Running a health and wellness business is both a fulfilling and challenging endeavor. And at some point along your journey, you might be faced with a difficult decision: should you commit to a full rebrand, or simply a refresh for your marketing strategy?
Every company evolves over time, so it’s only natural to consider making important changes and taking your business in a new direction.
In this article, we’ll explore the pros and cons of each option, and ultimately help you make the best decision about how to proceed with your brand strategy.
Rebrand vs. Refresh
First, it’s important to establish the difference between a “rebrand” and “refresh” for your business.
A rebranding effort is essentially complete brand overhaul! Think of it like tearing down a house and replacing it with a new and improved building on top.
Meanwhile, a brand refresh is an update to your existing brand. Something like a home renovation, such as repainting the walls or replacing the floors.
These are of course two very different projects that require different amounts of investment and result in different outcomes. So let’s take an in-depth look at the rationale behind each one so that you can make an informed decision about which is right for your health and wellness business.
Rebrand:
The rebranding process is a serious commitment. It’s an important decision that can have a big impact on the future of your company, especially in the health and wellness space. So when even considering this as a possibility, it’s crucial to take a deep dive into every aspect of your business and analyze things from different angles. Here are several important key factors to consider before jumping in.
Target Audience
Your customers are the cornerstone of your business, so the most important things is to keep their needs and preferences in mind. The decision to rebrand or refresh should be rooted in understanding what your audience really wants from your business, and trying to satisfy that.
What kinds of people are drawn to your products and services (your current customer base)? Who is the ideal customer you’re trying to serve? What specific outcomes are they expecting from your practice?
One effective way to answer these sort of questions, especially in a data-driving industry like health and wellness, could be to conduct market research and client surveys. For instance, if you find that your current branding reflects a different theme that what your customers are truly looking for, then a rebrand may be the best route.
Brand Values and Mission
Before making the critical decision to go for a full-on rebrand, be sure that you have a clear understanding of your company’s values and mission. For many businesses, the decision of rebranding actually comes from realizing that their current progress is no longer aligned with their original vision, which may have been established many years ago.
Maybe now you’re looking to expand into a new niche. Maybe you’d like to break into a new market. Or perhaps times have changed, things have become outdated, and you’d like to reconstruct your business goals to better align with today’s world. After all, health and wellness is a fast-moving industry with meaningful changes around every corner, especially with the advent of AI and other advanced technology.
So if any of these things are the case and you feel that starting over is the best way to keep up with current times, then a rebrand may be what you’re looking for.
Market Competition
If your company seems to be falling behind the current market competition, that’s a sign that a rebrand could be in order. Instead of doubling down what hasn’t been working well as of late, perhaps try to change things up by giving your brand a new image.
For example, be sure to study your competitors and try to emulate some of the effective business strategies that they use. At the same time, however, also don’t lose sight of what makes your own brand unique and be sure to highlight that as well.
Next Steps
So let’s say that all things considered, you decide that a comprehensive rebrand is the best direction to take your health and wellness business… Well that’s great, and you’re one step closer to elevating your brand to the next level. But how do you actually go about doing that?
Some basic action items you could begin with are:
– Identifying your unique value proposition
– Creating an updated mission statement
– Changing the name of your brand
– Designing new logos and color schemes for marketing materials
– Adjusting your messaging to better suit your updated target audience
At the end of the day, revamping your corporate identity does not just happen over night — it takes time, effort, and the right strategy. But if done correctly, the benefits of rebranding will help grow your business in the long run!
Brand Refresh:
If you’ve read all about rebranding and you’re not necessarily sold on the idea of a complete change in your company’s direction, stick around to learn more about a brand refresh, which could be the wise option in this case.
A partial rebrand, or brand refresh strategy involves making small but impactful changes to your brand’s image. It’s a great way to boost your brand equity and keep your company up to date with current trends, without entirely moving away from the original mission and core messages that made it successful in the first place! It’s a way of optimizing the customer experience and even attracting new audiences, while also keeping existing clients around.
In most cases, a refresh is the preferred option to a complete rebrand. It involves less investment, less time, and less risk overall. So unless you’re really looking for a new beginning, some effective changes here and there could really boost your business. This is particularly true in the competitive health and wellness industry, where many brands fail to stand out and one small competitive edge could help put yours over the top!
So how would you go about all of this all of this? Here are two key strategies you can employ:
Visual Changes
When it comes to visual content, some small tweaks around the edges could make a big difference. After all, our idea of “style” and “aesthetics” as a society is constantly changing, and what design trends from just a year ago might be outdated in current times. So it’s up to you to regularly adapt and adjust.
(Note: Even the biggest companies in the world mix up their designs every so often. Just think about how many times the interface on your iPhone has changed over the years!)
For instance, you could switch your visual branding theme a more minimalist design, which seems to be growing in popularity nowadays. Also, look into changing the color palette used across logos and other graphics. And maybe switch to a more appealing font for text.
Additionally, be sure to update the images in your promotional materials, such as on your website, flyers, and other channels of distribution. And if they’re profile pictures or headshots, make sure they look friendly, professional, and up-to-date.
At the end of the day, your health and wellness brand’s visual identity is extremely important. Potential customers in this space naturally want to associate with something that feels friendly and comforting, so be sure to give them that!
Social Media Campaigns
Sometimes, all it takes is that extra boost to get your company out there, and that’s what a social media launch does. When done right, a targeted ad campaign serves as a way to breathe new life into your brand, re-introduce a new and improved update to your existing customer base, and ultimately create momentum going forward.
To accomplish this, your goal is to showcase the new look and feel of your company. For instance, starting some kind of promotional series highlighting a new and unique aspect of your brand is an effective strategy. Be sure to put out content consistently and across all your social media channels, and try to do so through interactive formats such as visual posts, videos, and even live streams.
In all of this, also be sure to incorporate an element of storytelling in your digital marketing. This will help build customer trust by helping your audience connect with your brand on a deeper level.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, a well-developed branding effort is the key to success for your health and wellness business. So somewhere along the journey, it’s natural to reach a point where it’s time to decide whether to rebrand or refresh!
To summarize, a successful rebrand involves a serious commitment to make fundamental changes to the direction of your company. When considering this option, be sure to carefully analyze your target market, core values and mission, and industry competition. If one of more of these areas suggests that a new beginning is in order, then plan your marketing efforts accordingly. Begin by taking key steps such as revamping your mission statement, logos and color schemes, messaging, and other promotional content.
On the other hand, if you realize all that’s needed are some key changes to your marketing strategy instead of a complete overhaul, then it may be time for a brand refresh. You’ll want to update the design of your marketing materials by updating certain visual elements, which may seem subtle but could actually make a big difference. Also, be sure to launch some kind of promotional campaign to highlight what’s new and improved about your brand, while also keeping the main elements that made your business successful in the first place.
Ultimately, whether you’re deciding on a full rebrand or just a brand refresh, we applaud you for taking steps to analyze your marketing strategy and leverage brand equity.