The first thing that you need to determine before you decide to re-brand is ensuring that your belief system is not such that you think that a re-brand will solve all your problems…because it won’t! As a Kelowna accountant, I always tell my clients that re-branding can sometimes create problems that you have to be very aware of anytime you’re marketing yourself.  I suggest you look at going forward with a re-brand by consulting with experts.

Leveraging Tools For Communication

I just had a client come in the other day that is starting a new business and was in the process of creating their logo. They sent one of the mock designs of their logo to us here at the office and asked for a “quick answer” and to vote on a scale of 1-4 with no additional comments to gauge what we thought. This was a good idea to help in their branding process because it allowed for them to get feedback in a “yes or no” type of fashion without a whole lot of work. All it took was firing off a few emails and I simply went through and noticed that one definitely stood out above the others.

Many of you might be missing the significance of this point but those of you who remember the days before the Internet recall how difficult this sort of process was. You weren’t going to go track down everyone you knew in person or even wait to send them snail mail to get their reply.

Related: 7 Top Priorities For Small Business Growth

My point is that you can successfully leverage the power of technology to fast-track things in today’s world. You have several tools of communication to quickly establish effective strategies with advisors you can depend on with the click of a mouse.

The real question is: Are you using it to your advantage?

You Are Not Your Target Market

When you’re going for a re-brand, it’s so important to remember that you are not your target market.

What’s pretty interesting about being an accountant is recognizing different accountants logos and seeing them in the airport or on TV a lot more often than the average person…but that’s because I am an accountant, not necessarily because the branding is good.

Our branding for a Kelowna accountant was really boring for a while until we recognized that we were advertising to many different types of people and not trying to create something other accountants would recognize or notice. As an accountant, why would I care about other accountants noticing my branding? Realistically, we don’t care about what accountants think of our ads because… they’re accountants; they are not our target market.

Related: 3 Ways To Improve Customer Engagement

A lot of times a business owner or marketer will be inclined to do things that they like but you need to make sure that it appeals your market…not you! Who is your market and what appeals to them?

Speak the language of your client and start using their words because as soon as you start using your jargon, you lose them!

Have you done a re-branding of your business? Share your results in the comments below.

About the Author  
Ken Davidson is a Chartered Accountant with BDO Canada LLP, with their Kelowna accounting firm. Ken specializes in helping Kelowna businesses that are in start-up mode, companies in Kelowna that are in their growth phase and are ready to take their revenues to the next level, and professionals to secure their financial future with solid investment advice. Ken is best known for his strategic planning advice that positions him as a trusted advisor above and beyond being a Kelowna accountant that gives typical tax planning advice. To contact Ken for a Strategic Business Review to learn how he may be able to help your Kelowna business, email him at kdavidson@bdo.ca.