Pinnacle Custom Signs meets with companies on a regular basis because they have decided to re-brand their business. Part of the re-branding process for these clients is to update their business signage to reflect that change.
Why would a business undergo an additional expense to change their look? Sometimes the “signs” are obvious.
Often, the reasons our clients have for changing their signage is because they are changing their name to better reflect their market position or growth. Other times, it is because they just felt like an overhaul of their look was needed and necessary for business. In these cases, there is little choice but to re-brand.
If you’re wondering whether your brand needs a makeover, consider the following “signs” and see if they apply:
1) Your brand is lost in the crowd.
The goal of branding is to create differentiation between yourself and your competitors. If your logo blends into the sea of all the other logos or if your font doesn’t separate itself from your other text, then your branding may be hurting your business.
2) You’ve cringed when someone asks for your business card.
That is a huge sign that you’re not proud of your branding. From crowded, clunky card design to outdated website designs, everything about your card should scream your company branding and make you proud.
3) You’re not attracting new talent.
If you are having a hard time recruiting the type of talent you are after, then you might want to consider your brand. Your brand is your first impression. If that impression is average, mediocre, or just plain dull – then it might be hurting your human resource goals.
4) Your brand doesn’t match your vision.
Your name needs to ooze your brand. And if what you are putting out there doesn’t align with your mission, goals, and objectives – then you might need to change.
Sometimes, a business that has been around for years have to change their branding due to cultural changes, ownership changes, geographical relationship, or simply bad public relations from previous mistakes. Your name should evoke both your company position and personality.
5) Your brand is complicated.
The old “keep it simple” saying applies when it comes to your branding. If your business has evolved to be all things to all people, then, somewhere along the line, you may have over-complicated the message behind the brand and decreased its effectiveness for your business. Take advantage of ways to simplify your message and focus on a simplified brand narrative that adds benefit to your brand moving forward.
6) You’re going through a merger.
This point may seem cut and dry, but too often mergers create underlying challenges in culture and value that dilute your brand. When combining efforts leads to a reduction in performance for both the existing and new brand, then it’s time to step back and recreate the bigger picture.
Pros and Cons of Re-branding
PROS
- Potential to attract new customers by reigniting a spark
- Shift your efforts to align with new goals
- Increase engagement by maximizing your new brand exposure
- Refocus on the main thing
CONS
- A sense of confusion and change
- Losing some clients due to change
- Financial Investment
When you truly re-brand your business, you have to consider the full scope of business cards, letterhead, envelopes, signage, website, social media, and similar things that have to be recreated with your re-branding efforts. That not only involves replacement cost but the man-hour investment associated with your staff’s time.
The reality is that, if you’ve even considered re-branding your company, it is probably ready for a change.
If you are holding back from re-branding because of the effort, we can help. Pinnacle Custom Signs has years of experience in assisting business in areas that range from logo creation to finished sign design. We help you by replacing and/or renovating your existing branding to help reinvent your business.
