IS IT TIME TO MAKEOVER YOUR BRAND?

5 signs that you might need a change

It has happened to us all. We’ve reached into our closet and picked out that t-shirt that we absolutely loved a couple of years ago, only to find that the colours have faded and there are moth holes on the sleeves. Things change, styles move on, and what we once thought was trendy and cutting edge now seems dated. 

What is true for your personal style goes double for your brand. As customer tastes change, brands have to move with the times, and there comes a time when growing brands find their original style just doesn’t suit their needs anymore.

But how do you know when it is time to refresh or rebrand? Are there any warning lights, red flags or subtle signs? If you aren’t sure whether your business needs a makeover, check out these top five signs that it’s time to mix things up!

• You keep making excuses for your business cards and website

‘Oh, ignore the front page, it’s an old website’. ‘Take my card…actually don’t worry, here’s my number and you’ve already got my email, right?’. 

Too often this sort of thing comes up when you are doing vital networking. You want to connect with the right people, but your materials and online assets just look old fashioned and out of date, and you feel the need to apologise or make excuses for them. If, deep down, you don’t feel confident that the first impression your brand is making is fresh and impactful, then you almost certainly need to refresh your look. Reach out to a design agency and discuss options with them. When your branding has a modern, exciting look and feel to it, you’ll feel more confident in pitches, and it will attract more customers and clients. So pay attention to that little voice that is telling you it’s time for a change.

• You look the same as your competitors

Being able to differentiate, to stand out from the crowd, is a vital part of running a successful business. Brands that haven’t changed their look for a while run the risk of fading into the background, and looking the same as everyone else. If you get the feeling that the things that made you stand out at the beginning have now been adopted by every other business in your market, then it might be time to change things up. Repositioning your brand and allowing its unique selling points to shine will help you differentiate yourself from the herd.

• Your brand is difficult to explain

Does your branding quickly and simply convey what your business is all about? Is your messaging easy to understand? Or do people struggle to work out just what it is that you excel at when they land on your website? As businesses grow and change it is natural that messaging, vision and objectives get more complex, and if you don’t update your branding regularly old messages can get in the way of your simple core offer. If your business is a bit of a jumble, and your fundamental story doesn’t come through clearly, then you might well need to refocus and simplify. Brands that can’t be summed up succinctly are usually less successful and finding and retaining customers, and your branding should be able to tell your story easily from the very first impression.

• Your name feels old

When you founded your company your name might have been just what was needed at the time. It might have been very personal, or incredibly apt, or just summed up what you do really well. But now, maybe your business has grown and changed, or maybe times have moved on, but your company name just doesn’t seem to fit, and it certainly doesn’t reflect and represent your company’s objectives. If this feels familiar, then don’t be afraid to completely rebrand!

• Your strategy has changed

This might be the biggest and most important reason to start working with a branding and design agency. Your business’s brand is an incredibly important part of your overall strategy, and essentially is the front line of your company’s customer relations. Your branding should always be a reflection of your core strategy…so if this has changed, why wouldn’t you change your branding too? New innovations, emerging markets, external factors – there are many reasons why your overarching strategy might have pivoted and shifted over the years. But when your aims, objectives and way of doing business changes, your need to change your branding as well!

When your brand is in need of a new look, there are always signs and ways to tell. If you are unsure about your look and feel, or considering whether a rebrand is in order, take a look at the list above and see if any of these ring any bells. A brand refresh can be the start of a new period of success, so don’t hesitate to change things up if a makeover is in order!