20 signs you need to rebrand your company

Martin, when should I rebrand? How much does a rebrand cost?

I regularly get asked these types of questions. And, there's a bunch of things to consider first.

Here's a little context and one reason you might want to consider a rebrand. 

I've been working with 2 clients for about 5 years. I've designed websites, sales documents and adverts. I've photographed them and managed the two brands.

 Nothing unusual there. 

These two businesses work hand in hand with one another, but one business is shifting its focus. It's aligning closer to the second business, yet they are still distinctively different. Complex hey?

 They want to merge and create one stronger brand, cut down on admin and position themselves for the next expected evolution over the next 2-3 years.

 We've had chats, and one idea was pitched to me: they simply take the current brand and morph the old one into it, giving you two almost identical brands.

 Here's the thing, instead of making a brand that stands out, you actually end up weakening the position of both.

 There's definite pitfalls here, and typically I'd suggest sitting down and working through a strategy workshop – that's the point we're up to. But another facet to this story is they approached some other agencies to get their opinion on it, and they got quoted between $50,000-80,000.

 I suspect these figures are based on strategy, brand identity design, website build and collateral design.

 This is a lot of work, but I'd suggest they're paying a hefty big agency premium.

 When should I rebrand? 

The things you need to ask yourself are – what's my biggest, single challenge right now? And how do I overcome it?

You might be pleasantly surprised to know I've been in this position.

I started a company called Martin Sully Design back in 2014, which focused on design.

As things progressed, I found myself offering photography. It's a great complement to branding and design. I picked up the odd event photography shoot. I began integrating myself with the community, but I quickly became known as a photographer.

I changed the name and position of the studio to reflect that I was a full-service creative agency, not just a photographer, not just a designer.

Spelling out your problem is the simplest way to find a solution, so you must be brutally honest with yourself.

So is a brand revolution or evolution the right step?

How do you know when it's the right time for a rebrand? 

A rebrand is about redesigning or rewriting your story. It's about revamping who the brand is and how you want to be perceived.

Here's 20 signs that you might spot

1. You cringe at your brand name
2. You don't like your brand's aesthetics
3. You're embarrassed to show off your brand
4. You've lost confidence in selling your products/services
5. Your brand no longer represents who you are
6. Your brand isn't original/authentic
7. You don't stand out from competitors
8. Your business model/strategy has changed
9. You want to attract a new market
10. You're struggling to attract your market
11. You want to raise prices
12. You're struggling to attract the right talent
13. Your brand lacks an emotional response
14. You need to disassociate your brand from negative press
15. Your branding is confusing
16. You find yourself apologising for having a "bad" website
17. You don't send your website link proudly
18. Your branding is a patchwork of styles from different designers
19. You DIY'd your brand, but you want to take it to the next level
20. You find it hard to explain what your brand means 

As for the costs? That will entirely depend on the amount of work needed to solve the problems you define.

You might need a rebrand if you sheepishly answered yes to any signs. I have 15-minute free vision call slots open on my website – I'll drop a note in show notes too.