Branding in its raw, original form was something that farmers used to differentiate their livestock. In the world of B2B marketing, the concept of differentiation has remained the same – but it’s not just about a mark or a logo, it’s about a synergy between aesthetics, design and a brand personality that connects with your customer base.
Some or all of the key aspects of your brand including logo, images, website, tone, colours and typography work together to create a brand experience that appeals to your external customers as well as creating the sense of belonging and pride for your internal team.
The purpose of the brand is to reinforce important messages and refocus your business – showing your work, products and services in the best light.
What is a brand refresh or rebrand?
Image is one of the key factors of how a brand is viewed and perceived but making sure the public persona and the business reality align is essential.
A brand refresh should start with an honest and strategic review of how your business may have changed over time and what your aspirations are for the business in the future. Are these changes reflected in your brand values and attributes?
The extent of these changes may well determine whether you need to approach the updates as a refresh or a rebrand.
How do you know it’s time for a rebrand?
Some of the following areas can serve as triggers to help determine if a brand refresh and or the more encompassing rebrand, is something that can really help improve your B2B business and brand equity.
Is your brand story still relevant?
Undertaking an audit of your current offering of digital and printed assets and asking if they reflect not only the ‘who’ of your business and brand but the ‘what’ of all the great work you have been doing. Is it time to change the story to match? Some changes may be obvious and quick and easy to make – others may require further thought and research. How has your customer base changed? How can you encompass these insights into a targeted brand story?
See also: Brand Identity: Do we know who you are?
Dated look and feel [logo, website, communications]
You know it as soon as you see it. There are some excellent B2B’s out there who are doing brilliant work, but haven’t yet found the time to invest in updating their marketing materials, logos and websites to match. This is reflected in dated designs, colours, stock images, content across your website and even language & tag lines that are just plain out of touch!
Internal business changes
“If your firm now looks different on the inside, it also needs to look different on the outside” (Spur). Where there have been significant changes such as a merger, acquisition, new leadership, cultural transformation or removal/addition of market and product offerings then it is a good idea to revisit and reassert your brand. This is a proactive and practical way to communicate changes to your external audience as part of a comprehensive communications plan.
Do you stand out from the competition?
How do you measure up in comparison to your competitors? Or maybe this time it’s not about measuring up and more about doing something a little different. Many B2Bs tend to have a more ‘serious’ appeal with dark colours and technical language more popular in the late 90’s and early noughties. A splash of colour and ‘on trend’ creative design principals can give digital assets a great new look that you clients will love– take a look at a recent example for client CSG.
Does brand consistency require attention?
Will your customers experience be of a consistently high standard across all touch-points? Walk in your customers shoes and critical evaluate whether you are delivering consistently – many organisations focus on a few key areas and get busy and forget about the rest. B2Bs also need to recognise the importance of internal communications and how this reinforces your brand to your employees. Rolling out new business cards, email signatures, presentation and proposal templates etc all impact the way your brand is perceived can create a sense of pride amongst internal teams.
See also: Rebrand helps some very special things happen
We create brand communications that engage your internal and external audiences and bring your brand to life across multiple touch points. Talk to the MIH team to discuss how we can help your brand.