When is it the right time to rebrand?

A brand represents the sum of people's perception of the company's, organization's, or person's reputation, which may include advertising, logo, and customer retention methods. When all of these aspects of the business are working together, the overall brand is healthy, robust, and able to convert tentative followers into a dedicated user base.

Proper branding improves recognition beyond competitors, generates trust, supports additional advertising, and can be a launching pad for future ideas that can create new customers. However, many instances exist where a company or organization must alter its branding and relaunch. There are many reasons and ways a company can change its message to fit its ever-changing market. Here are some of the markers to look for and what factors you should be aware of if you decide to adjust the direction of your branding.

Is It Time To Rebrand? Rebranding happens regardless of how prepared or meticulous the branding efforts are. However, rebranding can cause a lot of disruption from the employee level to the organization's actual structure. This is why rebranding should be done carefully and only when the signs become apparent. Here's what to look for: The company shifted its business model. Often, a business strictly adheres to one particular model. As their customer base grows, they may need to pivot and change their branding to be compatible. Changing the brand can be as dramatic as developing new products to make them more relatable to the customer base. On the other side of the token, change can be as minuscule as switching logo colors.

Do your branding efforts match your vision? Many entrepreneurs tend to have a very static vision — in reality, as time goes on, your image might change, and that is normal. The company Apple, for example, has changed over time to match the company's leaders. Its rainbow-hued Apple logo was the company's hallmark more than two decades ago, with Steve Jobs choosing the design to personalize and humanize the company. The logo has become much more sleek and monochromatic, representing their phones' minimalistic and modern feel.

The current reputation is suffering. You should change your rebranding efforts if your reputation was once viable and it has fallen into disrepute.

Odd - Never Had A Brand, To Begin With, Many business owners think they have a brand when, in reality, they have an expensive idea. Regardless of its cost, paying someone to make a logo is not a brand. Developing a brand starts at the visual stage with a belief and a mission.

Logos are intertwined with email campaigns, which are injected into customer retention, influencing blog posts and how products are positioned to your customer base. There isn't much of a brand there until you've defined, analyzed, and developed a stringent strategy to engage your market or audience. A brand requires rules and regulations that your team and those interacting with your business partners need to adhere to.

Revamping Your Brand If your branding strategy does not inspire confidence in the present situation, that must be changed. It should inspire confidence in not only the business owner or the company president but also the floor team in constant contact with customers.

An inadequate brand is like going to a significant black-tie event to meet potential business partners in a clown suit — and that is the only suit that you have. Regardless of your pitch, product, or how your services can be an asset to a potential investor, they won't take you seriously and will have a negative impression of your brand.

Your brand should empower and encourage positive outcomes. If you want your employees and business relationships to invest in the organization, show them you're prepared to understand their world by creating a viable brand that speaks directly to the people.