Is it time to rebrand your business?

There comes a point when the values, market position, mission or offer that applied when you set up in business have shifted. Rebranding your business is one option for bringing everything back in line, but what’s involved? Let me share my experience.

Discovering your niche

When I became self-employed in 2015, I knew that my forte was document creation. However, such a niche offer seemed too much of a risk at the time and I believed I should offer a wider selection of services.

Research led me to Virtual Assistants. Amazing, friendly and highly talented individuals who provide a spectrum of business support services. Through VA forums and networks, they offered support and insight and we exchanged knowledge and resources. It felt like a natural fit for what I wanted to offer and 3DVA was launched.

Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to support SMEs and sole traders with an array of projects and the range of tasks have pushed me to continuously develop and upskill. However, nothing gets me as excited as creating business documents. Job satisfaction for me is resolving document issues, transforming bland copy into visually appealing, branded, interactive resources.

The last two years have given many of us the chance to take stock. For me, this led to the decision to rebrand my business. It’s been at the back of my mind for years and now is the time for action. I’ve known my niche from the start, but now I have the confidence to hone my offer and clarify where my expertise lies.

What’s involved in rebranding a business?

Rebranding a business is not straightforward. You have to reconsider your vision, mission, target audience, market position, values, offer and business goals. You have to take time to reflect on previous experiences; how and why has the business evolved, what has worked and what is no longer relevant. This is time-consuming and it can be difficult when you have a business to run.

For me it was worth it; it felt like the natural way forward. With a fresh perspective in mind, I could move on to my brand identity. Does the company name, logo, colour, font, strapline, message and tone need to be completely reworked or can anything be retained?

I saw the rebranding process as an evolution of my business, so I wanted to hold onto some of the original elements including the colours and values. The company name; 3 Doc Solutions, is new, but it is also a nod to the past identity. I’ve approached rebranding as a step forward, rather than completely starting from scratch. If you’ve diversified, merged or are targeting a completely new client, a complete rebrand may be called for.

Supporting loyal clients

The rebranding process also includes managing the expectations of loyal customers. In the past, I’ve provided services that I will no longer offer. This doesn’t mean that I cannot help clients. I’ve built a network of professional contacts who specialise in all aspects of business support including bookkeeping, social media management and telemarketing. A collaborative approach will ensure that clients’ needs are met, whilst I focus on interactive forms, training manuals, presentation decks, policies, handbooks and other business documents.

Rebrand next steps

With the new branding in place, I then moved onto the website, social profiles and directory listings; then I realised I would need to inform HMRC, the bank and other relevant organisations. Each step reminded me of another action. To assist others going through this experience, I decided to create – you guessed it, a document – a Rebranding Checklist. It details all the steps in the process; what needs updating and who to inform.

My rebranding checklist is available to download for free below and you can check out some other templates from the 3DOC template library.

Promoting the rebrand

Being an active participant in networking events and local business organisations has played an important role in helping me get established as a freelancer. I value the connections, support and insight, however, the last two years has put pay to many events and activities.

It seems like the perfect time to return to these groups with a fresh vision, clarity about my offer and pride in my new brand. The rebranding process has renewed my vigour for promoting what I do and how I can help SMEs. I approach this next phase with confidence in my ability to resolve challenges, enhance efficiency and increase professionalism when it comes to business documents.

If rebranding your business is on the cards for 2022, may the process drive your energy and enthusiasm for the future.