Having a well-designed brand should definitely be a high priority for your business. 77% of marketing leaders say a strong brand is critical to their growth plans. The question is, what do you do if – and when – your brand is no longer serving your business?

As entrepreneurs, there comes a time in our business that we need to pivot in a different direction. Maybe you started as a virtual assistant, and you’ve since shifted into more of an OBM role. Perhaps you now run a VA agency with several employees working for you. Whatever change that has occurred on your journey, your business has ultimately shifted, and your brand needs to compliment this shift, so it accurately reflects your company. 

Rebrand vs Brand Refresh

What you (and your designer) now need to decide is whether you need a rebrand vs brand refresh. But how do you know which one is right for you?

These two terms seem to get misconstrued, so I want to set the record straight and explain when a rebrand is needed and when a refresh is necessary to choose the right course for your business.

What is a rebrand?

A rebrand is a complete overhaul – or transformation – of your brand. Rebranding involves making significant changes in your branding strategy and recreating how your business communicates and expresses itself to your audience. 

When you rebrand, you are quite literally changing the way your audience thinks about your business or brand. A rebrand is a new vision for your company and affects everything from the message and image to the culture and goals of your business. However, a rebrand can be a fabulous solution for companies or brands that are becoming stagnant in their industry.

It’s essential to make sure your brand truly needs rebranding as you are starting all over and practically creating a brand from scratch. And this is definitely no small task to undertake and should be hired out to a professional.

If you aren’t sure if you need a rebrand, I recommend investing in a brand audit and assessment. 

Reasons why you would rebrand

The most common reasons for a rebrand include brands that are no longer aligned with their business or brands that have positioning issues within the market. Other reasons for a rebrand include:

• New or change in leadership
• More competition which means your brand needs to evolve to stay competitive
• Changing your business direction (pivoting your business)
• Branching into a new market audience
• Launching into entirely new products or services
• Current brand is outdated or no longer relevant leading to an overhaul of your entire brand image

What is a brand refresh?

A refresh keeps the original brand identity and strategy in place. It gives the business a little uptick in looks and design elements, almost like a fresh coat of virtual paint or a personal makeover. A brand refresh adjusts the way your brand is received by your audience – which actually doesn’t require a whole lot of effort. It’s a very surface-level change, with the overall structure remaining the same.

Reasons you need a brand refresh

If you have a solid branding strategy, and there are no problems with your current brand messaging and position in the market, you definitely don’t need a rebrand – you might need a brand refresh. Here are some ways to identify whether a brand refresh is right for you:

• Your business is growing and including new markets or new products
• You’ve pivoted in your business so your offerings have changed and your audience has changed
• Your brand is outdated
• Your brand is inconsistent and needs a focus (this could be too many fonts, incohesive images, or color schemes that are all over the place)

A brand refresh deals with your business’ design or messaging system, which needs to be clarified, refreshed, or refocused. Your brand should reflect the current marketplace. A refresh could mean that small adjustments are required to maintain your competitive advantage. 

A brand refresh can include anything from:

• Tweaking your design
• Using a new font
• Changing your color pallet
• Updating your brand voice with a new slogan or headlines
• Refreshing any of your marketing materials
• Replacing your images
• Adjusting your customer service or product offerings

By staying up to date with your branding, you are telling your audience that you’re modern, relevant, and ahead of the curve. An up-to-date brand shows that you know what you’re doing and connect to your market or industry.

Which one is right for you?

So that now we know what a rebrand vs brand refresh means, the reasons you might need them, and what they include – it’s time to figure out which one is right for your business!

As your business grows, your brand will eventually need to change. That’s just inevitable. We are continually evolving as a business and brand – and so are our customers. Only 60% of marketers think their brand is well aligned with their long term goals. Being adaptable to change is critical to establishing a firm footing in your industry for the long haul. 

However, the extent to which you want to pivot and adapt your brand to your marketplace is up to you. A rebrand is much more intense, while a brand refresh is less risky but can still yield powerful results. The most important thing to consider is which option will keep your business relevant, competitive, and keep you on track to produce successful results now and in the future.

Do you have rebrand vs brand refresh questions? I would be happy to hop on a Discovery Call or send me a message here!