Rebranding is a process that every successful company will go through. It's an inevitable part of the growth of a business and the changing nature of a culture. Your brand is the idea that drives your company, and it's the experience that your customers have when they work with you or buy from you. Eventually, it will need to change. Your business will outgrow its original brand, or the brand will lose its appeal to the culture. At that point, you either rebrand the business, or you go out of business.
Rebranding is difficult and sometimes downright painful, and it can be difficult to know when it's time to do it. Here are some key things to look for.
This one is pretty simple. If people can't distinguish your brand from another one, something is wrong. Either you've been copied, or you're simply not unique enough to stand out anymore. This is a sure sign that you need to rebrand. If your business doesn't stand out from the crowd, it's going to have a hard time surviving.
Your brand is the way that your business is perceived by your customers and your competitors. If your business model doesn't line up with that, the brand needs to change. Your brand and your business model should always be aligned.
This is a great problem to have, but you do need to recognize it as a problem. There's a reason why food truck owners tend to rebrand a bit when they buy an actual restaurant - the business has scaled up and the competition is different. They're essentially in a higher-tier of quality and service, and the brand has to reflect that.
Branding that works in Austin isn't necessarily going to work in Chicago. Your brand needs to adapt to work in every market you serve. This doesn't mean that you need a different brand for every market, but rather a brand that will work anywhere.
The best way to recover from a poor reputation as a business is to rebrand. Of course, you have to actually fix the problems that caused the poor reputation in the first place, but, done right, that's usually what rebranding does. Uber did this recently, and Domino's did it before them. Even enormous companies like them have to rebrand to overcome bad reputations.
The costs of materials and overhead costs increase regularly, but convincing customers to pay more for a service or product than they're used to paying is difficult. Rebranding is the best way to do this. It sends a message about the quality of your business and gets people to realize that what you're selling is worth the price you're asking for it.
Your branding isn't just for customers, it's for potential employees too. The best talent wants to work at the best company. Rebranding your business can boost your appeal to the top talent out there.
If you need help rebranding your company or incorporating updated branding into your existing website, Sandcastle Web Design and Development is at your service.