Top 3 Signs Your Business is Ready for a Rebrand with Maria Platusic

Top 3 Signs Your Business is Ready for a Rebrand with Maria Platusic

Welcome to episode 98 of The Determined Mom Show. I have Maria Platusic, and she will be talking to us today. Three different times can tell you that it’s time to rebrand.

I always label myself a little bit as a dinosaur cause I’ve been at this game for about 20-plus years. I started as an art director designer working at Fortune 500 companies and developing everything from their branding to their ad campaigns. I’ve had my hands in. It took a bit of time, but I always wanted to start my design agency, but I needed to be more open and relaxed and, you know, all of the things to do on my own.

It was one of those things that sometimes you’re forced into it, and then you have no choice. So the company I was working for was downsizing, and I got laid off. I was scared and nervous at the time because two babies were at home. And all the unknown, but I realized it was a blessing in disguise and that it’s been ten-plus years now, and I haven’t looked back, and I’m super happy where I am today.

I will always label myself as an introvert. I can be both; it depends on the situation. But I get empowered by alone time, quiet time, reading, and doing everything all by myself. Whereas extroverts get empowered by a room full of people, which invigorates them, I’m not the center of intention. Still, when I need to speak about something I’m passionate about or if it’s for a cause or anything of those family. I’m invigorated and empowered and will become a powerful extrovert in those opportunities.

What are other signs that it’s time to rebrand? 

There are three main signs and three main giveaways that I’ll share with you. Some many signs and signals can signify that you need a rebrand. 

First Sign

The first item that many of my clients don’t like to admit, But it is a common one, is that they are embarrassed to showcase their brand. So they’re not proud to share their website or social media pages with potential customers and clients because they feel their branding is visually unprofessional, appears dated, or doesn’t light them up anymore. They’re not empowered by it, and it’s just lacking luster, and it’s all the wrong feelings you’re supposed to get from a brand. So that’s reason number one. 

Second Sign

The second item, it’s another common sign that people need help figuring out. This particular item continues to happen because you’re not attracting your ideal audience. So similar to what you mentioned, the name of your business and the audience differs from the right audience you want to attract. You need to ensure all is in alignment to attract the right people, but you need help to isolate or rectify this ongoing problem. 

When you create a post or, you know, you put list an item for sale; the wrong people are paying attention. And that happens because there needs to be more alignment in the visuals and the messaging you’re putting out there.

So, for example, if you’re a florist, you Originally worked with budget brides and couples but now want to serve high-end, luxury weddings or do corporate events. The messaging and visuals will not be reflected, which is a big tell, and you should pay attention to it.

Third Sign

The third final sign that you need to pay attention to is that the product or service you were offering, let’s say, a few years ago, is not the product or service you’re offering now. So you have pivoted your products or services. You know, the pivot has been that touch word, that keyword that’s been prominent right now. 

One of those things, when you opened up shop, you offered X, Y, Z, but now that’s something you’re not offering anymore. To give an example, let’s say you were offering a lot of one-on-one coaching programs and one-on-one servicing, but now you’re only offering, let’s say group coaching masterminds. 

That’s the third and final sign, and it’s a big one, with many businesses now. All businesses, small and large, like should always do brand check-in. I highly recommend them at least at minimum once a year. But at least twice a year would be the best-case scenario. And that’s to take a look at.

Let’s revisit our target audience. Let’s take a look at our competition. Let’s take a look at our messaging. Let’s take a look at what our future goals are and ensure that everything is in alignment. Because when one of those pieces is off, it creates the snowball effect and returns to the ground roots of everything.

The good news is when you see these signs and realize these things are happening, the good news is that’s the o optimal time to rebrand—one of those things. When you know that misalignment is happening, it’s the perfect time to pay attention to the signs, revisit your branding, and ensure that you’re starting with that solid foundation and thinking of your future goals where you foresee them.

When I develop and create brands for my clients, the one main thing they leave with is a brand board and your brand board. I like to call your brand Bible. It’s, it houses all of those essential things that you need to pass on to someone like a VA or, you know, anyone else that may need to, you know, create graphics for you. Houses. Colors with the hex codes and the c m Yk breakdown house your primary logo, sub-brands, and all the other logo iterations.

It houses the supporting imagery, so your brand needs to evoke certain feelings, whether you want it to be solid or calm and soothing. The supporting imagery should evoke those feelings, giving you the overall. Look and feel of what your brand should carry moving forward. And it’s a powerful tool for you and anyone in your company.

Can you tell us what those audits are?

So if you are looking to take a deeper dive into your branding efforts, what I do is take a look at your existing branding efforts. I look at your future goals, and then I see what’s in alignment to help you achieve those goals and what needs to be in alignment. So what’s holding you? Or keeping you stuck or not allowing you to step up to that next level. Um, and sometimes they’re pretty, pretty easy to recognize. 

But someone taking a bird’s eye view and looking at it makes it much easier to visualize and understand where you’re at and where you want to be. So I do offer free mini branding. I have a limited amount that I offer each month, but I’m happy to show it to your guests as well, and they can easily DM me or reach out via email, and I’m so glad to provide that to them.

If you want to see how your logo adds up, it’s a free guide and checklist with six easy steps. When you take a look at your branding, specific questions are asked. And then, at the end of it all, you’ll give your logo and brand a score and grade again and see what stage it is.

And then, I like to call it; it’s an excellent baseline. So if you need more certainty, you know where you stand now with your brand. It’s a great baseline, and as we discussed earlier, it’s a great way to check in with your branding and see how effective it is at attracting your ideal target audience.

On my website as well, platusicdesign.com. It’s the signup right at the bottom. Feel free to sign up and grab that freebie. And so many people have, you know, given great insight and feedback saying that it would, you know, really open their eyes because they never really looked at their brand in that light. And it just really opens your eyes and gives you, you know, some deeper level thinking when you look at yours.

So there are a couple of things I can say. The first one is if you’re doing it yourself, I would keep it simple. I always follow the KISS rule and keep it simple. I like to say, Sally, not stupid. Please select one to two fonts, one to two colors, and one to two supporting images, and be consistent with them. We tend to get tired of our stuff before; your audience has even seen it. So Absolut. Could you keep that consistent? And then the other item is if you are struggling, definitely reach out for help.

You know, sometimes having, you know, expert eyes, taking a look at it and pinpointing what you can’t see is happening behind this. Scenes are beneficial for you, even if it just provides you clarity on your next steps. That’s the minimal you walk away with. So absolutely reach out for expert help when it’s not your zone to genius, and you must move forward.

Would you happen to know where the best place for everyone to reach you online? 

So online, I love Instagram; at Platusic Design, you can find me on their Facebook and the same handle. And I’ve dot dove into Clubhouse, and I love it.