A new year is often the perfect time for a fresh start. For many this is the perfect time to start a hobby or a business that has always been on the back burner. However, for those of us who already own a small business, we might be left to wonder “now what?” Just like the first of the year is great for a fresh start it’s also a great time to reevaluate your business and perhaps give it a fresh look!

First, let’s define a rebrand and a brand refresh. Here’s how I separate them:

Rebrand: Change the branding of a company – is often seen as more of an extreme, blunt change – taking a current company and changing core values, beliefs, and branding efforts to head in a new direction

Brand Refresh: keeping with the same core values and beliefs, but refreshing, or updating, different smaller components to match an updated visual appearance, value, or service.

In other words: a rebrand is a BIGGER breakdown and reconstruction of a current brand/branding efforts while a brand refresh keeps a large portion of the current branding efforts, but elevates them and updates them.

So with that in mind, let’s talk about if it’s time for you to rebrand or refresh your current branding.

Here are just a few reasons that might tell you it’s time for you to rebrand/refresh:
1. Your current brand is not attracting your ideal clients
2. Your company’s vision has changed
3. You’re ready to book higher-end or higher price point clients
4. You’re focusing in on a specific clientele.
5. Your current branding efforts are outdated

With that in mind, I often see first time business owners making the mistake of rebranding too frequently. Maybe you’re at this same place where you keep trying to create a brand for your company that both you and your clients love, but you just can’t get it right. So, you keep changing your brand every few months, and you can’t get anything to click! Sound familiar?

If this is you, I would love to suggest to hold on. While it’s great that you want to see positive change in your business, and instead of waiting around for it, you’re doing something about it! However, changing your brand constantly is a recipe for disaster. If you find yourself changing your branding colors, your logo, your website, your editing style, your posing style, your marketing materials every few months because you can’t stick with one – you’re not doing what’s best for your business. Instead of hoping around, I would suggest taking some time – weeks, maybe even months – to research what you really love, and more importantly, what your customers really love. Then, when you rebrand, stick with whatever you’ve decided unless you have factual proof that what you want to change isn’t as profitable as it could be.

Why is changing my brand frequently a bad thing?

Changing your brand frequently can cause customers to become confused. It’s basically like they’re having an identity crisis with your company. That’s not a good thing! Customers need consistency, and when you constantly change who you are, customers can’t quickly grip on to a new idea again and again! So, even if it takes you a little bit of time to decide what you want to do for a rebrand, it’s smart to take your time, make educated decisions, and move forward with confidence. Will you make mistakes? YES! It’s bound to happen, but you’ll just have to learn how to adapt!

What made you decide to do a brand refresh?

If you haven’t heard – I’m getting a new website and new refreshed brand! Wohoo! I’m so excited to share what I’ve been working on for the past several months. I decided to refresh my brand because I started to feel that my current brand was holding me back from more sales. I love what I created when I was just starting out. It has served my business well, but now, I’m ready for a more elevated brand that can meet the needs of my clients.

I hope these tips will help you decide your next steps in your company’s brand!

xoxo,