It kind of feels like witness protection…we have a whole new name and a whole new look.

If you follow us on socials, you may have seen our series on how we went about a MAJOR rebrand of our agency. It was epic. It was exciting. It was exhausting!

Branding seems to be a hot topic and there are about a hundred ways to go about it. But at the end of the day, most of us are seeking the same result…a brand that represents the core of what our business is all about.

So how the heck do you go about a brand/rebrand?! That’s the million-dollar question.

Whether you are starting a brand-new venture and need to build a brand from the ground up or have a brand in place that just needs a facelift, there are a few key factors that can make or break the experience…and the end result.

1. Follow the buddy system

Do not attempt to brand (or rebrand) alone. You need a second opinion. You need an outside perspective. You need constructive feedback.

It comes as no surprise that we highly recommend partnering with an agency or experienced brand strategist to be your guide through this process, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go a more DIY route. But…if you do choose to develop your brand on your own, bring in a second opinion.

Find that confidant that isn’t afraid to give you constructive feedback as you outline your values, your mission, your unique selling proposition. Friends, family, fellow business owners – it can be anyone you trust to give you an honest opinion before you air your brand to the world.

2. Ask your customers for input

This may be the single most overlooked aspect of a rebrand. We admit, it wasn’t top of mind for us, but once we started asking the questions, we quickly realized how valuable this feedback was. This was where we really started to see where we differentiated from our competitors and what value we provided to our clients.

Ask your customers for their perspective. Create a short survey or send a personal email asking a few key questions like “what are three words you would use to describe our company/services/products,” “what made you choose our company over a competitor,” or “what did/do you appreciate most about working with us?”

Bonus tip: Ask your employees (or stakeholders), too! Invite them to offer insight like why they enjoy working for your company, what they perceive your values to be, where they see your company moving in the next five, ten, twenty years. Asking more questions can help you gain perspective on your value and help you uncover any blind spots.

3. Values before visuals

When you think about branding, what is the first thing that comes to mind? A logo? Yep, me too. And while that visual element of your brand is important, it is so critical to do the introspective work first. Without establishing your mission, vision, values, brand promise, and voice first, your visuals run the risk of feeling disconnected.

Visuals – a brandmark, logo, font choice, color palette – need to be a reflection of your values. They need to help paint a picture of who you are and what you stand for. And those key values that define how you want to run your business, how you want your business to be perceived, help inform everything from font choice to colors. Trying to design a visual brand package without an understanding of who you are and what you stand for is like throwing darts at a wall and hoping it will all magically align.

4. Slow and steady

I am not a patient person. Sometimes I get an idea and I want to go 800 miles an hour to get it done as fast as possible. Do you ever feel that way?!

Branding (or rebranding) is exciting. Let’s face it…waiting to launch your fresh look is excruciating. But if we learned one thing through our own rebrand, it was the value to be found in slowing down and really giving big decisions time to settle. To take the time to look at things from multiple angles and over time.

It’s the same idea as walking away from a big project and coming at it with fresh eyes the next day. A brand is something that should last a really long time. You don’t want to settle for “something you can live with,” you want to really love it. And that means that time is your best friend. Slow down. You won’t regret spending more time making sure it feels right.

5. Trust your gut

Our last tip is admittedly subjective. A brand/rebrand journey can feel really intimidating. Everyone has an opinion. Those opinions can be really helpful in a lot of ways, but at the end of the day, YOU own your company. YOU know what feels right.

This is especially true when it comes to your family and friends. They are your circle of trust and probably the first people you want validation from when you finalize some of these big branding decisions. And it can feel really disheartening if they aren’t as excited about some of the elements of your brand as you are.

But they are likely not your target customers. And while they may love you, they don’t know your business as well as you do. So trust your gut. It has gotten you this far!