Change is inevitable.
As your business grows, so should your understanding of what you’re set out to achieve and how you’re going to achieve it. There are stages in a business’ life cycle where you may wish to capitalise on these changes and go through a process of rebranding your business.
For us at illumin8, going back to the drawing board and rebranding was a profound catalyst for one of the greatest changes to our business.
Start with why
The wonderful Simon Sinek has said it a million times before. The foundation of everything you do must come back to a core purpose and a belief, why does your business exist?
‘People don’t buy what you do, they buy WHY you do it’ – Simon Sinek
Discovering our ‘why’ and really owning it was the starting point for us in developing a brand that we could really commit to. It was the foundation upon which the rest of the rebrand took place, and is now the plumb-line for which everything else flows. When all else fails, we ALWAYS some back to our ‘why’.
Involve others
Rebranding isn’t a journey to be traveled alone. Be willing to invest time and money into in a marketing and branding professional that can ask the hard questions. Engage someone that’s going to bring out your business’ personality and help you to articulate the vision and values you want to live out.
As well as bringing in a pro, don’t undervalue the importance of involving your team. It’s your team that helps to create and drive culture. Ensuring your team are apart of brainstorming and discussions will be super important when it comes to the way the team ‘live out’ and buy in to the brand.
Know your story
Like Wolverine, your business has an ‘origin story’. You’ve got own personality that separates you from others in your industry. Own it! Real storytelling is about understanding what makes your business unique and being able to communicate this in a way that connects with others. Knowing your story will in turn help grow your business, so be bold and be yourself.
Your brand is more than your logo
Whilst a memorable logo is important, it’s not the ‘be all and end all’ of your brand. In fact, while it’s a significant reflection and representation of who you are, your brand is far more than just your logo. Your clients want to feel your brand and experience it in a way that's consistent and relevant, but also real. Invest time in identifying what separates you from others in your industry, and absolutely own those things! One of illumin8’s core values is fun, so we are sure to live this out in everything that we do.
Your brand is your strategy.
Your brand is the way you communicate.
Your brand is your people.
Your brand is your why.
Celebrate!
Once you’ve gone public with your new brand, it’s time to celebrate! Gather together your team, clients and friends of the business and enjoy reveling in the results of your hard work.
At illumin8, we decided we wanted to throw a party to ‘re-introduce’ our clients, suppliers and friends to illumin8. The whole party reflected our new brand; from the location, to the decorations and the food and drink. I mean, who doesn’t love an event with whisky tasting, old school arcade games and burgers?
