How many of you are the same person you were six years ago? Not many, we would bet.

Most of us undergo changes all the time in response to different things: who we are around, what we experience, what we learn about the world and ourselves; all of it creates an evolutionary state of being, if we are open to listen and reflect. The changes might be small, but they add up over time.

Organizations evolve too, of course. Not just in response to the surrounding environment, but to the learning, validation and insight from the wrong turns and successes alike. A small organization is particularly susceptible to change, because the impact of a wrong turn can be felt immediately, and ideas are often shared and absorbed more easily.

But people carry their identity differently to that of a company. Each time we interact with another person, or react to something that happens, there is a chance to do something new. A chance to be different. One of the beautiful things in life is when we take the chance at a "fresh start"- to move somewhere new, start a new job, meet new people; free from the narrative of whom we once were.

Companies carry identity in their brand. How they communicate, what they do, how they behave, and what their values are. What is a "fresh start" for us? What happens when the projection of that brand no longer matches what we feel it should be? It does not matter if it is 1 year or 100 years in as a company, when the time is right to rebrand, it is right.

Why rebrand?

The world is fluid and ever-changing, and becoming increasingly so. In such an environment, rebranding is an essential part of business growth and resilience. Whether you're a small, bespoke education marketing consultancy like us or a huge international university, rebranding can help you stay relevant and attract a new generation of clients, partners, team members and students.

If the brand feels tired (and looks like it next to others), if it is no longer standing out as memorable, if you have significantly changed your services or your typical client base, or if your team or clients are confused about what you do, then you definitely need to shake things up!

Perhaps more personally, however, we have to listen to our gut on this one. Evangelizing your brand should, in an ideal world, be totally organic. We tell others about it because we genuinely love what it represents, and we are really clear on how to communicate it. When that becomes muddied, and you have to over-explain things, or feel a little disconnected from some angles of the branding, the chances are it is time for a refresh.

When to Rebrand

Is there a perfect time to rebrand? Not really, but as it can be a significant undertaking, it's essential to choose the time wisely.

We think the most important consideration in terms of timing is really the needs of your business and the capacity you have to allocate time and other resources to the project. Don't underestimate how much time this takes, and trying to do it in a busy time of year, or when you just don't have the headspace, is a definite no.

That being said, rebranding to coincide with a significant milestone such as a business anniversary can be a good way to generate buzz and promote the rebranding effort. For example, if your education marketing consultancy is celebrating its 5-year anniversary, you could use the occasion to launch a new brand identity and messaging that reflects the growth and evolution of your business over the past decade.

How to Rebrand

Rebranding can be a complex process, but there are various levels to it and not all are relevant. Rebrands are not always complete overhauls; for example, you might change your name and shift the focus to specific services or client types, but keep the same look and feel.

We find that the best way to go about it will involve a few critical steps, regardless of how deep the rebranding is actually going. And all of these steps should be with full involvement of the team, rather than handed down from on high:

1. Define Your Brand Strategy: Before you begin the rebranding process, it's essential to define your brand strategy. Ask yourselves what the brand's purpose and values are, who your target audience are and how you want to be perceived by them.
2. Conduct Research: Once you've defined your brand strategy, it's time to conduct research to understand your audience and how they perceive your business. This can be as big or small as you like, with some sending out surveys and conducting focus groups. As a small consultancy, we would go more for informal chats with past and present clients, as well as peers in our sector whom we trust to give authentic and candid input.
3. Develop Your Brand Identity: Your brand identity includes your name, logo, color palette, typography, and all that other stuff which is actually very important. It is critical that these reflect your brand strategy and resonate with your target audience, and again, listen to the gut instinct here. We should feel excited about it!
4. Create Your Messaging: Your messaging should be consistent with your brand strategy and reflect your unique value proposition. This might include your tagline, brand voice, and tone. You may have noticed how we are not very formal in tone; haven't you, buddy?
5. Implement Your New Brand: Once you've developed your new brand identity and messaging, it's time to implement it across all of your marketing channels. This might include updating your website, social media profiles, and marketing materials. There will be stuff you haven't even thought of, like recorded introductions to podcasts you do, or the business cards you need to change, so go over every aspect of your presence out there. Of course, now you need to communicate the rebranding to your contacts, and stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition. You notice we didn't include employees there, because they should have been involved in shaping it.

Take your time

Give it space. The best ideas don't always come in design thinking sessions or high-energy brainstorming days when everyone has a post-it note on their forehead for some reason. Sometimes, we need to just stop, reflect, get away and change perspective. When the right brand looks and feel comes to you, you will know it.

We work with education institutions and organizations to support our colleagues in this process. The rebranding steps above might seem obvious to someone in marketing, but trust us, the results of a properly facilitated branding session can be mind-blowing. What you think is clear about your brand often isn't and so much can come of just opening it all up for a look. We have seen it time and again.

For support on this, we are here to talk, so just let us know if a chat would help in the first instance.