I am currently undergoing a rebranding exercise, and I suspect that I am going through what many businesses also experience when going through this process.

In my situation, I am talking about a new logo, tweaked business trading name, fresh marketing collateral and a whole new website.

Why?

Well, Heart Harmony (plus my butterfly icon) has stood me in good stead for the past decade. The only trouble is that new clients meeting me for the first time expect me to be wreathed in incense, chanting Om with great regularity and teaching meditation. They expect anything other than copywriting.

In other words – there is a disconnect between the brand name, image and reality of the services my company delivers.

And as for my brilliant website … Well anyone who has looked behind the façade and into the code knows it is currently a fabulous MacGyver site. A loose conglomerate I have cobbled together over the years of quirky techie bits and bobs, all held together by sticky tape and a lot of crossing of my fingers hoping nothing crashes. In other words, I have been driving a mechanic’s car.

So, it is beyond time for a brand refresh. (Let’s be honest here … I am really heading towards a major slash and burn renovation and not a tiny paint job here).

And one thing I know for certain … Going through any rebranding delivers more than the odd challenge. Why? Because all rebranding is really a change management exercise and has all the same challenges as any change process.

How to Pick the Right Expert

For those of you just starting (or thinking about starting) rebranding or rebuilding your company website – here are a few tips to help you in the process.

First, there is the “picking the right business expert to help guide your change process” dance. Rebranding a business or rebuilding a website, if done poorly, can make you look like either your clothes are 2 sizes two small, 20 years too young for your frame or as if you have been styled by Helena Bonham-Carter.

My tip here – find businesses whose portfolio looks similar in style and feel to the one you are aiming for. If their portfolio is functional design and you want high art design – then keep looking.

Next work out if you can work with the people in the business. Check out their social media posts. Listen to them talk. Watch if they deliver what they say they will. If you feel in your initial meetings that you are dealing with Drama Queens whose lives are more dramatic than Days of Our Lives, then that is likely to be your experience of working with them.

If at the first meeting they suddenly start spouting, “Fuscia … you need Fuscia”, or “You need a site coded fully in php” – when they haven’t had a deep conversation about what you are trying to achieve – then they are only interested in themselves, their creativity and not you or your project.

You have to remember, in a good change management process, clearly defining the problem and the end state you are looking for BEFORE you start the change process is half of the battle.

Finally, if they are late in sending you the quote – they will be late with delivering your project.

And if after all of that process you are still not sure who to pick, trust your gut. If your gut says no – keep looking.

Once you find someone you trust, make sure you discuss the legal niceties of who actually owns the copyright of your images and logos before any work is done, so you don’t meet any surprises down the track.

A Quick Word About Money & Your Team

With websites – you get what you pay for. Websites and logos designed for a few hundred dollars are a great start in the same way that a Mazda 121 is a great first car. As you need to do more, you need to invest more to get the results you are looking for.

You may need a team of businesses to help build the right vehicle for your business and not just the one company. For example, my rebranding involves a marketing consultant, a graphic designer, a web developer, a copywriter (me) and SEO specialists to achieve what I want. Often you need specialists and not generalists.

Of course, shop around to find the right team. But know what you want to achieve before you put any money on the table. If you keep changing your mind or the scope of the project during the project, you need to know that it will cost you more money as your team has to keep retracing its steps – which is another reason you need to clearly define the problem and the end state before you start.

Ingrid Cliff

Heart Harmony Communications