Rebrand vs. Brand Refresh: Which is Right for Your Business?
If you’re considering a rebrand or brand refresh, we’re guessing you:
Cringe at the thought of sharing your website and branding/marketing materials.
Struggle to sum up what you offer and why your ideal client should care in one sentence.
Feel stagnant compared to your competitors.
But before you jump to a decision, you should know the difference between a rebrand and a brand refresh:
Rebrand: Total overhaul of the brand strategy and identity
Brand Refresh: A strategic series of changes made to the brand identity to realign with current marketplace trends while keeping its core identity and strategy
Next, let’s take a look at which might be the best solution for your brand.
Rebrand Definition: Do You Need It?
A rebrand is a significant undertaking and often involves completely changing crucial elements of your brand strategy, including:
Brand Positioning: How your target consumer perceives your business
Mission and Vision Statements: The driving statements behind WHY your business exists and WHAT you’re trying to achieve
Core Values: Statements about HOW your business behaves and carries out its mission and vision
Brand Messaging: Your voice, style, and communication channels to reach your ideal clients
Rebranding often involves a new brand name, company goals, and culture. These changes can be costly and time-consuming. You might also need a rebranding campaign to familiarize audiences with your new brand. Plus, it may take time to reestablish the know, like, and trust factor.
Every business should tread carefully before leaping to a rebrand. So, how do you know if it’s time? If your business is:
Not performing well and struggling to grow
Planning to expand nationally or internationally and your current brand doesn’t align
Facing a poor reputation among customers and your target audience
Merging or acquiring another business
The above are extreme examples. For many small businesses, a brand refresh is sufficient! Keep reading for a few ways to get your brand out of a rut without a total rebrand.
How to Do a Brand Refresh
You can most likely get by with a brand refresh if you have a good customer base and reputation. This process typically involves one or a combination of updates to your brand identity, including your:
Logo
Font
Color Palette
Brand Messaging (Tweaks as opposed to broad-stroke changes)
Tagline
Before beginning the process, however, you’ll still want to do market and competitor research to ensure the changes are strategic and make your brand stand out. You may also poll clients and audience members informally on social media, send an incentivized survey, or even speak to them directly for feedback..
Give Your Logo a Makeover
Often, a new take on your logo can go a long way when it comes to a brand refresh. Does your current logo:
Align with your brand and style?
Feel outdated or generic?
Make a statement or tell a story? If so, what is it?
Your answers will help guide the logo redesign to create a more modern look that stands out. You might go for a similar design concept with new typography, color palette, and/or geometry. Simplify an overly busy logo for a fresh look. Or update a generic design to convey your unique value proposition and story.
Freshen Up Your Fonts & Color Palette
If you’re refreshing your logo, it’s probably a good time to update those fonts and colors too. Outdated or difficult-to-read fonts should be updated to modern, clean styles that fit your brand identity.
Does your color palette capture your brand’s “personality”? Or is it dull, blending in with the competition? Consider how you can convey the look and feel you want to achieve through color theory. An appealing color palette combined with modern fonts helps make your brand more recognizable.
Invest in Brand Photos
What kind of photography are you using on your website and brand materials? What images are you sharing on social media? A professional photo shoot will be a wise investment if you’re using generic stock photos or low-quality, poorly lit DIY shots.
When we conduct a brand refresh, we often connect clients with one of our professional photographer partners. As experts, they understand how to capture your brand and the feeling you want to convey. A few examples include:
Service providers on the job, working with clients
Process/behind-the-scenes shots (for both service and product-based businesses)
Inviting photos of a brick-and-mortar business
Photos of visual work and products
Follow these tips to ensure you receive beautifully branded images that legitimize your business:
Save or create a mood board of images you like that are on-brand for inspiration in your shoot or stock photo search.
Research photographers beforehand to ensure their style aligns with yours, and they can capture the look you’re going for.
Opt for candid shots and natural light to convey the desired feeling and tell a piece of the story. Remember, every photo doesn’t need to tell the WHOLE story! Just hint at what their life will be like after working with or buying from you.
Sometimes, stock photos may be the only option for certain uses and situations—and that’s ok! Your brand designer can guide you in selecting high-quality stock images that work for your brand. Just be sure to create that mood board to help your designer understand your vision.
Boost Your Brand Messaging
When undergoing a brand refresh, assessing your brand messaging is essential. If it:
Feels dry and unemotional
Sounds similar to everyone else
Doesn’t feel like your voice
Focuses more on your business than your ideal client
Then it’s time to rework your message, incorporate emotion, and make it about your client. You can do this by focusing on the value you offer, and how your service or product improves their lives. Make it authentic and consistent, in a voice true to your brand that resonates with your target audience.
If you have a few audience segments/buyer personas, it might be more effective to speak directly to each with targeted content. Reach them with specific ideas, information, and inspiration in your:
Blog posts: Write blogs with helpful how-tos and recommendations for each buyer persona.
Newsletters: Segment your list and allow subscribers to sign up for emails by interest.
Social media: Use rotating content categories to address each segment.
Website: Group particular solutions into pages or collections by need.
It may seem scary at first to tailor your messaging for certain people. Don’t let that stop you! Tailored content will make your content that much more impactful. Remember, the best marketing feels like you’re having a conversation. Show them that you GET them. That’s how you turn prospects into clients (or repeat clients)!
The rest of your audience won’t abandon you simply because you don’t talk to them directly every time. They’ll be more likely to appreciate your genuine approach.
Tighten Up Your Tagline
Your tagline ties into your brand messaging. As you carry out your brand refresh, evaluate your tagline, too. Does it:
Convey what you do?
Entice people to learn more?
Spark the desired emotion?
Stand out and keep their attention?
If your answer is no to any of the above, it’s probably time to update your tagline to be more specific, authentic, and aligned with your current brand and goals.
Is it Time for a Rebrand or a Brand Refresh?
Hopefully, we’ve given you some food for thought if you’re considering a rebrand or brand refresh. Just remember:
Rebrand = Overhaul of your brand strategy and identity
Brand Refresh = Strategic update of your brand identity elements
In many cases, a refresh is all your brand needs! But if you’re still unsure what you need or where to start, SkyHouse is happy to talk it over and recommend the best solution for your business. Please submit an inquiry, and we’ll reach out promptly!
