The majority of my clients are rebranding. Of course, I have a few who are launching something new. But, for the most part, people come to me when they need a brand refresh. You might be here because your current brand doesn’t feel aligned too. But deciding to rebrand, whether partial or entire, can be daunting.

You want to be sure rebranding is the right option before you dedicate your time, money, and energy to the process. Is that right?

Grab yourself a cuppa (or cocktail), and talk through whether it’s time for a rebrand and what this will look like for you and your business.

What is (re)branding?

Let’s take it back to basics. You started your business, picked a few colours, DIY-ed your website, and started posting on social. And you have yourself a business. But what if I asked you about your brand? What does your business stand for? Represent? Reflect? And in accordance with these ~ deep ~ and weighty questions, what message does your brand convey? Who does it attract? How does it sound?
Before you hit X on this tab and run away from branding forever, here’s some honesty:

Branding is big. And it’s big for a reason. There are so many elements to building your brand because your brand is SO important. Your brand is your business identity. Consider your business as a person.
You have goals, preferences, likes and dislikes. You have reason and motivation. You show up and share value in your own unique way. Well, the same goes for your brand.

But, as I said, I want you to stick around, so I’m going to simplify things for you and chat only about brand voice & messaging (because that’s my bread and butter). But if you decide to address the visual elements of your brand, I’d be more than happy to recommend some incredible brand designers. And if you’re ready to get to the root of your brand, I do this as part of my website copy package, which you can learn more about here.

So, rebranding is when elements of your brand feel off. Your visuals, voice, and overall ‘why‘ doesn’t feel aligned. And with this lack of alignment comes struggle marketing yourself, showing up, and conveying your value. Basically, if your brand isn’t there, your business won’t be either (the two go together).
When you realise these things aren’t working harmoniously and don’t excite you, you might decide to rebrand and readdress these areas. And if you work with Copycat Studios, you’ll be focusing on your ‘why’ according to your messaging (what you say & why) and your tone of voice (how you say & why).

How do I know when it’s time to rebrand?

It’s simple enough to say things feel ‘off’ or not in ‘alignment’, but what do these words really mean? Here are a few signs you’re ready to rebrand: 

You’ve outgrown your existing branding

Have you elevated and upscaled since creating your last brand?

I’m working with a client currently who’s the epitome of luxury, but her business wasn’t always this way. In recent years, she’s attracted high-class clients and a reputation to match. But her website doesn’t reflect her projects and clientele. Although she’s been attracting incredible clients through referrals, she knew that if she wanted to maintain this trajectory, she needed the brand to match.

Have you outgrown or decided to go in a new direction than your current brand? If so, it’s time to think about how having a fully-aligned brand will solidify and support this development.

Your old branding doesn’t align with the clients you want to attract

Maybe you’re not *quite* in the next era of business, but you’re beyond ready for it. You know the kind of projects you want to work on and the clients you need to attract, but your current branding doesn’t reflect this. 

Potential clients will be drawn in by your branding (imagery, words, reason), and you’ll make sales because of your messaging. If your current branding doesn’t align with the clients you want to attract, you’ll have a tough time getting them to stick around long enough to make those sales.

You’re offering new services

Similarly to attracting new clients, if your services have changed, you’ll need to make sure you’re reflecting them in your branding. Does your messaging consider this service? Are you conveying value?
For example, you might be offering ‘VIP Days’, but your traditional, sophisticated brand requires a more elevated phrase than ‘VIP Days’. Have you thought about creating a title encapsulating your brand and your offering?

You’re still using the same brand assets as when you started your business

I hate to break it to you, but if you’re using the same brand assets as when you started, you need a refresh. The exception is if you paid for professional branding from top to bottom. Buuut, I’m assuming you’re like the rest of us who bootstrapped, DIYed and did our damn best. I celebrate your savviness, but there comes a time when you need to invest to elevate. I’m not saying you have to drop thousands on done-for-you services. A course, writing prompts, or super affordable brand copywriter (helloooo) can serve you well at this stage.

But the truth is, your business isn’t what it used to be. You’ve learnt more, discovered more, and achieved more. And your original branding doesn’t reflect that. Plus, you might have decided to niche down or offer different services — is your original branding inclusive of this? I doubt it.

You might not need a whole brand refresh, perhaps your tone of voice is still accurate, but your message is slightly off. Spend some time analysing your current brand and considering how you can change it to feel more aligned.

You’re not proud to show up and share your brand online

Confession moment I spent ages feeling ashamed of my brand. Yep, the girl who works in branding felt lost with her brand. But, the truth is (& I know it’s true because I always speak to creatives about this), tackling your brand is HARD. Stepping outside and viewing your brand as your ideal customer can be super difficult.

And when it came to visuals, I was even more lost. I’d picked colours I liked, didn’t focus on honing my brand voice (yep, a core part of my service), and neglected my website while serving others.

I pushed branding aside as I focused on serving my clients. But, the longer I left it, the more reluctant I was to show up. I didn’t post consistently with engaging captions. Blog writing became a thing of the past. And I knew I wasn’t utilising SEO across my copy and content.

Because I wasn’t showcasing these things and taking pride in my brand, I stopped showing up, sharing my messaging, and serving others. Please let me know if you can relate because I know I’m not alone with this!

Building a brand I’m proud of

What did I do to rectify my brand fatigue and neglect? It’s simple; I took some time. I scheduled a 1:1 brand strategy and followed it up with time dedicated to diving deeper into my brand voice and messaging. I treated my business in the same way I do my clients and came out feeling SO much better about my brand refresh and the direction my brand was guiding me.

If you don’t feel proud to showcase your brand, share your website, or follow dream clients online, it’s time to ask yourself why. What about your current branding holds you back?

Rebranding can be kinda scary. But having a brand that doesn’t align with your business and direction is guaranteed to scare potential dream clients away!

Spend some time analysing your brand and attitude to get to the root of the problem and decide how you’re going to solve this issue.

If brand voice and messaging are your biggest struggle, Copycat Studios can help you feel more confident in conveying your value and talking about what you do (& why you’re the best at it). You can browse our services here. And don’t forget to let me know if you require recommendations for your visual brand identity, I’m always happy to help!