If your business brand is not performing well or you simply feel bored with it, you may assume that it’s time for a complete rebranding. While that may be true, sometimes the brand simply needs some refreshing. Below are some tips to help you pinpoint the problem areas so you can determine exactly how much change your brand really needs.
Discover the Pros and Cons of Your Brand as It Stands Today
You’re probably at this point in the lifespan of your brand because certain things about it have made you feel uncomfortable lately. For example, perhaps the website content describing it is outdated or customers don’t seem to have the same ideas about the purpose of the brand that your company does. Be sure to write down as much as you can remember about each instance where something about your brand just didn’t feel quite right.
With this list as a starting point, include what you love and feel neutral about regarding your brand as well as what you wish you could change. Start your brainstorming session by jotting down general ideas and then take that list and get more concrete. It will help to clarify goal-setting moving forward.
Keep Long-Term Goals in Mind
Changing your business brand will affect the way that people view it for years, if not decades. The way you envision your brand in the future uncovers the desires that motivate you to make changes today. Before you make a significant change, consider whether it reflects your deepest values or not. If you change your brand just because everyone else is, it will come off as inauthentic and possibly drive customers away rather than attract them.
Is it Time for a New Customer Persona?
Perhaps you wrote a customer persona for your brand more than five years ago and you’re not sure whether you’re still targeting the same demographics. Part of updating or overhauling your brand is knowing exactly who your company’s brand serves.
The first step in creating a new customer persona is to research your brand’s market and determine who needs your product or service the most. It’s also a good idea to conduct market research with past and current customers to learn more about the benefits of buying your brand from their perspective. Consider how your brand can meet a customer need that nothing else can meet before undertaking any rebranding efforts.
Should You Update or Overhaul?
Now that you have considered likes, dislikes, long-term goals, and the ideal customer, look at your lists again to see which one is longer. A shorter list of dislikes usually means you only need to make minor changes such as changing the design of your business card.
The more dislikes you have, the more likely it is that your business brand could use an overhaul. However, it’s useful to think of it in terms of pruning a tree rather than pulling it out by its roots and starting over. Our business consultants would be happy to assist you with this process, no matter how large or small the final project.
Lowcountry Business Advisors in Greater Charleston, SC strives to use our experience and passion to help business owners achieve their goals. Let’s meet for coffee and see how we can work together.
