When Is It Time To Rebrand Your Business?

This year was really challenging for many businesses. Some didn’t succeed to continue working, while others have to change the way they communicate with clients or the way they deliver products or services. It was important to act fast, not to be afraid of change and to take a risk. Everything became a risk at a certain point.

We want to use the Covid-19 situation as a great example of the moment when you realize your branding and visual identity doesn’t serve a purpose anymore and you need to change it. Here are 5 questions you need to answer before you take the next step in rebranding your company.

1. What is your reason for rebranding? Why do you really need it?

Be rational when answering this question. Maybe you have a situation like Covid-19 in which all parameters of your brand have changed so the brand needs to change too. But maybe you just realized that you have made some mistakes in the first place and you need a change. If this is a reason, see if the moment is right or you could wait a bit more.

The crucial thing is not to make changes just because you think you need one. The process of rebranding is sometimes more complex than the process of branding in the first place and it is important to be careful.

2. What will it cost me in time and money?

Put it on paper. If you did your branding without a professional the first time, now is the time to hire a pro who will work on your rebranding from start to finish. But if you have branding that works and communicates well to your customers be sure you will see benefits from something new.

Rebranding takes time to be finished but also to be implemented and recognized among customers. All those things are costs you will have. And also there is a risk that it will not function well with customers. So the best advice is to hire a professional agency for everything, maybe even pay more, but to be sure you are operating with the low risk.

3. What is the problem?

Find this answer and write it in one sentence. Maybe you will figure out you don’t need rebranding. And maybe you will just find out which aspects you need to be focused on. Is it the way you communicate as the market different due to the circumstances created by the Covid-19 pandemic? Do your new customers require a whole new visual identity? Or is it just time for an update so that you can grab the attention of new and old customers alike?

Whatever your answer is, be aware that it may lead you through the whole process and the right answer is actually a great beginning of a strategy for rebranding.

4. What story do you want to tell?

We are sure your brand already has a story and it tells it with every part of the communication process. When rebranding you just need to maintain what works and add new elements. Your customers still want to recognize the values you share, so this is something it is not good to change.

But you may do something revolutionary. You may surprise and shock as rebranding is also a great opportunity to have a great marketing campaign and make people keep an eye on you.

This actually means that you need to answer even more questions: who are you, and how do you communicate with your customer?

5. Who are you telling your story to? 

This is your last question here, but it is the first question of every process you start. Knowing your customers is crucial! If you change your branding you have to know your customer really well to be sure they will like the change.

Maybe a good strategy is to ask your customers if you have the opportunity, not only what they like, but what they don’t like. What changes for them are hard to accept? And moreover, would they be ready to accept changes? Of course, if they say NO this doesn’t mean you will listen to them, as there are strategies to handle changes. It is often the case that people are resistant to change, initially.

After you answer all these questions, you will be closer to knowing whether you need to rebrand or not. But it’s not the end of answering questions, it‘s just the beginning. After finding a great agency for this job, you need to sit down and answer even more questions in order to find the best possible solutions for your brand.

Good luck!