Overview

Understanding your brand is arguably the most important part of a business. This represents you at every moment, and few businesses know how to make the most of theirs. Whether you’re just starting up, or are a well-established company, it’s always best to take some time to focus on your brand and see if it’s working for you.

We help companies of all shapes and sizes to understand what image their brand is presenting to customers, clients, and their peers, and whether it suits their goals.
But before we explain how we do that, let’s learn a little more about the power of branding.

What is a Brand?

Your business’s brand is its identity. To some, ‘branding’ is a logo or colour scheme associated with the company; a red Ferrari with a black prancing horse is the shorthand for a supercar.

However, branding is much more than what you see on the surface. Your brand is every touchpoint your business has with its clients. This can be everything from your email footer to the cleanliness of your office carpets to the coffee you offer in client meetings. Every chance to make an impression builds your brand, and if you get everything right, your clients and customers will know you as much more than just a name or logo.

No business stays the same forever. Over time your goals will shift, and the way you work will change – even your company mentality can be different after a few years. But if your brand stays stuck in the past, it will restrict your growth.

When to Rebrand a Business

It might not feel a big deal for a starting a business, but a rebrand should never be undertaken without a clear, defined rationale and strategy for doing so.

However, if you have a clear understanding of what you are looking to achieve then the pros of well managed rebrand far outweigh the cons. A well executed rebrand can give your business a new lease on life and realign your target audience so you can achieve your objectives. Here are some other reasons to rebrand:

  • Your business has developed but your branding has remained static.
  • You’re moving from a startup to a more mature company
  • You’re merging with another company
  • You’re providing a new product/service
  • The business is under new ownership with new aspirations
  • You want to change customer perceptions
  • Your competitors have outmanoeuvred you and your brand is looking tired

The latter is an underrated reason to change your brand. If you’re falling behind your competitors, and aren’t sure why, it could be because your brand has become stale or no longer sends the right message.

A full rebrand isn’t always required, it may need a refresh as it should evolve with your business and always reflect not just where you are today, it should also represent what you are aiming to be going forward. It’s known as ‘brand project’.

How Branding should Evolve

For your brand to change effectively, it needs to be more than a fresh coat of paint.

Imagine you’re a software developer that started trading around 10 years ago. The world of software looked a lot different back then. In the 2010s your brand may have been cutting edge, helping you forge a path and become the successful company you are today. But your customers don’t want to buy from a brand that was cutting edge, they want one that is.
The way they understand software is different too. The average business owner knows more about software than ever before; does your brand still resonate with the new, informed tech aware, or does it look like a tired tech company from 2010?

Take a moment to think about your brand. Remember, this is much more than just the visuals. Ask yourself the following questions:

  • Are your clients/customers expectations and their requirements the same as they were 10 years ago?
  • Does my brand still match your businesses offering and your clients demands?
  • Does your branding still look current amongst your competitors?


When we work with a new client, these are just a few of the questions we ask. By working together to build a thorough understanding of their brand, we can confidently tell them what’s working and what needs to change.

Benefits of a Strong Brand

As well as standing out from the crowd, branding can help you attract the right level of employees and boost your sales long term. If your brand is memorable, and you market yourself well, you’ll become the first company people think of when they need your products or services.

Here’s another question for you: when a client has been to visit you, or met you at an event, is your logo and branding memorable or do you blend into obscurity?

You have a split second to make a first impression, so make it count. As much as we stress that logos aren’t everything, they still are incredibly powerful.

Thankfully, putting your brand out there is easier than ever. With a strong social media presence, a bold website, clever networking, and maybe even a few ads, you can make sure your brand becomes well known.

The more you put yourself out there, the stronger your brand will be. Project the right messages, your perception and credibility grow, along with sales opportunities, both with new and existing customers.

Returning customers are the lifeblood of any business, and building a trusting relationship keeps them coming back for more. Branding increases customer loyalty, and if they don’t need your services again, they’ll be sure to recommend you to others.

When it’s time to bring in new members of staff, having a strong brand will help you attract the best talent. Applicants will want to know more about the atmosphere within your company; having a brand that makes that clear will make them more likely to send in their CVs. Once they join, they’ll help your business grow from day one, with an attitude and style that suits your brand.

How to Boost your Brand

Some companies have a strong brand but don’t know what to do with it. If you’ve been in business for a long time, you’ll have a solid brand and great reputation that you can use to your advantage.

There are a lot of ways to boost your brand in the short term, but don’t let it misrepresent you in the process. A brand is fluid, it should shift and change as you do; if you stretch it too thin or force it through a bottleneck, it can do more harm than good.

Don’t worry, that’s where we come in. With hundreds of satisfied clients over the last 38 years backing us up with sparkling praise, we know our stuff when it comes to branding. Not only will we help give yours a boost, no matter your business, we’ll make sure your brand is you.

We develop and implement big ideas

Digital

We have over 30 years of design experience and were early adopters of the web, so we know how to grab the attention of the viewer - whatever the target audience.

Strategic Marketing

At Williams&Crosby we believe that marketing is about delivering a sustainable competitive advantage for our clients.

Exhibitions & Events

If you are looking for an exhibition stand that will give you stand out and attract more we can provide a solution to meet your budget.

Design

Creativity and solution creation should never be about making pretty marks, it’s about the intelligence behind the marks. This is what distinguishes good from outstanding.