If you've been in business for any length of time, you've probably heard the secret to a strong brand is consistency (that's even what we preach here at Happyland Creative™!). But it's a common misconception to think this means you're not supposed to change anything about your brand ever, ESPECIALLY not your logo.
In fact, that kind of thinking can hold your business back from growing and keep you from reaching the level you want to be at.
Now, let me be clear, you shouldn't be overhauling your brand every few months. There's no need to try to keep up with the ebb and flow of whatever's trending at the moment. Rather, think of your brand like a plant. A plant needs water and sunlight to thrive. Sometimes you need to move the plant to a different window if it's getting too much sun, or sometimes you need to water more or less depending on the symptoms the plant shows you. And when you're caring for your plant just right, it flourishes and eventually outgrows its pot.
Your brand needs to be monitored and tended to just like that plant. Keeping a watchful eye on it and making adjustments as needed will help ensure your brand will flourish and eventually grow so big it needs to be repotted.
So how do you know when your business has outgrown what you started with?
Here are six of the most common signs and symptoms letting you know it's time to rebrand.
Your brand feels amateur.
Other ways you may describe this feeling could be using words like "young," "homemade," or "DIY." You may feel like people are incorrectly judging the quality of your product based on how it looks. You may feel embarrassed to send someone to your website, or maybe cringe a little every time you see your logo because, whether you like your logo or not, it just doesn't feel like a good representation of your business.
Your brand feels disorganized.
It may be literally disorganized with assets scattered in various folders in different places. You may have files named "logo-final-1" and "logo-final-FINAL-1a." You may only have a few different files of your logo that feel really inflexible, like a JPG with a white background or a PNG that's too small and always looks pixelated when you try to use it. Or perhaps your brand feels visually disorganized, mismatched, and lacks overall cohesion. Maybe you use lots of different fonts, colors, or styles across various platforms leaving your brand a mismatched mess. No matter what kind of disorganization you're experiencing, the result is that nothing looks like it goes together leaving your brand feeling confused and you feeling frustrated.
Your brand doesn't feel unique.
It feels like everyone else is using the same fonts or colors you are and you're having trouble standing out from all the noise online. You feel like nothing about your brand feels meaningful and custom to YOU, like your logo could belong to anyone. Plus, your audience is getting you confused with that other business that does the same thing you do and you're losing business because of it. You may notice this by a lack of engagement or repeat customers.
Your website is hard to maintain.
If you're struggling to update or maintain your website, it's definitely time for an overhaul. It doesn't matter if you've been on the same platform for years or the audience facing part of your site looks great—if you can't easily manage the back end of your website you'll end up putting off updates and your website will quickly (and I mean VERY QUICKLY) become an outdated digital cobweb collector. If you feel like you want to throw your computer out the window every time you need to make a change on your website or you find yourself often saying "don't look at our website, look at our instagram instead," DO NOT wait another minute to reach out and get help to create a website you're excited to use.
You're not reaching the right audience.
You may notice this by a lack of sales. Perhaps you're getting lots of traffic but few people follow through on actually making a purchase. Or it could manifest in lots of inquiries but no sales. You might be hearing this a lot: "I love your business! I hope to become a customer one day!" If you've got lots of eyes on your business but your sales don't seem to match, there's a disconnect in your brand somewhere and you need some strategic investigation to find it.
You're shifting the direction of your business
Whether you're changing your products or services or rethinking the kind of customer you want your business to reach, a core shift in your business usually means it's time for a rebrand. Doing so will make sure your brand stays in alignment with your goals, as well as grab attention to attract more eyeballs to your business and let people know what you're about as you embark in a new direction.
And, of course, every situation is unique. You may be feeling completely different symptoms in your business that are showing you its time to refresh (or maybe you just feel like you're ready for an upgrade!)
Whatever the reason, when the time comes we've got your back. We'll help you determine the right course of action so you don't lose traction in your business and you can stay focused on growing your business to the multi-six and seven figure business you know it can be. Reach out today to start a conversation and see what's possible for the 2.0 version of your business by booking a complimentary info call.