Rebranding: When is it time to hire a branding agency?
As a business owner, hiring a branding agency is most likely on your wishlist of things to do in the future. Maybe you're looking to hone your existing brand positioning, or perhaps you're craving a larger scale overhaul. Whatever the case may be, one thing is certain: having a consistent, impactful brand story is the single best way to generate new leads and attract the right customers. Not sure if now is the right time for a brand makeover? Read below to find out.
What are the signs it's time to rebrand?
Your branding is inconsistent. If you feel hesitant handing out your business card or sharing your URL, that may mean your brand story isn't translating as well as it could to your target audience. Brand identity isn't just about having a clear internal vision for your business and what you do -- it's ensuring that this identity is consistent, visible, and memorable in every dimension of your business. In fact, according to Forbes, presenting a brand consistently across all platforms can increase revenue by up to 23%.
You aren’t getting new business leads (or it's going too slowly). This could reflect a lack of trust and connection between your brand and your customers. What does that have to do with rebranding strategy? Branding builds trust. Period. There's no better way to earn a customer's trust than creating a strong, reliable brand identity.
You are constantly explaining your worth (people aren’t getting it from your branding). Do you offer too many disjointed services that don’t share a common thread and/or don’t align with your overall brand story? Is it difficult to explain what it is you do and for whom? This might indicate your brand is too complicated, or is getting lost on your audience. A Harvard Business Review study shows that customers who are fully emotionally connected to a brand are 52% more valuable than those who aren’t.
You aren’t attracting your ideal client. It isn't enough to simply generate leads. You need to get the right leads at the right time in order to grow your business. Attracting the wrong clients could signal a disconnect between your brand message and your target audience. Has your business changed and evolved since its inception, and if so, are you shifting toward a different audience? Does your brand identity reflect these changes in your target market? If not, it could be time for an evolution in your branding strategy.
Your branding assets (i.e. logo, image, name, slogan) are outdated. Does your brand show its age? It shouldn’t. A brand should honor a company’s history without looking like it’s gathering cobwebs. Rebranding can give your business the innovative, cutting edge feel that it needs to stand out among the competition.
Maybe you decide that yes, it's time to reevaluate your brand. Yet few organizations have the time or expertise to do this on their own. And what's more, a team might be so close to the brand and its story that they have difficulty evaluating it objectively. What's next?
How do I know it's time to hire a branding agency?
You just don't have the time. Maybe rebranding has been on your to-do list for months or years now, but you never seem to find the time to give it your all. This is understandable. Many of us are so busy managing the daily operations of a business that it's tough to hit pause and invest in larger-scale change. If you find yourself constantly pushing rebranding strategy to the bottom of your list, it's probably time to hire a branding company.
You're at a loss over where to begin. Rebranding can feel overwhelming, to say the least. We may recognize there are problems in our branding, but honing in on specific issues and solutions is a whole other ballgame. Branding agencies have the expertise to evaluate your brand identity on a holistic level, identifying actionable ways to move your business forward. And the best branding agencies know how to do this while maintaining your business's core values and customer base.
You want a fresh perspective. One perk of a branding company is that it offers an outside perspective, a fresh take on how to develop your brand. Maybe your business has been around for so long that it's difficult to imagine the brand in any other way. Or perhaps you're a younger company looking for rebranding tips as you head into the next phase of growth. Whatever the case, hiring a branding firm can give you an honest, refreshing perspective on optimizing your brand identity.
Okay, so you've decided it's time to rebrand, and you want to hire a top branding agency to help guide you. What should you look for in a branding company before signing on?
How do I identify the best branding agencies?
They offer coaching sessions. You might not realize it but know you and your team know your business's brand and story better than anyone. In working with a branding agency, it's important to share your vision for where the brand's been, where it is now, and how you envision its future. Choose a design firm or branding agency that is committed to working closely with you and your leadership team. This may include "coaching sessions" that allow insight into what's working and not working with your brand positioning. Close collaboration and coaching will maximize the impact the branding agency has on your rebranding strategy. Click here to learn more about The Look and The Feel's branding services.
They have a story-based approach. Your brand story is at the heart of who you are as a business. You need a branding agency that doesn't just know your brand's history, but mobilizes this as a way of creating a compelling narrative that clients latch onto. What are the fundamental needs your business is providing for? What is the tone, feel, and voice of your company? What is the story of the clients you want to attract? Finding an agency that gets to the core of who you are and what makes you tick is essential to successful rebranding.
They have a track record. Not all branding companies are created equal. Make sure you choose an agency that walks the walk. Can you find examples of their work or branding case studies on their website? Do these stories demonstrate meaningful, forward-thinking change? Is there evidence that the agency understands branding best practices? Click here to check out examples of the work we've done at The Look and The Feel.
Above all, remember that rebranding, while challenging, is perhaps the most impactful way you can transform your business in the long-run. With a myriad of branding agencies, copywriting companies, and design firms out there, you don't have to do it alone. What better time than now to take the first step toward a big change?
