5 signs you know it’s time to re-brand

 

by Vanessa Cardwell, MD, Bite IT Marketing.

Is your brand telling the story you want it to? Does your messaging reflect where you are today or is the market changing around you and you are struggling to retain your position?

Rebranding your company’s look and feel, messaging and goals can be tough – and it’s more than just a shiny new logo. Although you need to tread carefully here too , I still don’t think I’m over that weird 2012 Olympic Games logo, and as for the Marathon to Snickers re-brand, I don’t care if I show my age here… I’m definitely not over that yet!

Anyway I digress, these are big consumer brands of course, however, having just gone through a re-branding exercise myself and having managed numerous others throughout my marketing career for B2B companies, from the BBC to small tech resellers, here are some tips that might help you in your re-branding journey.

1.       You tell people what you do but none of your marketing materials (your website or your brochures) reflect your business now

Your website needs to be your shop window, and the supporting materials you use – whether email, business cards, sales letters or brochures also need to reflect the same brand message and visual identity. Consider who you are and what you do, what information your customers need to find about you and across which platforms.

2.      You tell people what you do, and they look confused

Actually I should replace ‘people’ in that sentence to ‘customers’. You tell your customers or your target market what you do and they look confused. People could mean anyone, I mean my mother-in-law will never get what I do (sorry Sheila). We’ve all heard of the elevator pitch – a good one should take no more that 20 – 30 secs to deliver and get your message across clearly. Test it with friends and colleagues and refine as you go.

3.      The market place is changing and you feel you are getting left behind

Many things can change your market-place from new competitors and new regulations to new digital trends and customer demands. Staying close to your customers and picking their brains is a great place to start in trying to understand the direction in which the market is going – are there any needs that you could potentially fill? Also stay close to the competition, what are they doing well and how are they reacting to new trends in the market place? Don’t copy from them of course, but select ideas that might potentially work for you and build upon these. Make them your own.

4.     Your website & design elements look dated

I favour all things simple when it comes to web design. If you have anything distracting and flashing, garish colours, dated typography or a clunky looking logo – it will most certainly be time for a re-vamp. It’s important to stay up to date on new developments so your website and other design elements don’t look dated.

5.      You have no presence on social media

I think we have probably all pretty much accepted that social media can no longer be avoided. I’m a fan, I’ve had business come my way direct through social media in the past. If you have concluded you need a re-brand, a part of your strategy should seriously consider on which social media platforms you need a presence, to boost your reach and engagement and grow your brand presence.

Finally, the good news is a re-brand does not need to involve huge sums of money. Here at Bite IT Marketing, we regularly work with small to mid-sized companies who don’t have the budget for big re-branding projects. If you want quality advice on your messaging, visual design, website design and build, then get in touch to discuss our ‘Re-Brand for 3 Grand’ digital packages. Perfect for small to mid-sized companies who want expert strategic direction and a re-branding package to suit their budgets and get them noticed. Fill in your deets below and we’ll be in touch.