Branding pertains to much more than a company’s image. The web site, business cards, stationery and other promotional materials are just part of it. Everything from the company’s reputation, products or services, graphic design, customer relations, employees, facilities and much more affect how your business is seen in the marketplace.
After a while, even the most successful brands need to assess where the company has been in the marketplace and where it’s going. Rebranding initiatives allow businesses to stay important.
Here are some tips to know when it’s time for your brand to rebrand.
You’re forgettable. Flippant customer attention spans have dismissed your company as old news. Engagement is down. Crickets chirp in an office that was once bustling with activity filling orders and fielding customer service calls. What happened? Is your brand now bland?
Your business has outgrown its original mission statement. Perhaps the scope of your brand no longer caters just to one specific target audience or fits a new customer base entirely.
Marketing tools do not depict an accurate portrayal of your brand. If nothing matches, rebranding is a must.
Your target audience doesn’t know what your company stands for….and neither do your employees. A business may have a logo, a web site and corresponding marketing materials, but the message may still not be conveying the right image. Do your internal processes reflect the values set forth in your company? Do your employees understand your values? If not, a training session may be just what your company needs. Implement new strategies that correspond with what your organization stands for.
The market changed, but your business didn’t. The secret to longevity is about ebbing and flowing according to your customers’ needs. Small changes can be made along the way that make larger rebranding efforts easier in the future.
Your company has had the same look for 20 years. Like your favorite starlet, everyone needs a makeover from time to time. Industry-appropriate updates show that you are connected to what is current in your market.
The target audience outgrew you. Has technology changed? Do you still communicate primarily via direct mail when your clients are lighting up the social web? In this case, regroup and rebrand.
Your last rebranding effort made your brand unrecognizable to your target audience. The key is to update the image of your company without taking it too far. Retain the key values of what makes your company unique in your efforts to remain an important part of your customers’ experience.
Rebranding initiatives must embody your company’s values at the core. Sometimes organizations lose touch of what those values are. If done properly, rebranding can help struggling businesses rebuild and perpetuate success for thriving ones.
© BakerCreative
