Rebranding is an exciting, yet daunting process, and it’s something both Amy and I have recently tackled. In this episode of the BrandWhys Podcast, Amy, a talented website copywriter and designer over at Hello and Co Creative, walks us through her rebranding journey, sharing the highs, the challenges, and the invaluable lessons she learned along the way.
Our conversation highlighted the mental effort involved and the importance of defining your purpose before starting any rebrand. Here’s the full episode if you want to listen for more insights.
Why Rebrand?
Amy’s decision to rebrand came down to one key realization: clarity. As business owners, especially those of us working in the branding and design space, our websites are often the last on the list to get a refresh. Amy found herself avoiding social media because her visuals no longer represented her brand, and this avoidance was holding her back.
Many of our clients express feeling embarrassed by their outdated websites, and while Amy wasn’t avoiding hers, she knew it was time for an upgrade to reflect her brand’s true identity.
The Rebrand Process
What started as a small update for Amy turned into a complete overhaul. She didn’t just change colors and fonts—she tore everything down to the studs. She re-evaluated her audience, refined her offers, redesigned visuals, rewrote her copy, and even redid her welcome sequence and email automation.
Amy’s approach highlights an important truth: a brand is much more than just visuals. Yes, cohesive design matters, but as Amy puts it, the biggest game-changers were the improvements to her client experience and copy.
“I always say design inspires interest, but copy inspires action,” Amy explains. That’s why she started with copy first—a hill she’s willing to die on. By writing the copy before diving into the design, Amy ensured that her message was clear and conversion-focused.
The Hardest Part of Rebranding? The Copy
Despite being a professional copywriter, Amy admits that writing her own copy was the most mentally exhausting part of the rebrand. “It’s like trying to read the label of a jar from inside the jar,” she says. Being too close to her own brand made it difficult to create fresh ideas. However, once she got the ball rolling, everything flowed more smoothly.
I could relate to this struggle. For my own rebrand, I realized my previous brand voice was too corporate and lacked the sassiness that reflects my personality. While I loved the bold headline “Your website screams I made this at 2 AM,” I had to tweak it because my ideal clients weren’t burning the midnight oil on their websites. It’s those small details in the copy that make all the difference.
Understanding Clarity in Branding
Clarity in branding is much more than choosing a catchy tagline or designing an eye-popping logo. It encompasses everything from your business’s core values and mission to the explicit message conveyed across all interaction points with your audience. Here’s why clarity is paramount:
- Enhances Brand Recognition – A clear and consistent brand message helps establish recognizability. When your audience knows precisely what you stand for, it makes you memorable among the competition.
- Builds Trust – Transparency and straightforward communication foster trust in your audience. When your purpose and values come across clearly, it builds credibility and loyalty.
- Streamlines Marketing Efforts – A well-defined brand message informs all marketing strategies, ensuring every piece of content supports your overarching business goals.
- Boosts Employee Alignment – Clarity in your brand helps your team unite around a shared vision and mission, driving collective efforts toward common goals.
Defining Brand Purpose
Brand purpose is the reason your business exists beyond making a profit. It is what drives you and inspires both your team and customers. Brand purpose connects on an emotional level, often aligning with broader social or environmental issues. Here’s how to establish a compelling brand purpose:
- Identify Your Core Values – Reflect on what your company stands for. What principles guide your operations?
- Understand Your Audience – Know the issues that matter to your audience and how your purpose can intersect with these concerns.
- Communicate Clearly – Fusing your purpose with your brand messaging ensures consistency and relevance in all your communications.
- Lead by Example – Demonstrate your commitment to the purpose through your actions, products, and services.
The Intersection of Clarity and Brand Purpose
A brand purpose without clarity can confuse your audience, diluting the impact of your efforts. Conversely, clarity without purpose may guide action but lack the emotional connection that hooks your audience long-term. The synergy of clarity and brand purpose can:
- Create Stronger Customer Bonds – Clear purpose-driven brands resonate deeply with consumers, who feel a part of a larger mission.
- Drive Brand Loyalty – A strong alignment between what your brand stands for and the values of your audience encourages repeat business.
- Shape Positive Perceptions – Consistent alignment of clear messaging and a purposeful mission influences how your brand is perceived and respected.
For a deeper dive into how clarity and brand purpose can enhance your business, let’s look at practical applications and real-world examples.
Practical Steps to Achieve Clarity and Brand Purpose
Evaluate Your Current Brand
Before stepping into the future, assess where you currently stand.
- Conduct a Brand Audit – Review all touchpoints, including your website, social media, customer communications, and marketing materials. Look for consistency in messaging and alignment with your purpose.
- Gather Feedback – Solicit opinions from your team, customers, and stakeholders. They can provide invaluable insights into how your brand is perceived.
Define Your Core Message
Your brand’s core message is the distilled essence of what you want to convey.
- Craft a Mission Statement – Sum up your business’s overarching goals and purpose.
- Create Value Propositions – Highlight the unique benefits your products or services offer.
- Develop Key Messages – Form the foundation of your communication across all platforms and channels.
Design with Clarity and Purpose
The aesthetics of your brand should reflect its clarity and purpose.
- Visual Consistency – Ensure your logo, color scheme, typography, and imagery align with your brand’s message.
- User Experience (UX) – Design your website and digital platforms for intuitive navigation that mirrors your brand’s clarity.
- Content Strategy – Prioritize content that supports your brand purpose, offering value and relevance to your audience.
Continuous Improvement
Clarity and brand purpose are not static; they evolve as your business grows.
- Regular Reviews – Periodically reevaluate your brand message to ensure it stays relevant and aligned with your purpose.
- Stay Agile – Be ready to adapt your strategies in response to market changes and feedback
- Highlight Success Stories – Share customer testimonials and case studies that exemplify your brand purpose in action.
The Benefits of a Rebrand
For Amy, the benefits of rebranding have been both financial and personal. The clarity and cohesiveness of her new brand have allowed her to book projects further in advance, raise her prices, and feel more confident in her work. Most importantly, it’s saved her countless hours by eliminating the need to redesign marketing materials every time she wanted to promote her business.
One of the most valuable takeaways from Amy’s experience is that rebranding isn’t just about creating something pretty. It’s about streamlining your process, boosting confidence, and aligning your brand with your business goals.
Advice for Anyone Thinking About Rebranding
If you’re considering a rebrand, Amy’s number one piece of advice is to seek clarity first. Jumping straight into design may be tempting, but taking the time to define who you are, who you’re serving, and what you stand for will make the process smoother and the results stronger.
As Amy puts it, “Clarity first, every single time.”
