSISTENCY can hurt your brand and drive away those potential clients.
5. ARE YOU PROUD TO SHARE YOUR BRAND WITH THE WORLD?
I believe everyone is unique in their own way, you may offer the same thing as 10 other experts in your industry, but what makes you different is how you show up, connect, and keep up with those relationships you built with your audience/clients. Your brand must highlight your personality at the same time project what you do. It's important to be proud of your brand and share your story because you'll never know who needed to hear your story to change their life. I always tell my clients, your brand is YOU, it starts with your story, your WHY.
If you're not happy with what you have now because it doesn't reflect your personality, it might be time to consider a rebrand.