Rebranding is a big decision. When you’ve realized your brand no longer feels like you, it’s tempting to focus on the fun stuff—choosing new colors, designing a fresh logo, or crafting a clever tagline. But a successful rebrand goes much deeper than that.
Rebranding is about uncovering the heart of your business: your mission, your audience, and the way you want to show up in the world. It’s about creating a brand that doesn’t just look good but feels aligned—one that gives you the confidence to show up and serve your audience fully.
When I rebranded to my current branding (I wrote about all of the thought process behind it here), I followed the same framework I use with my clients. I focused beyond making things look pretty (though that’s always a bonus) and creating a brand that fully aligned with my mission, resonated with my audience, and positioned me to serve with clarity and confidence.
If you’re considering a rebrand, understanding this process can help you know what to expect and feel ready for the journey ahead.
Step 1: Start with Your Core
Before anything else, you need clarity on your mission, vision, and values. These are your brand’s backbone—the guiding principles that shape every decision you make. If they’re fuzzy or feel outdated, it’s time to refine them before you even think about visuals or messaging.
For me, this meant revisiting why I do what I do and how I want to impact my clients. My mission—empowering mission-driven businesses to connect and grow—hadn’t changed, but I needed to refine how I expressed it. The clearer this foundation became, the more confidently I could design the rest of my brand around it. I fine-tuned my mission statement and values to ensure they reflected both the work I do and the way I show up for my clients.
Questions to ask yourself:
• Mission: What’s our “why”? What impact am I here to make? What difference do I want to make in my clients’ lives? What emotions do I want them to feel once they’ve worked with me? Does your mission still resonate with the work I’m doing and the audience I serve?
• Vision: What does success look like for my brand, and how do I plan to get there? Is my vision for the future clear to my team and audience?
• Values: What principles guide the way I work with clients, partners, and my team? Are my values reflected in how my team communicates and delivers?
Step 2: Build a Strategic Framework
A brand is only as strong as the strategy behind it. This is the research-driven phase where you roll up your sleeves and dig deep: Who is your audience? What makes you different? How do you fit into your industry?
During my rebrand, I realized my old brand gave the impression of a formal agency, which wasn’t me at all. My clients love working with me because I’m approachable, collaborative, and creative, not because I sounded like a big agency. This insight shaped how I presented myself, from shifting to a personal brand to softening my tone and visuals, to better reflect my personality and process.
Key components of this phase:
• Audience Analysis: Who are your ideal clients? What do they care about? What keeps them up at night? What language do they use?
• Competitive Research: What do your competitors do well? Where do they fall short (creating gaps you can fill)? How do you stand out?
• Positioning: What’s the unique value you bring to your clients, and how do you express that in a way your audience will relate to?
Step 3: Gather Feedback and Insights
Before you dive into crafting messaging or refining visuals, it’s important to understand how your brand is currently being experienced. This means going beyond your own perceptions and seeking feedback from the people who interact with your brand—clients, team members, and others in your target market.
For my rebrand, I reached out to past clients, trusted colleagues, and potential customers to learn what they valued about working with me, where they felt my brand shone, where they saw gaps, and what they were looking for in a branding partner. This step gave me invaluable insights that helped shape the direction of my rebrand.
Here’s how you can approach gathering feedback:
- Look at Reviews and Testimonials: What themes or keywords come up consistently? Are clients talking about things you already value, or are they focusing on something unexpected?
2. Conduct Interviews: Reach out to trusted clients, team members, or target market representatives. Ask open-ended questions like:
• What made you choose to work with us?
• What do you think we do best?
• Is there anything you wish we did differently?
3. Survey Your Team: Your employees often have a unique perspective on how your brand is perceived internally and externally. Tap into their insights to identify areas of alignment and disconnection.
This step is about seeing your brand through the eyes of others. It helps you identify what’s working well, where you can improve, and how you can better serve your audience. The result? A rebrand that resonates not just with you, but with the people who matter most.
Step 4: Craft Messaging That Connects
Messaging is what ties everything together. It’s the language you use to communicate your brand’s essence—and it’s everywhere: website copy, social media captions, ad campaigns, email communications, and even the way you speak in a client meeting.
When I refined my messaging, I focused on being clear, encouraging, intentional, and relatable. I let go of vague “agency speak” and leaned into a tone that felt authentic and inviting
And language that reflected the way I actually work: as a guide who helps clients bring order to chaos and clarity to their mission.
Here’s how to approach this step:
• Define Key Messaging Points: What are the main ideas you want your audience to walk away with? For example, “We help mission-driven businesses turn big ideas into a clear, actionable brand.”
• Adapt Messaging for Different Channels: Think about how your voice comes across on your website versus Instagram captions, customer emails, or printed materials. The tone may shift slightly, but the essence should remain consistent.
• Tone and Voice: How should your brand feel—approachable, authoritative, playful? What is your brand’s personality? Consider your brand as a person , how do you want it to be perceived or described?
• Speak Your Audience’s Language: Are you speaking in a way your audience understands and relates to? If your audience uses specific terms or phrases, mirror that language to build connection and trust.
Step 5: Design a Visual Identity That Resonates
This is the part most people think of when they hear “rebranding”—logos, colors, typography. Visuals are powerful, but they’re not where you start—they’re where your strategy and messaging come to life.
In my rebrand, I kept the flame-and-water logomark because it still represented the balance I guide my clients toward: the fire of their mission and the steady flow of purposeful progress. However, I shifted my typography to something softer and more personal, and I reworked my color palette to feel lighter and brighter, creating a sense of optimism and approachability.
What to consider:
• Logos and Symbols: Do they reflect your brand’s personality and values?
• Colors and Fonts: What emotions do they evoke? Are they consistent with your audience’s expectations? Do they reflect the tone of your brand?
• Consistency: Does your visual identity align with your brand’s tone and messaging everywhere your clients see it?
Step 6: Align Across Every Touchpoint
Your brand isn’t just your website or business card. It’s every interaction your audience has with you, from the way your invoices look to how your team answers the phone. Every touchpoint—social media, brochures, emails, invoices—should reflect the new brand to ensure a cohesive experience for your audience.
I took the time to evaluate all my touchpoints—social media, printed materials, how I speak in client calls, even my proposals and how my emails are formatted—to ensure they align with my refreshed brand. The goal is consistency, which builds trust and makes your audience feel they’re in the right place.
Ask yourself:
• Are your brand visuals consistent across all platforms? Are your customer touchpoints consistent in look, feel, and messaging?
• Does your messaging reflect your brand’s mission, no matter where it lives? Or are there gaps where your brand is being experienced differently than intended?
• Are your team members equipped to embody your brand and convey the brand’s mission and values in their communication?
The Key to a Successful Rebrand
Rebranding is a big undertaking, and it’s not something you have to navigate alone. Finding the right partner—a brand strategist who considers all these elements and has a framework to guide you—can make all the difference.
When I work with clients, I don’t just create pretty visuals or write catchy headlines. I help them uncover the essence of who they are and translate that into a brand that works as hard as they do.
If you’re considering a rebrand, remember this: It’s not just about looking good (though that’s important). It’s about creating a brand that aligns with your mission, resonates with your audience, and builds the foundation for long-term success.
Ready to take the next step toward a brand that truly reflects your mission and connects with your audience? Let’s talk about how I can guide you through the rebranding process with clarity and confidence. Contact me today!
