Due to the sheer number of businesses online, it is vital that your own business remains competitive. You can easily achieve this by making your business easy to find online through a recognizable brand.

What exactly is a brand?

A name, term, design or any other aid that is used to define a business’ goods or services. Put simply, a brand is a symbol that captures everything there is to know about a business. As your brand is the first point of contact for users or clients, it is imperative that you create the right brand for your business from the start.

Unfortunately, as with everything, a brand’s novelty eventually wears off and starts losing its effect. This is the point where most businesses consider a rebrand.

What is a rebrand?

Over time, a company’s brand may lose its focus or direction, and become unable to keep up with current industry standards. To ensure your business’s relevance in an ever-changing marketplace, it is important to refresh your business’ brand to create a contemporary and up to date image of your business.

Why should you rebrand your website?

Brand image issues

An outdated look that needs a breath of fresh air, a name that does not reflect your company and incorrect marketing campaigns can all result in issues with your brand’s image and can damage your business’ reputation.

Set your business on the right path by getting rid of an irrelevant or outdated brand image. A new colour scheme, updated image and logo is all it takes to make correct your business’ image.

Company expansion

As they expand, most companies eventually change their direction and location. This can cause problems for brands that only reflect one idea. For example, if your company originally specialized in just one field but now operates in several areas, customers must be made aware through your brand. Additionally, if a local business now operates in multiple regions or countries, the company brand must reflect this expansion.

Attract your intended customers

If you are attracting the wrong demographic of customers, you must re-assess your business’ brand. People identify with brands that reflect their values, social concerns and overall outlook on life. You must adjust your brand to reflect your intended demographic’s beliefs.

The Latest Rebranding Trends of 2021

At Web Theoria, we stay atop the major digital marketing trends that will define 2021 and developments in rebranding so our clients don’t have to. Have a look below:

Adaptable logo

In the current digital era, companies must establish a presence on all social media platforms. This also entails a ‘shape-shifting logo that will change in size, complexity or colour depending on the platform it appears in.

For example, you could have a master logo on your website, as well as a simpler icon for your company’s Instagram account. Some companies even create a one-tone logo that can be used as a watermark on photos. These variations serve as a reminder of your business’ adaptability and brand presence. 

A humanized brand personality

Many people have difficulty with trusting brands. Most people feel that companies are simply focused on earning money and will say anything to get it. To remedy this, it is important to humanize your brand as much as possible to shake off the perception of the ‘money-grabbing business’.

To achieve this, you must attach a personality to your brand. Recent studies revealed the main qualities that consumers value: honestly, friendliness and helpfulness. Shoppers also show a preference for brands that are funny, contemporary and socially conscious. These qualities humanize a brand.

Authenticity

A recent Edelman Trust Barometer reported that only 34% of consumers trust the brands they buy from, a fact which highlights the consumer’s desire for authenticity.

A Stackla report revealed that 86% of consumers view the authenticity of a brand as a major factor in purchasing decisions. The same study revealed that 90% of millennials believe brand authenticity to be important, emphasizing a preference for ‘real and organic’ over ‘perfect and packaged.’

This type of research gives insight into the dying trend of heavily photoshopped ads and commercials. Picture-perfect models in ideal settings no longer have the allure they once did. The implementation of behind-the-scenes snippets in your marketing strategy can help create a sense of authenticity. Giving outsiders an exclusive look at your business’ process or the area where you source your products and goods helps create transparency and trust.  

Social media

In 2021 A.D, who isn’t online at this point? TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook have been the best platforms from which to build your brand for quite some time now, with 90% of companies currently designating large social media budgets for brand awareness purposes.

For a successful social media presence, you must first assess which platforms are used by your desired demographic. E.g. TikTok focuses on short, humorous videos attracting younger users. Following this, you must create a consistent visual colour theme for your account to solidify your brand’s identity.

An official brand hashtag is also important.  An Omnicore Agency Study revealed that 7 in 10 hashtags on Instagram are branded. Hashtags can increase engagement with customers by up to 50%, as customers can post about their purchase and use the brand hashtag, allowing your business to extend its reach to the customer’s followers.

Social media platforms are also great for increasing website traffic. If you are interested in finding out more, read our 7 tips on increasing traffic from social media.

Sustainable initiatives

Studies have revealed that 88% of consumers believe companies can play influence change in society. Many consumers believe that businesses should take the lead in addressing environmental issues by providing consumers with sustainable products. Shoppers today are now more aware of what they buy and set out to purchase sustainable brands. According to a study by Global Web Index, 61% of millennials are eager to pay more for eco-friendly products.

With this in mind, brands now implement sustainable operations and ethical business practices to improve their brand’s image, simultaneously meeting the demands of green consumerism and gaining the loyalty and trust of customers.

We can help you rebrand

Our Web Theoria team is passionate about the latest developments in digital marketing. Our extensive experience in branding makes us the ideal choice for both fresh marketing strategies and adjustments to existing ones. Our branding services include typography, illustrations, image production, business cards, banners and website designs.

If you are looking for more than a fresh look, Web Theoria is also able to provide branding strategies on a one-off or recurring basis to entrench awareness of your business’ brand.

Published on September 05, 2021