Not sure if rebranding your business is the next right move? Let me paint a scenario for you.

You know how in movies, the main character who’s single, yet hopelessly romantic, will ask their married/in-a-relationship best friend: ⁠”When do you know you’ve found ~the one~?” 

⁠And most times, the well-intentioned but vague answer will be something like:⁠ “When you know, you know.” ⁠

⁠Well, from my personal experience, sometimes knowing when to rebrand your business can feel the same way. You’re expected to “just know” when to shift and lean into your “gut instinct.”⁠

If you’re thinking what I’m thinking, that advice feels airy and unpractical. What you want are clear indications that it’s time for a website rebrand — not having to rely on gut instinct.

The truth is, there is no brass-tack way for knowing when to rebrand your business. Every business is different, and there are many factors that influence this decision, like goals, finances, seasonality, and much more. 

But that doesn’t mean you have to wait until that gut instinct pokes you at the perfect time. Your business has its own way of getting your attention to tell you it’s time to change things up. Not sure exactly what I mean? 

Trust me, when you know, you’ll know. 😉 

Until then, be vigilant. Keep your senses alert for these major signs (that feel more like subtle nuggets) on when to rebrand:

1. You want to attract better customers and clients

It isn’t that you aren’t getting customers. In fact, your website does a great job of pulling in people already. You just need better leads.

Which is wonderful. I’m all for it!

First, you need to identify what “better” means to you in the context of your business.

Maybe some of these words from past clients will sound familiar to the inner dialogue in your head — “I want to …”

• “Shift into a new market with a more sophisticated audience” 
• “Have future clients understand my value (and see it’s worth paying my price)” 
• “Work with clients who align with me and my brand’s values” 

As a service provider, you’re selling your ideas, your work ethic, your team, your perspectives, your strategies, your mission, your processes, your frameworks … you’re selling yourself. In the most self-assured, least ego-centric way possible. 

And that is no easy feat. There are hundreds, if not thousands of people who do what you do. What makes you different from the competition? 

When you rebrand your business, clear website copy does the heavy lifting of so you don’t have to. 

This also applies to other businesses beyond service providers — like eCommerce brands, brick-and-mortar, and established organizations. You’re trying to attract a certain buyer, volunteer, or member, who cares about the same things you do.

Same idea, different contexts. 

There’s this little word called perceived value which plays a huge role in this phenomenon. Use it to your advantage if a rebrand is on your radar. (Or if you’re wondering how to get better leads.)

Your brand’s messaging should be a beautiful fragrance to your people, and a foul stench to everyone else. It’s a surefire way to attract even better, more qualified people to your business.

2. What you’re doing in business has shifted or you’ve diversified your offers

I’m sure you have a tucked away mental (if not physical, pencil-smeared) list of all the ways you want to make your business better, right? 

Ah, there’s that “better” word again. It has so many different meanings, you know! 

These new ideas can mean shifting in a major or minor way, but they’re shifts nonetheless. Shifts your audience needs to know about. For instance:

• A web designer launching a template shop/more digital products 
• A wedding photographer pivoting to brand photography 
• A coffee shop partnering with new wholesalers
• An organization removing programs that no longer exist
• A nutrition coach putting more distinct differences between 1:1 and group coaching
• A daycare removing certain age-group programs 
• A makeup artist introducing 1:1 coaching

All of these business owners are experiencing a big shift. It doesn’t matter whether they are new offers, a change in clientele, partnerships, or other shifts—they still require a repositioning of your brand’s messaging. Therefore, moves to rebrand your business. 

Right now you may be quietly making moves behind the scenes with new offers before bringing them to broad daylight. That’s one of the invigorating parts of being a creative entrepreneur, isn’t it? It’s also a smart business move. Definitely do this. 

But as soon as things are solid on the backend, make it known to the public! 

What better way to build up hype around your new offers than through a website rebrand — revelry and all?

3. You want to bring more attention to different offers within business

This sign (subtle nudge) is a bit more like hairsplitting, but it’s still important to mention.

You know how there are parts of your business where you’re like, “Yeah, I want to be doing waaaay less of this and WAY more of that”? 

I would say that’s an accurate representation of what this category is about. You’re not necessarily changing what you do. You just want to lean more intentionally into certain offers in comparison to others. 

Example time again! Let’s say you’re a coach. 

You’ve done 1:1 coaching sessions for quite a bit. While it is a core offer in your business you don’t have to actively market it anymore because it’s your bread and butter — and you sell it with your eyes closed *pats self on the shoulder*

You also have a  group coaching program that is also pretty solid. Lots of folks who don’t qualify for your 1:1 offer naturally filter into your group coaching container. Nice. 

But now, you want to introduce some digital products and even courses. Hence, diversifying your income. 

There are ways to structure your website so it emphasizes certain parts of your business while casually brushing over others. When you rebrand your business, it can help you spotlight the offers you want to lean into moving forward. 

I talk more about this in my lead magnet, The Art of Pivoting Your Message — which you can download here.

4. You need to reconnect to your vision because it’s been so long

This is common for brick and mortars, in-person businesses, and established organizations. 

You’re so busy doing the thing that honestly, the last thing on your mind is making time to rebrand your business. 

Then time goes by and you realize oh crap, it’s been six years?! Next thing you know, you look up and realize you’ve left your brand back in 2010 (← these were some direct words from some past clients, by the way, not mine.) 

A rebrand is a compelling way to create some “hype” around your business — especially if you’re been feeling out of touch with your mission for quite some time. Or if you’ve felt at a loss with what to say or how to even talk about your business through a refreshing lens. 

That was the case with The Parris Foundation if you’re interested in learning about how we tackled this together.

Ask not what a rebrand can do for you, but what you can do to rebrand your business

See? There are many different subtle nudges that hint it’s time to rebrand your business and website. 
The reality is, you’ll likely fall into a few of these categories. Maybe all of the above. If that’s you, then it’s even more reason to schedule a rebrand in the near future. It does take a lot of time and effort but by the time you’re finished, it’s so worth it. Go ahead and learn about the website copy and brand messaging process here. Because rebranding your business is not a matter of if, but when.