How to Know When You’re Ready for a Rebrand

About the episode:

Hi friends! I hope December is treating you well so far. Today, we’re diving into a throwback episode that’s a listener favorite: How to Know When You’re Ready for a Rebrand?

This topic comes up all the time with clients who are wondering if it’s the right time to take that next big step in their business. In this episode, we break down the signs that might show you’re ready for a rebrand, the mindset shifts to prepare for, and how to set yourself up for success.

By the end of the episode you’ll know the answer to the question: Am I truly ready for a rebrand?

Highlights:

The 5 signs that show you’re ready for a rebrand
How to ensure you’re not leaving people with more questions rather than answers with your brand
Why an up-to-date brand and appearance will help you to stand out from the competition
Remembering your audience and the impact your brand has on them
How to successfully change your business focus as your evolve over time
Key indicators of internal feelings you might experience as your explore a rebrand
The impact your mindset will have on your rebrand

Resources

Link to study mentioned in the episode

Book your brand and website assessment!

Hello, hello, welcome back. Thank you so much for being here. I am so excited to dive into this topic of how to know when you're ready for a rebrand. This is something people ask a lot because maybe they're not sure or maybe they just want some concrete examples of like, is this me, am I ready? And so we're gonna dive into all of that today. We're gonna talk about signs. showing that you need a rebrand and some internal shifts that you will have as well. So these are all great indicators if you are ready. So let's dive in. I think a great place to start is that if you're even considering a rebrand. I think a great place to start is that you are even considering a rebrand. Honestly, if you did not need a rebrand, you wouldn't even be thinking about it. This would not even be in your radar. But if you are thinking that maybe it's time, maybe this is something in your future, that is a good indicator that you're even thinking about it and that you're considering it. So that's a good first step to maybe this could be something that you can do in your business soon. five signs showing that you need to rebrand. So number one, you have a lot of inconsistency. This could be in your brand elements, such as your logo, colors, fonts, messaging. There is a lack of cohesion and consistency across different platforms and touch points. And I definitely see this when I have discovery calls with people. They say, I think this is one of the biggest things that people say is like, it's not cohesive. It feels like it's pieced together, things are not looking like they should. And when you have a really cohesive online presence, it's something you kind of don't even think about because it's like, oh wow, this is a really beautiful client experience basically, going from social media to website. But you really notice it a lot if someone does not have a cohesive online presence. It can feel scattered. It could feel like disengaged. pieces are not fitting together like they should, and people might be leaving with more questions than answers when they are interacting with you and your content. Thanks. which is what we don't want. We definitely don't want people to have questions when they leave our content. We want people to know exactly what you do, how you help them, how you can really change their life for the better. So having an inconsistent online presence is really a detriment to growing your business. And on the flip side, having a consistent online presence, having that cohesiveness and consistently really helps establish trust. And that is one of the best things that a cohesive online presence can do for you, is that it really establishes that trust, which lends itself to the no like and trust factor so people can really feel like they can invest with you. So number two, the second sign showing that you need a rebrand, number one inconsistency, number two, the second sign showing you need a rebrand is an outdated appearance. And this could be your visual identity feels stale, outdated, no longer represents you or your target audience, or your target audience. So having an outdated, appearance especially nowadays okay this is August of 2023 when I'm recording this having a really stellar online presence and appearance is very important if you want to really grow your business. Because I am a designer and this is what I do you know I really think there is so much importance that needs to be placed here but I do think in general even if you're not a designer We all can agree that first impressions are extremely important. People do not have a very long attention span anymore. So it's really important that you capture their attention quickly. And you are we have to remember you're one of so many online businesses out there who are doing what you're doing. There are. according to... According to a study, there are 2.5 million online businesses in the US alone and with more being created every single day and 30% of American business is done online. So to say that the online space is crowded is an understatement. So it is so, so important that you really can stand out from your competition, that you have a memorable client experience and that you are able to capture someone's attention. because it's kind of noisy out there. And having an outdated appearance really does not help you at all. So I think, you know, we want as many things going for us as we can. And having an appearance that really captures people's attention, their interest, their curiosity is incredibly important. And it just shows that you're relevant and adaptable and professional. So, yes, if you have an outdated appearance, huge indicator that you need a rebrand. So number three, the third sign for showing you need a rebrand is lack of differentiation. If you feel like, I just mentioned, there are so many businesses out there online and there's so many other people doing exactly what you do, if you are not standing out from your competition, that is a travesty. You need to be able to stand out online to... very succinctly say what you do to people for it to be clear when people interact with you, whether that's on your website or your social media or wherever you're hanging out that people know what you do and how you are doing it differently from other people. So I think that is a great indicator that you might need a rebrand is you're not standing out from the crowd. You're kind of, you know, you're just lumped in with everybody else. You're not really making a splash. You're just kind of there. So having Having a really distinctive brand that helps you stand out visually is incredibly important. Number four, the fourth sign showing you need a rebrand is poor audience connection or experience. So I see this a lot. I do brand and website assessments for people and you can learn more about that at ourartspace.com slash assessment. But when I do these, I go to people's websites and I review their website and give... really practical feedback on how they can make changes and make improvements so their website is really set up for success. And something I see a lot is it kind of feels like confusing. When I get to their website, things feel a little bit jumbled, things don't feel clear. There's maybe like too much text or there's too little text. And this is all going for, this is all contributing to the client experience. And what I like to call people is your pre-clients because they are... They may not be working with you yet, but they hopefully will. And so you want to give people the best experience possible when they get to your site. You want it to be easy for them. You want them to feel like they know where to go and know how to find what they're looking for. And that all has to do with your, how your website is laid out. And I'm not gonna go into, you know, effective website design today, but having a website and an online experience that is really tailored to your. client and customer is incredibly important. And something I just want to throw out here too, is having a really strong mobile presence as well, because so many of us are finding things on our phone. It's really important that you are just keeping up with the times basically. If you don't have a really good website that is mobile friendly, that is like... maybe not made for mobile, it's just really important that your design filters through all aspects of like where are people finding you? How are they reaching out, that kind of thing. So having that really stellar audience connection and user experience is incredibly important. And number five, a sign showing that you need a rebrand is you're changing your business focus. So this can include. your services, your target audience, your business name. All of those things are a good indication that it may be time for a rebrand. I've seen this with my clients. If they're really moving away from the industry that they were in, like the target audience they were serving, they're kind of up-leveling. They're moving to a new audience. They are providing new services because I work with a lot of service-based. business owners. And so that is a great indication that you might need to rebrand because it helps elevate you to where you want to go. Also, this really happens if you've been in business for a long time. If you've been in business for five, 10, 15, 20 years, obviously your business has probably changed and evolved during that time. And so it's really important that your online presence and the client experience, like what we were talking about, is reflected in your website and in your social media channels and where you hang out. reach out to your audience. So it's really important that as your business is making big changes that you don't forget about your audience along the way. Like keep them in on those changes. Like if you are, you know, bringing on team members, if you are, you know, if you're like an agency model, like share that you are, you know, bringing on new team members. Like people love to be in on what you're doing, like the behind the scenes. And so I think as you're changing your business focus... it's really important to let your audience in on that for one, but then maybe know that a rebrand is something you should seriously consider. So those are the five signs showing you need a rebrand. I'm going to go over them one more time. Number one is inconsistency. Number two is you have an outdated appearance. Number three, lack of differentiation. Number four, a poor audience connection or a client experience. Number five, you're changing your business focus. So all of those things really contribute to the fact that you might need a rebrand. So let's talk about some internal feelings you might be having as you're thinking about a rebrand. These are key indicators that you're ready, that you are more ready than you think probably, and that this is something that you can really move forward in and explore and see what the next best... and see what the next best plan of action is for you. Number one, some internal feelings you have when you're thinking about rebranding is that you are really confident in your expertise. This may come as a little bit of a surprise, but this is absolutely something I see in my clients. when they're going through a rebranding process. They are so confident in their expertise. They know that they have so much to offer. They do such an incredible job with their clients. You know, I work with coaches, I work with different service providers, and they are just so good at what they do. So they have so much confidence and that they know what they bring to the table. They know how transformative their services can be. And with that track record of success, they know that when they up-level and rebrand, that their expertise is gonna be reflected in their visuals. So if you're feeling super confident in your expertise, but maybe not as confident in your online experience, maybe that's a good indication. Number two, you have internal dissatisfaction. I see this a lot when people are thinking about rebranding and stuff. They'll say like, oh I don't even want to send people to my website because I'm so embarrassed, I know it's not up to date. And to me that is first of all so sad because that is the whole point of having an online business is that people can find you online and that they can learn about you and reach out to work together. If people are not finding you online, if they are not reaching out to work with you through your website, I mean that should change. People should be reaching out to you through your website. because your website should be working for you. That's the whole point, is that it works for you 24 seven when you don't have to be there to sell. It's selling for you. But, going back to this, if you feel dissatisfied with how things are set up in your website, if things are feeling disjointed, if you feel like it's probably confusing, it's probably definitely confusing for your ideal client. If you feel like it's confusing, it's probably confusing for them. So if you have dissatisfaction in any way when it comes to your online presence, it might be time to relook at what you can do to make some changes and what you can do to make your client experience better. Because honestly, as service-based business owners, you know, our client experience is so important because we are, that for me especially, I mean, that's how I get a lot of my businesses through referrals. If you don't have a good client experience, like you will be getting those referrals. So if you are in your business and you're providing an experience, that client experience is everything. And for your pre-clients, who I like to call, if they are showing up on your site and they're just confused and don't know what you do, that is a huge problem that you're probably not getting their business because of that. A third indicator. A third internal feeling you may have when you're thinking about rebranding is you have a growth mindset. This is a big one. This is if you feel like you are, okay, wait, hold on. you have a growth mindset. This is the third feeling you'll have when you think about rebranding. So you understand that the money you put into a rebrand is one that's going to help you in the long run. It's going to provide clarity, growth opportunities, confidence, and that you will get a solid return on your investment. If you are approaching a rebrand in a lack mindset, then you are not going to get the results that you are hoping for, I think. Because coming at it from a scarcity or lack mindset really can make you like price things out, you know, overly price things out when maybe you don't need to do it as much. You know, you're gonna be, and I'm not saying that you shouldn't like budget and like spend consciously. That's not what I'm saying at all. I'm just saying if you are having a lack of mindset, you're gonna think you're never gonna get that money back. And I think that is a mistake when you're looking into a rebrand. I think it's really important that you look at it from a growth mindset perspective, that you are gonna get this money back in, you know, sooner rather than later, that you will get a return on investment, absolutely 100%. And so that way, when you do come at it with a growth mindset, you are coming at it with that energy as well, that you are showing up as the next level version of yourself and the business owner that you want to be who's going to grow to those financial milestones that you have. And it's funny because when I started my business, I did not think that you needed to have a growth, I didn't even know anything about mindset when I started my business. And I don't know if you can relate, but. You learn so much about personal development and mindset and all of that stuff, having an online business. I don't think you can be in business without knowing that stuff. If you don't have like a strong mindset routine, you probably won't make it in your business. And I think that's just the truth for a lot of business owners who close up shop, not saying that that's everything, but it's a big contributor because mindset plays such a huge role. in just when you go through hard times in your business, when you don't have a lot of inquiries, when you are feeling like where is everybody, your mindset will keep you in the game and will keep you strong and focused and continuing to get out there and be visible and all that stuff. So that is just a big part, I think, of the rebranding process is that you understand that the money that is going towards this will be returned back to you tenfold. That what you're putting into this experience will come back to you so completely more than you ever thought, because you are showing up with that next level energy, with that excitement, with that confidence, knowing that you really are making a difference in someone's life with your service. And so for me, I want you to show up as the person that you want to be, that you are coming at it with that energy and excitement and confidence, because you have the expertise, you do have that experience, you know what you're doing, you're really good at what you do, and I wanna help you show up like. that next level version of yourself. And so I'm so excited that I do what I do. Oh my gosh, hold on. Don't use that. And that's why I love doing what I do because I get to help you really make a difference in people's lives. And a way to do that for me is to help you look the part of the professional, of the expert that you are in your industry. And so let me go over those again for the internal feelings you have when you're thinking about rebranding. You're 100% sold and confident in your expertise. You have internal dissatisfaction knowing that your online presence could be better, that your client experience could be better, and you have a growth mindset knowing that the money you put into a rebrand, the energy you put into a rebrand will come back to you tenfold and take you to that next level of business that you want to be at, whether that is. scaling your team, reaching a financial milestone, spending more time with your kids, with your family, taking time off in your business. So I think all of those things can come when you have that growth mindset in your business. I really hope this was helpful in kind of showing you what could be possible in knowing like if a rebrand is in your future and if that's something you wanna be thinking about in your business. And if you are not sure or you just maybe want a little bit of advice to see if you're ready for a rebrand, I would love to invite you to my brand and website assessment. This is a great place to start. This is a loom video that I take where I walk through your website and give you my honest feedback on where you're at with your website, with your online presence. where you can improve with your site, what's lacking, and how you can make design and copy changes so that your website is more effective and more user-friendly and better for your client experience. This is a new service I just started offering this year and I absolutely love it. This is such a fun thing for me to do and I'm able to do it in the pockets of time that I have, like when my baby is. sleeping and my son is in preschool or when I'm, you know, able to like sneak away and do this like this is Normally like a 15 to 20 minute loom video. So this I am NOT, you know messing around when I'm doing these I'm very focused and intent on giving you really quality feedback and You're able to watch this and rewatch this on your own time whenever it works for you And this is a really fantastic place to start if you're not even sure if you need a rebrand like what can I do with my website? I know it needs help, but I don't know what type of help it needs. I would love to invite you to check out the brand and website assessment. So you can do that by going to ourartspace.com slash assessment and you can learn all about it there and I would love to have you join that so I can review your website and give you great feedback so you can either implement the changes yourself or you can have me help you. Either way, I would love to help you really show up as the expert you are online. Thank you so much for listening. I really appreciate you being here. I really hope this was valuable. If you have any takeaways or if you think that rebranding might be in your future, I would love for you to share that with me over on Instagram at art underscore art space. I would love to hear from you. Please reach out and I hope to chat with you then. Thanks so much again and I hope to see you soon. Bye for now. I don't know if I want to say bye for now. Okay, I'll just say another goodbye. Thank you so much for listening. I hope to chat with you over on Instagram. And if not, oh my gosh, no, hold on. Thanks so much for listening. I really appreciate you being here. If you have any takeaways or if you may think that, oh my gosh, ugh, okay, hold on. I'm gonna get this, I promise. Thank you so much for listening. I really appreciate you being here. And if you have any takeaways that you would like to share with me, or if you think rebranding might be in your future, I would love to hear from you over on Instagram. You can DM me at r underscore art space, and I would love to hear from you there. And until next time, I hope you have such a beautiful day, and I'll chat with you later. Okay.