What to consider before rebranding your business

Branding can help small businesses stand out from the competition and gain customer loyalty – but only if it is effective.

Businesses with brands that are confused, outdated or simply not appealing to the eye can hurt a business’s reputation and even repel customers. Businesses suffering from a branding problem may need to look at rebranding.

Rebranding should never be taken lightly – it can be expensive, time-consuming and involve a lot more than simply tweaking a logo and hoping for the best. But it may be necessary to strengthen a business.

Here are three things to consider before embarking down the rebranding path:

Recognise your branding problem
Before committing to a rebranding strategy, ensure that you are fixing an actual branding problem; updating your logo won’t fix issues like slow customer service or poor communication. Identify why you want to rebrand your business and establish how rebranding will help fix your problem.

Plan to start small
One of the best ways to assess whether your rebranding idea is heading in the right direction is to start with small, subtle changes i.e. sharing a rebranded logo on your website or social media sites. Sharing this small change with your online customers can gauge customer reactions and even gain some valuable feedback as to whether they like the new you.

Consider hiring an expert
Rebranding can be especially difficult for small businesses who know their brand too well to be objective. This is where hiring an expert can come in handy. Using an expert’s unbiased opinion can often be invaluable when establishing a rebranding strategy.