3 key things to consider when you rebrand ( or create a brand )

You may or may not have noticed that I have started to transition my new brand into my emails, my social channels and my temporary website. 

It has been a bit of a thing, and I will outline the steps you need to take when rolling out a new brand next week, but this week I wanted to chat to you about what you need to consider when thinking about a rebrand. The logic in this process also applies when you are creating a brand new brand for a new business idea as well.

You might have noticed that I didn't say develop a new logo. 

A logo is just one element of a brand, it might be the most obvious, but it is just one element and often I see small business owners get caught up in a new logo, without thinking about what is really behind the need to change it in the first place. 

i.e - what is their BRAND strategy. 

In the last 15 months I have been involved in 2 rather large brand redevelopments. 

Big Blue Digital and my own brand development (for Leanne O and the Summit School), so I have learnt a few things in that process that I would like to share. 

1. You really need to understand your audience. Who are the people you are actually marketing too? 

Understanding your target audience is critical to any rebrand or brand development. You need to picture in your mind who you are wanting to appeal to. Your brand and yes logo - needs to appeal to them and not just you. 

2. You need to understand your why. What are your brand VALUES? 

Why are you doing what you are doing? Can you define what has sparked your business idea? What is it that you want to contribute to the world? How can you help your target customer? 

Any marketing or creative agency worth anything should be asking you these questions when helping you develop a brand. It helps them get into your mind, so that the solution they craft for you is in keeping with your vision.  

3. You need to understand the personality of your brand. Does your current brand have one? 

Yes, brands have personalities - successful ones do anyway.  

When I say NIKE - what do you picture?
When I say Lorna Jane - what do you picture?
When I say Apple - what do you see in your mind? 

All of those brands have a personality, a set of rules around how they present themselves to the world and this goes far beyond a logo. They have guidelines for how they express themselves online, the kind of language that they use, the kind of images that they might choose, the colours that they associate themselves with. 

All of this has been pre-determined so that logo development can flow from the examination and preparation of the above. 

But beyond logo creation, this then can frame how content marketing development takes shape, the logic behind your social media marketing efforts and even where you search for your customers. Who your brand is and how you talk flavours so much of your digital strategy and yet often it is not clearly understood. 

You don't need to rush out and get a new logo done, but making sure you understand how you walk and talk is vital to connecting with your audience and turning more of them into customers.