Can a business go through a complete rebrand and restructure and still survive? We take a look with our own first-hand experience; Let’s see what happened…
Changing a business’ name, logo, strategy or even taking a completely new direction is a huge step for any business to take. However, sometimes, a fresh new look and a fresh new direction can be exactly what the business was looking for and needed for a long time. So, what does it mean when a business ‘rebrands’?
Rebranding is when a business goes through a complete overhaul of all of its processes, brand image and even its services that it provides to its clients. This process can be a small or a big change depending on the end goal. Whether it is a simple change of brand image to a full rebrand it can have dramatic implications, good or bad for the future of your business.
Yes, of course it can all go wrong if it is not done right. So, what exactly are the pros and cons of a full rebrand of your business?
Pros –
- A fresh new look can revitalise your brand, re-engage your clients and potentially, have a positive affect on your income by encouraging new sales and clients.
- Your business may have been around for some time, if you continue to use the same old graphics, logos, images and even copy on your website or social media… Therefore, a rebrand could help prevent your business from looking outdated or dull.
- Sometimes businesses go through a difficult patch – A rebrand can help to get through that difficult patch, think of it as a phoenix rising from the ashes… This gives you the opportunity to start a new!
Cons –
- A rebrand can be a positive change for some of your clients, however some of your clients may not like the changes you put in place. Especially if a client has been with you for a long time… Not everyone likes a change.
- If a rebrand is done badly then it could really affect your business’ future. What might look or sound good to you, might come across as ugly, over the top or simply be viewed in a negative way by others. Clients and potential clients alike.
- In some cases, a rebrand could simply be a restructuring of the services you offer… If you take away a certain service or change it too much, this may affect your potential future income.
So, there are Pros and there are Cons to changing your business around… The difficult job is to decide what is right for your business and just how much you feel you need to change. What might appear a simple change to you, might have bigger implications than you first imagine, and it isn’t always possible or easy to reverse the changes once they have been made.
Check out some rebrands of some well-known businesses in this article by – Creative Book… Read here – 20 of the best rebrands that got it right…
Now, right at the opening of this article, we mentioned that we were talking from our own, first-hand experience… Because quite simply – We have gone through this ourselves. (Long story short, it was a success for us!)
You see, Lentil Marketing is the phoenix that was born from the ashes of our previous business – The Local Directory. This was personally the first attempt at running our own business and it went well for the first 2 years… However, a number of things lead to the 3rd year being our last.
It was not over there though… Just because we had a difficult year where things we tried simply didn’t go to plan, we struggled to build our client base and we made a few choice decisions when it came to partnerships and in the simplest form possible – We took on too much and lost our focus…
You can read a little more about what happened to lead us to take the dramatic steps of a complete rebrand in our ‘The Year of the Lentil’ article.
The choice to change was made in November 2019 and it wasn’t just a small change that was needed… A full refocus, rebrand, and name change was needed!
What changed during the Lentil Rebrand?
- Well, obviously the first major change was the name of our business. Changing from The Local Directory to Lentil Marketing. This was seen as a positive change, it focuses our brand to the core service that we offer, highlighting the ‘Marketing’ portion of the business allowed all potential clients to know, without a doubt, what we offered. The ‘Lentil’ portion of the name also has a personal tie-in which creates a positive connection personally and creates a great opportunity for story telling whenever someone asks… “Why Lentil?”
- We also cut a lot of our services from the books, several of our services were either rarely used or not properly structured, focusing our attention on the services we did well rather than having a wide range of unnecessary services.
- New logo – With a new name came new graphics and logo. Created by a friend of the business, Matt Greg of Nosy Marketing. This new set of graphics allowed for a completely new look which felt good!
- Social media & Website were also in the crosshairs for change… Instead of simply changing the current social media and rebranding there, we decided to go for a completely new start with new website and new social media accounts. This was a bold step, but with the extent of our rebrand, it felt right not to simply change things but to start afresh with new platforms.
What happened next?
From the way the business looks, to its name, the services we provide and even down to the social media and website, it all changed. However, one thing did not, our dedication to our clients, those clients, who stuck with us through this change and the ones who flocked to our brand shortly after the change. Those folks made it all worthwhile! It was a big gamble, that simply paid off… Of course, that is not always the case as we mentioned before so we really are counting our lucky stars!
In the months following our changeover, we found ourselves dealing with an influx in new custom. We were so lucky to have a number of new clients sign up to our social media services in a short period of time. Why? We feel the biggest cause for this was the name change. Including the word ‘Marketing’ within our brand name made it beyond clear what we offered as a business. Previously known as ‘The Local Directory’ due to our origins as a local business support network group which grew to offer social media marketing and indeed a whole host of services. However, the original name did not describe what we offered as a business.
Is a rebrand the right move for you and your business? We cannot tell you it will be a smooth run for you or that it will end in success, simply because there are millions of potential ways that it could go for you. What we will say is – Do your research, read blogs like this, see what other people have done and talk to other business owners for their opinion and advice.
At the end of the day, the decision falls to you… Weigh your own pros and cons, write down your ideas and plans and have multiple people look over them. (Advisory – Make sure you trust these people!!)
Whatever you decide, we wish you luck… Just know, every person in business goes through their ups and downs. Don’t always trust their ‘always unicorns and rainbows’ approach to social media. People can lie or exaggerate the truth of how well they are doing.
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