Navigating Change When it Comes to Your Brand

About the episode:

Today on Rebrand with RuthAnn, we are talking about how to navigate change and growth when it comes to your brand. This is a very timely discussion because at the time of recording, it is September 1st and I already feel a change in the seasons – I cannot tell you how ready I am for the fall and to just go into cooler weather and experience the coziness, the boots, the sweaters, give me all of that stuff. It's also my birthday this month and that’s another shift that feels really exciting. Just like we're going into a new season, that can also happen in your business. Sometimes you're going through your business and you're noticing something needs to change, maybe you’re growing out of something and growing into something else. So that's what we're talking about today, how to navigate that growth and change when it comes to your brand, how to know if you should rebrand as you're going through a period of change, and to help determine what your next best step is when it comes to going through different periods of evolving.

What you’ll hear:

The three different ways to look at growth – pivoting, niching and evolving and knowing the brand steps to take
Giving yourself the permission to make changes in your business, even if it means leaving behind what you’re known for
What niching has looked like for RuthAnn in her business and how it can help you make more money faster
Why evolving is one of the most natural things about owning a business and how to lean into it
Knowing when you need a rebrand as your business goes through all of the different types of changes

Episode resources:

The Difference Between a Rebrand and a Refresh blog post

Hello, hello, welcome back. Thank you so much for being here. I'm so excited to chat with you and just to have you here today. And thank you so much for just supporting me and the show. And this has been a very exciting and fun adventure. So just figuring it out as I go along, but it's been a lot of fun. So thank you for being here. Today, we are talking about how to navigate change and growth when it comes to your brand. And I have to say, this is a very timely discussion. because right now it is September 1st as I'm recording this and I already feel like a change in the seasons. I cannot tell you I am so ready for the fall and to just go into cooler weather and just the coziness, the boots, the sweaters, give me all of that stuff. I am so ready. I love fall. It's my birthday this month and yeah things are just, you know, as the seasons. as the seasons are shifting, it feels just really exciting. And like we're going into a new season and that can happen also in your business as well. Sometimes you're going through your business and you're noticing like, oh, something needs to change. I feel like something is shifting. Maybe I'm like growing out of something and growing into something else. And so that's kind of what we're talking about today is like how to navigate that growth and change when it comes to your brand, how to. know if you should rebrand as you're going through a period of change and to see like what is your next best step when it comes to just going through different periods of evolving. So the three different ways I would like to talk about growth are pivoting, niching, and evolving. And so hopefully this gives a little bit of insight if you're going through a period of growth in your own life, in your own business. to see like, okay, I am going through a pivot right now, or I'm going through niching down, I'm going through evolving, like what can I be doing, what should I be doing, you know, as I'm wanting to maintain my brand. So let's dive in. So when it comes to pivoting, pivoting is when you are changing directions and you're wanting to go in a different direction. And I feel like when you're in business, that's all that business is, is you're constantly. you know, testing things, trying things, is this working, is this working? You know, this definitely isn't working, so let's go in a different direction. So I think pivoting is just such a natural part of business. And I think when you are in business, sometimes it can feel wrong. Like you wanna maintain brand integrity and you want to be, you know, you wanna be seen as trusted and like not changing your mind all the time and. and that kind of thing. And I think that is so valid. It's so valid to think like I want to be seen as an expert, like I know what I'm doing, but I also feel like I need to change directions in my business. And I just wanna give you permission that you can do both. You can change directions, you can go in a different direction and offer something new, you know, close out something that wasn't working in the past. and you can also still be seen as an expert as you do that. So I think I just wanna say that you don't have to always stick to the one thing that you are known for. It's just, I think it's just a part of growing as humans on this journey. I think it's just part of growth is sometimes you might change directions and wanna do something different. If you are going through a pivot, I think it's important to keep in mind that If you are going through a pivot, I think something important to do as you're doing that is kind of letting your audience in on that journey with you. I just feel like people wanna be, they want the insider knowledge, they want the behind the scenes. I know I do. I adore podcasts that talk about more of like behind the scenes and just kind of pull back the curtain. And I think your audience is craving that too. I think we're craving that authenticity piece. of this is what I'm doing, this is working for me, this is not working for me, and just being honest. And so I think as you, if you are making a pivot in your business, I think it's important to bring your audience in on that change and just to let them know like, hey, I am, I just actually saw this on one of my friends' Instagram accounts, she was saying, I feel a shift is coming in my business, stay tuned. It was just like the coolest little. It was like, ooh, what's happening? What's changing? And I think that is something that is very useful for your audience. Be like, oh wow, like, cause you're letting them in on the journey, you're letting them in on what you're going through. And so I think if you're going through a pivot, it is really helpful to share with your audience that journey because then I just feel like that builds the trust and that builds the connection you have with your audience. if you are doing a whole bunch of stuff behind the scenes and you never tell them what's going on and then one day you're like, oh, surprise, I'm doing this whole new thing. It's like, oh, wow, where have you been? What have you been doing? Why didn't you tell us? Not that people, not that your audience needs to know every little decision you're making, that's not what I'm saying. I'm just saying it's nice to let people in a little bit on your process and your journey. I just think it builds. that authenticity and that trust piece. So that is kind of a recommendation I have for people if they are pivoting in their business, they're closing down one chapter, maybe starting a new chapter. And you can even do it quick and simple like my friend did on Instagram saying like, a change is coming, stay tuned, you know, super simple. So, you know, it doesn't have to be a big announcement but I think it is helpful to let your audience in if you are making a pivot or a change. The second, topic is niching. I'm sure you've heard about niching if you've been in the online space for any length of time. Niching is when you are narrowing in and getting laser focused on either a part of your service or an audience like a part of your target audience or so there was like three of them there was like a service audience or like how you are doing it like Wow, I'm like really explaining this terribly. Okay, so an example I heard on was, actually I was listening to another podcast and the girl was saying like she is in health and she was able to niche down, she micro-niche. So she was helping people lose weight who were in their postpartum journey and she was doing that with dessert recipes. So she was helping women lose weight, helping postpartum women lose weight with dessert recipes that were healthy. And talk about micronation. She said she just got laser, I need to like, I'll link her in the show notes because I do want to give her credit. But she, I honestly don't even remember her name, but I will, I will, oh wait, her name is, okay, I don't know her name, but I, okay. podcast people, feel free to cut that all out. Good grief. Okay, let me go back and see if I can fix that a little bit. So. So if you are niching down, one example is like, if you are in the health space, you can be niching down all the way to, you only help women who are trying to lose weight after they've had a baby, and you are doing that with gluten-free recipes only. You know, that is like a micro-niche way. to really hone in on your, because the thing is there's so many people out there. Sorry, one second. There are so many people out there doing what you are doing, so niching down is an incredible way to get really clear on the information you're presenting and also to help people know what you do and how you do it differently. So I think, so for me, I have niched down to rebranding for established women service providers. So that is, I don't really work. I don't really work with product-based business owners anymore. I don't work with men anymore. And I don't really do branding anymore when it comes to doing someone's brand who is just starting out. I only do rebranding now. And so for me, that is my niche. I feel like I could get even more niched, but for me, this is what's working really well for me right now. So for you, if you are in, say, the health and wellness space, or if you are like a business coach, you know, there's so many people out there doing that same thing and doing what you're doing. So niching down is an incredible way to get really clear on who your ideal target client is and to help you get a ton of clarity with how to show up and be visible and to present your content. So, you know, for me, if I'm talking about rebranding, you know, that really helps me narrow in to like the things I wanna talk about and what I don't wanna talk about. So I think that could really help you too. If you feel like you are in a space where you are so broad, you're not really getting your ideal clients, niching down is a sure way to speak directly to the people you wanna work with. And I've also heard that niching down really helps take you to... Six figures quickly because you're attracting all those people that you want to work with In that one particular area, so I do think niching down is incredibly valuable And it helps as you are growing your brand is to get a little bit niched when it comes to niching I don't think Hold on. I'm just collecting my thoughts hold on one second Okay, so that is a little bit about niching. So, you know, niching is, you know, really getting laser focused on the person or thing that you're offering, and it helps you have clarity in your content, it helps you be seen as an expert, and it helps you attract your ideal client and make more money. So niching is a really great thing. For me, I, of course, didn't niche when I started off. I, like, didn't even know what niching was. I was providing brand photography, branding, website design, I just was providing all the things. And I was serving creative entrepreneurs, which is also a huge umbrella. And so for me, it's taken a lot of time for me to really niche down. And I really got clear on rebranding this year. So just in 2023, I got really clear on rebranding for established women service providers. That's what I do now and it. does help a lot with getting clear and I attract my ideal client a lot easier. So if you've thought about it, I think it's a great way to go. Okay, the third way you can grow as you're growing your brand. Let me do that again. The third way you can grow your business is through evolving. And this is kind of like just a natural... I just think this is... normal. If you've been in business for a while, you will just naturally evolve. That's just how it is. And I've been in business for about seven years. Four of those years have been full-time. And I just think it's just part of your business growth is evolving. And I think evolving is, you know, noticing shifts and changes as your business is going along and making those changes as they come. So... Whereas pivoting is more like a big, almost abrupt change. Oh, this is really not working. I am changing directions immediately, that kind of thing. That's what I think of with pivoting. With evolving, it's more like you're noticing things that you wanna talk about more. You're noticing things in the industry that you don't love. You're noticing, oh, I really don't like doing the service as much. I wanna be... doing this service a little bit more. So evolving to me is kind of like a slower way to go and it's just something you notice over time. And I think it's completely natural if you are evolving your business. I think it's just a part of growth. And if you start off, I know this for a lot of business owners who I started off with seven years ago, a lot of them have evolved into where they are. doing something maybe completely different than they did when they were starting out. I know people who I did branding for them, they closed down their business, which is such a shame when they have a beautiful website and stuff, but that's what happens. Like you just kind of, things fade away, other things come up, family obligations, there's a lot of reasons why people close a business. And same with evolving. There's a lot of reasons why people evolve in their business growth, but I do think it is growth. It's a good thing, and I think it should be welcomed. And when it comes to your brand, again, with pivoting, I think if you are evolving your business, let your audience in on it. Let them know what the change is and what they can expect, and why you're doing something. I think it's really helpful for your audience to be in on that as you are growing. So when do you need a rebrand in all of this? If you are pivoting, if you're niching, if you're evolving, I think you don't necessarily need a rebrand as you're going through any of these changes. I think with all of these things, these are just natural parts of having a business. This is something I think we should just have a lot of permission about. Like this is something that helps you to really grow your business a lot more is making these decisions of like, this isn't working, I'm gonna stop doing this. And this is working, I'm gonna really focus on this part of my business. And for me, when I was doing brand photography back then, it was a lot of work doing brand photography. I would buy all the props, I would do all the styling, you'd take all the photos, do the editing, and it was just very, very time consuming. And I just wasn't making the... money I wanted to in that area of my business. And so I was like, I think I'm just gonna drop this and recommend brand photography to other photographers I know who do this full time. And that's what I decided to do in that instance. And that wasn't a bad thing. It's not that I didn't like it anymore. But for me, it was just a way of like, this isn't providing me what I need to keep this going. I still do photography, but it's more for fun now. and that's how I really like doing it. So I just like it that it's more of a passion project and I'm able to do photos for people and that's something I really enjoy. But it didn't start out that way. I thought I needed to make money off of it and use it because I had the skillset, but that's just not the case. So for me, I just evolved into not offering in that anymore and just really honing into branding and website design as my... main services and that's what I really love to do and it's just been working out well. So you know if you have started off with something in your business I just think you know you can have permission to grow and change and that's only normal. And I never have rebranded. My logo design has kind of been the same all these years. Well I take that back. I refreshed it a little bit and I talked about that in a... episode that I'll link to in the show notes, the difference between a rebrand and a refresh. I have refreshed my brand several times throughout the years and so for me that has worked and I haven't made any super drastic changes like I'm not just a coach it or you know and I'm I've always been a designer and I plan to always be a designer so that is not going to change anytime soon but if you are thinking of you know, I'm really making a huge shift in my business. Like I think I have outgrown my brand. That's when you need a rebrand. And so here are some different scenarios if rebranding has been on your mind. And like when I think it's necessary and powerful, it's not really, you don't really need it if you're pivoting, niching or evolving. But here are some things. But if you fall into any of these categories, I think you probably will need a rebrand in the near future. So let me go through some of these really quick. So when you want a new and more authentic vibe when it comes to your visuals, when you're speaking to a new target audience, when you wanna get really clear on your visuals, you want to raise your prices, you want to be seen as an industry expert, when you want to scale your business with clarity, when you wanna change your business name. And when you want a new, oh, sorry, I did that twice. When you, let's see. Let me do that, let me. Sorry, let me start that over. Can I start that over? I'm so sorry. I'm really bad at this podcasting thing, guys. Okay, so here are some ways when I think rebranding is really powerful and necessary. When you speak, oh sorry. When you want a new and more authentic vibe when it comes to your visuals. When you are speaking to a new target audience. when you want to get really clear with your visuals, if you feel like it's cluttered and all over the place, then maybe you need some clarity, which rebranding can help with. If you want to raise your prices, if you want to be seen as an industry expert, when you want to scale your business with clarity, and when you want to change your business name or direction, all of those are great reasons to get a rebrand. And whenever you are pivoting in your business or niching or evolving, those may not be just a reason to get a rebrand, but maybe one of those things I just mentioned, maybe you identify with some of those things. That's more along the lines of needing a rebrand. So yeah, those are all my thoughts on navigating change when it comes to your brand. And I think any time that you're going through change in business, it's normal, it's natural, it's... It doesn't lessen your trustworthiness or authenticity when you are making changes or when you're going in a different direction. I just think it's a sign of growth and I just think it's totally normal and should be welcomed. And that's my one piece of advice. When you are going through these changes in your business is to let your audience in on those changes with whatever you feel comfortable with sharing. Let your audience know, this is kind of what I'm going through. This is... a change that I see happening, this is something I'm excited about doing so I'm really going to focus my energy there. I just feel like people are super receptive and excited for you when you are making changes in your business. So don't feel like you have to stay in the same vein of what you've been doing for a long time if you feel like a change is necessary. And for myself, I see a change on the horizon as well, so I'm just going to leave you with that and say that I will be... making announcements soon, but I just think it's just natural and normal and Just a way for you to continue to grow your business into something that you really love Which is the point of all this so I hope this was helpful Thanks for sticking with me. I feel like I am not the best with these solo Conversate, you know, you just have to have a conversation all by yourself. So this is very enlightening to me and oh my gosh, cut that out. Don't use that. Okay, hold on, let me say that. Let me end the thing again, okay, hold on. So those are my thoughts. I hope this was super helpful. I hope that if you're going through changes in your business, know that it's normal and that it's a good thing and that, you know, just to share where you're at in your journey with your audience and that builds trust and authenticity and relatability. And it's just all good things when it comes to growing your business. This is just how we do things. So I hope this was helpful. And if you... are going through a change in your business, I would love to hear, and you can send me a DM on Instagram, I'm at r underscore artspace, and I would love to chat with you and just cheer you on wherever you're at in your business and how you are growing and scaling. And I just wish you all the best, and I will talk to you next week. Thanks so much.