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Early last year, my husband and I decided it was time to rebrand our business.
We had grown to six figures on the simple logo I designed myself in Canva, but with more businesses looking to partner with us, we wanted a consistent brand experience both online and offline.
So we worked with a designer and launched our new branding in April.
Since the rebrand, sales have grown by 20%, our average order value has grown by 15%, and we’re seeing more recurring customers than before.
You can see so many benefits from branding (or re-branding) your business. And you don’t need to work with a professional to do it.
So if you’re ready to get started, here are my 7 tips for rebranding your business (on any budget).
Tip #1 - It’s never too late to hit the reset button on your brand
We didn’t start out with a professional brand.
I designed our first logo in Canva, and we hit the ground running.
We were so busy running the business that we didn’t think about our brand much. Customers didn’t care, either, because our products and customer service built our reputation.
Our logo before and after.
We hit six figures before we even thought about rebranding.
If you’re just starting out and don’t know what kind of customers you want to reach, it might not be the right time to invest in branding. It’s okay to start simple and focus on growing your business first.
On the other hand, if you’re a few years into your business and you feel stuck with less-than-stellar branding, I want to encourage you.
It’s never too late to rebrand your business. You can start now, and still see the benefits.
Tip #2 - Your brand is more than just a logo
Many people think that branding is simply creating a logo and picking some colors.
But that’s not how it works. Your brand is an entire package. It’s the feeling you create for your customers every time they interact with you.
What else goes into a strong brand?
- Website
- Social media presence
- Emails & email signature
- Photography
- Your products (which is why it’s important to use high-quality blanks)
- Pricing
- Policies
- How you speak to customers
- Where you show up both online and offline
- And more!
But before you get started, read this:
It’s crucial that you understand your customers before designing your brand.
Here's what we did:
- Looked into our customer list to identify the kind of person we wanted to attract.
- Dove into Pinterest and online research to see what kind of brands these customers liked.
- Then we started picking colors, fonts, and working on designs.
We knew we wanted to attract both women ages 25 to 65 and corporate customers, so we wanted to create a brand that felt luxurious, warm, and high-end, without feeling too feminine or masculine.
Once you understand what your customers like, you can work on translating those concepts into each of these brand assets above.
And if it’s not in your budget to hire a professional, that’s okay! As long as you understand your customers and do your best to translate their needs into every part of your brand, you’ll be on the right track.
Tip #3 - Create a signature vibe with photo filters
The truth is, you don't need a professional photographer to create beautiful, on-brand photos for your website and social media.
A simple fix to keep your photography on-brand is to use the same set of filters on all of your photos. I use a Lightroom preset I bought on Etsy to add a warm and colorful look to all of our photos.
This makes our content instantly recognizable to our followers.
The preset I use is no longer available, but you can find a ton of great options on Etsy.
I recommend searching for presets named “Light & Airy”—they make photos look bright and chic.
Once you pick your favorite, you can use it with the free Adobe Lightroom app to edit your pictures in seconds.
Tip #4 - Your price tag is part of your brand story
Just like your website, logo, and email signature, your pricing plays a part in telling your brand story.
Why does a bottle of Fiji water feel fancy while Dasani feels cheap? A big part of the equation is the price.
A higher price not only signals better quality, but it also feels like you’re treating yourself when you splurge to get something really good.
We’re in the personalized gifts business. When someone is looking to buy a wedding gift, they’re not trying to score the cheapest price. They’re looking to spend $100 or more. They want something that’s beautiful, meaningful, and feels like a high-value gift.
So if you’re positioning yourself as a luxe or high-value brand, you’ll also want to adjust your pricing accordingly.
Read more about my 4-to-6 pricing rule to learn how we price our products to be profitable.
Tip #5 - Don’t overlook the unboxing experience
Remember how I said that every part of your business contributes to your brand?
Don’t forget about the delivery and unboxing experience your customers will have with you. Good packaging and presentation adds even more value to an already great product. Bad packaging makes a negative impact.
So here’s how we do it.
We like to keep our packaging simple, elegant, and branded. We use standard brown boxes with a branded sticker, our care card, and some tissue paper with a nice feel. To make things easy, we partner with blank suppliers like MakerFlo whose products come pre-packaged in gift-ready, logo-free boxes.
By the way, check out my friend Kathryn’s packaging secrets if you want to learn even more about upleveling your product presentation.
Tip #6 - Your team is a walking, talking extension of your brand
You and your team are the face of your brand.
The way you interact with customers, the service you provide, and the values you embody will ultimately define your brand.
The good news is that a great company culture and good service go a long way to create a strong brand reputation, even if your designs are imperfect. (Just like our business was able to grow quickly on that quick Canva logo.) But on the flip side, a lack of customer service can damage even the best-looking brands.
So don’t neglect your customer experience and company culture.
Here are some ways we do this at Home Bound Custom Decor:
- We promise to ship within 3 to 5 business days (and work hard to meet this)
- We’re available to customers and responsive to messages
- We try to accommodate customer requests (as long as they’re reasonable)
All that to say, simply providing good service and sticking to your word is key.
Tip #7 - If you’ve hit a growth ceiling, it’s time to expand your reach
Once you rebrand, one of two things will happen.
Either you’ll become a hit in your local area and you’ll max out your potential. Or you’ll find that you reach fewer customers because you’ve priced out of a large portion of your market.
In both cases, you’ll find that you can’t continue to grow your business on local orders alone. The fix is to expand your reach by bringing your business online. This is where your social media will come into play.
Start posting products, creating interesting posts for your target customer, and interacting with potential customers. And soon you’ll find that you’re reaching customers all over the country, if not all over the world.
So if you’re not reaching as many customers as you like, but you know you’ve dialed in your branding for the right audience, it may be time to start marketing your business online.
Learn more about branding, getting local sales, and creating an online presence for your business with this sales and marketing checklist.
So there you have it! These tips have helped us navigate the rebranding process so we can continue reaching the right customers and growing our business. And I hope they will help you too!
Now it’s your turn. What’s one thing you can work on for your brand today?
If you want to see more from me, join me in my free Home Bound Laser Engraving & UV Printing Learning Community. You can also follow my business on Instagram and Facebook.
Thank you, Sumita, for sharing your insights with us! Connect with MakerFlo by joining our free MakerFlo Makers Community and following us on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Next up, find more great resources for growing your maker business by visiting our MakerFlo Pro resource hub.
