New Year. New Decade. New Branding.
You’ll probably heard that we’ve had had an image adjustment. Well, I’m sending a big hello as the owner of Pixel Co. Creative & Marketing; the new Kara de Schot creative marketing agency. It is the beginning of a new year (happy new year!), and a brand-spanking-new decade; Welcome to the roaring ‘20s!
As we hit a new year, and a new decade, rebranding was vital for my business. I want to share my story in case it helps you to understand whether rebranding is the right move for you.
Why rebranding was the right decision for me.
I saw rebranding as somewhat of a necessity for Kara de Scot Creative + Marketing. First and foremost, I outgrew my own name. It sounds funny, I know! However, when I started my brand, I was the singular point of contact for my clients. Kara de Schot Creative + Marketing simply was… me. As my business grew, I hired an incredible digital coordinator to mentor and join me in my quest to serve my clients incredible Facebook Ad campaigns and social media management. And then came my office manager because I quickly realised doing admin wasn’t my genius zone. These guys quickly became invaluable to me, and invaluable to my clients too. ‘I’ became ‘we’. One became three.
And then my gorgeous websites started to garner more attention and I needed extra geek support to ensure we could continue to meet the fast turnaround my clients appreciate. Enter Steph, the best Elementor wizard I know that can bring my visions to life in mere moments.
While I have no intention of growing beyond our mighty tight team of four, it had become apparent that I had outgrown my status of ‘lone ranger’.
As I started to work with new clients, I realised that my once solo agency had now grown beyond my reputation and beyond the type of business I had originally set up. This re-vamp is all about acknowledging my team and creating a new reputation: Pixel Co. Whilst my team and I are still operating exactly as we were, I am no longer a one-man-band.
With a smart rebrand strategy, I will, of course, ensure my name remains in many places so I still can be found easily should someone search my name, and my clients told well before the public. They are like family, after all.
Sellability, often overlooked.
Aside from rebranding to stay in tune with your current business model, another key reason for a rebrand is to create more of a saleable asset.
It is a little bit difficult to sell your own name… Not that I have any plans to! But rebranding as a company, with a united front, means that I now have a solid and saleable asset, for when I am ready to go down that path. An asset that is not attached to a sole individual’s identity.
Why rebranding might be necessary for you.
Just as fashion trends change, so do design styles. Alongside the benefits I mentioned for myself personally, rebranding can take an outdated and tired looking brand into the current decade.
Your business grows and changes, often the brand you create when your business is starting, doesn’t represent what your business has grown to become.
Use rebranding as an excuse to review all of your brand assets. Revise your website. Your copywriting, logo, colours, brand persona and more. Use it as an excuse to look at your business goals and to set new ones. To assess your brand growth.
Once you do re-brand, ensure you have a strategy in place to shout it from the rooftops to let everyone know. It’s a great PR opportunity.
So, when shouldn’t you rebrand?
There is a reason I decided to rebrand when I did; I only had two years under my belt as ‘Kara de Schot Creative + Marketing’. If I had left it to the 10-year mark I may have had a lot more assets that need updating. The only things I really had to change were my website, business cards, digital assets and car signage. If you have a long-standing business, with lots of brand equity (think: shop signage, uniforms and more), rebranding can be an expensive feat.
Think about your brand recognition in the marketplace. if you have a prominent and widely-recognised brand, it’s likely that rebranding could actually end up costing you more money in the long run in lost revenue if they can’t find you or don’t recognise you. It’s beneficial to perform a cost-benefit analysis. Consider how much rebranding will cost you entirely (including loss of brand recognition and replacing all existing assets), against the benefits your business will receive.
Perhaps you have an existing business and it just needs an ‘aesthetic refresher?’ Keep on reading.
Maybe you just need a little (brand) freshen up?
You’ve weighed up the pros and cons of rebranding and have decided that it’s not for your business. So, what now? Well, you can still modernise your brand! A ‘brand refresh’ is where your existing brand assets remain similar enough to be recognisable (same brand name and a number of core elements), but different pieces are tweaked and modernised. For example, you may update your logo slightly, your colour palette, or your fonts. This will easily modernise your brand, without completely changing your business identity.
Whether or not you decide to rebrand your business, the beginning of a new decade is the perfect time to review your business assets. Make sure that your brand still fits the business you now have.
Start the ‘20s off with a bang – and I’m talking more than just the bang of a champagne cork! If you want to chat about my rebranding experience, or are after some professional advice; don’t be afraid to give Pixel Co. Creative & Marketing a call!
