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If customers aren’t buying your products or your logo is looking a bit tired, it might be time for a company rebrand. Anita Brightley-Hodges, founder of design consultancy Still Waters Run Deep, advises on how to reinvigorate your business.

For all business owners, there comes a time when it is necessary to step back and look at the wider picture. All companies at one time or another need a injection of something new and this can be brought about in the form of a rebrand.

Anita Brightley-Hodges, founder of design consultancy Still Waters Run Deep, has taken hundreds of companies through the rebranding process and is well placed to offer advice.

“It might be that the market is changing and your products or services just aren’t making it,” she says. “It might be because an acquisition has been made or the owners are a little bit tired. A rebranding may also be necessary because you’ve simply seen a new opportunity.”

Key to rebranding, Brightley-Hodges advises, is getting personal. Don’t hold back. Many entrepreneurs may find it hard hard to take criticism of their company but it’s necessary to ensure future success.

And remember it is not just about your logo. That is just the beginning. “Branding’s all about the experience,” Brightley-Hodges continues. “When people walk through the door of your business they should be able to feel it. Very often branding is just left to letterheads but I encourage clients to think beyond that and look holistically. The minute they step into their office or factory they should be able to feel it like the expect their customers to.”

One way of creating a strong brand is owning colours. “You can only do that by looking at the competition”, Brightley-Hodges says. “Own the colours so everyone in your market would be a fool to take them up.”

You should also make sure everyone within your organisation gets it. Having the chief executive understand it is all very well and good but if the entire workforce doesn’t get what you’re trying to achieve, it is unlikely to be successful.

The 10 stages of rebranding

Undertake a perception study
Speak to your staff, customers, family members and the board about what they think about the company. Also, if you are using an independent consultant, ask your competitors. Competitors are often quite happy to comment.

Business owners should have really broad shoulders because they sometimes won’t like what they hear. People will expect things to happen as soon as a perception study is completed so don’t carry one out if you’re not prepared for that.

Undertake a visionary exercise
Where do you see your business in the future? Everyone involved should be able to share their aspirations.

Develop a tailored brief for communications
From all the collated information, a design consultant will develop a brief. Every business is different so ensure the brief is tailored to your particular needs and make-up.

Create distinctive design concepts to reflect company ethos
Create a distinctive design that sets you apart from your competition and reflects your company ethos. If everyone in your market is doing blue, grey and red, do purple, orange and green. Visually you can show yourself as different instantly which saves a lot of time and energy.

Produce a bespoke brand story book with guidelines to inform and protect your new identity
Tell a story. If you were to close your eyes and someone said ‘The Body Shop’, you’ll likely to instantly have an understanding of the business. Similarly, say ‘Nike’ and you understand the brand because it has got such a strong story.

The same is true with Innocent Drinks. Although the firm’s products are smoothies very much like others on supermarket shelves, customers are willing to pay top dollar because they want to be associated with something that’s fun, ethical and healthy.

Excite your staff and customers with a communications programme
People love things that are new, fresh and successful. Get people excited and talking about your rebrand. Although the products or services will be pretty much the same, by rebranding and adding new things you’ve got a different reason to talk about your business.

Stage a launch event
Loyal customers like seeing you as successful so invite them to an event which demonstrates that you’re moving ahead in a soft, exciting and fun atmosphere.

Evaluate brand success around key performance indicators
Most businesses will have KPIs to track each person or team’s success so monitor the success the rebrand has had on them.

Monitor brand to ensure relevance
Rebranding is not an excuse to sit back for 10 years. It should be constantly re-evaluated for relevance. Ask yourself whether it needs to be adjusted or whether the market requires different things? Maybe you’ve got new people with new ideas joining the board.

A brand is nothing if it doesn’t stand for why you started it in the first place. It’s all about passion and experience. When deciding which business to buy from from, customers are only going to pick the one which they think mirrors them and looks the strongest, most confident, most successful and with maximum integrity. You can only do that through things like a company logo, presentation, effective reading material and how your receptionist answers the phone.

Revel in new opportunities
If you get the process right, celebrate the new opportunities that rebranding will afford you.