I often talk to distributors who are looking to freshen up their brands to stay up with the times. Rebranding can yield big results as long as is not just a cosmetic change that doesn’t address the real issues.
If your digital brand is behind the times, it reflects poorly on your brand as a whole, and you may be missing out on sales, customers, followers and other important opportunities.
Your online brand needs to effectively communicate what you do, who you help and the value of doing business with you. If your website and social media profiles are not up to the task, you may be missing out on new ideal clients, repeat sales and other important opportunities.
A rebrand is not a quick and easy task. It takes an investment of time, effort and money, so it is important to rebrand your business for the right reasons and the right way.
If you’re thinking about rebranding your distributor business, here are five indicators that the time has come.
1. Your brand blends in with thousands of other distributors
It is not uncommon for distributors to have similar cookie-cutter sites and to subscribe to cookie-cutter social media services. As a result, every distributor looks the same. Both their websites and social media posts look the same.
If your website is the cookie-cutter kind, chances are thousands of distributors have a look similar to yours. Even if you have upgraded your website recently, but used one of the provider templates and stock images you were given to choose from, your business looks the same as the rest.
The same applies to posting the same supplier images as everyone else without adding your own flavor to them; or having a service posting for you, again posting the same thing as everyone else.
Considering you sell the exact same products as the rest of the distributors when you look the same, the only thing left to compare is price.
A rebrand must include your website, emails and social posts, so your graphics and content reflect your business personality, your expertise and your point of view.
Blending in is just not good business.
2. Your website is outdated
If your site is more than seven years old and you haven’t touched it since, chances are it was built on outdated technology. The internet has changed a lot since it began, and with it, the technology used to build websites.
Maybe your animated graphics or blinking text were trendy when your site was originally built, but they will make your site look outdated today.
In addition to design elements, it’s equally important to update functionality. Your site might be failing to provide visitors with the experience they expect in terms of navigation, flow, speed, image sizes and mobile responsiveness.
The same goes for information that’s out of date, or a blog where you haven’t posted anything in months or even years.
If your website is outdated, a redesign is critical to your business success. Visitors will judge the quality of your service by the impression they get when they visit your website.
3. Your audience has evolved
Your ideal client has changed and is constantly evolving. Younger generations are in purchasing positions, replacing your older contacts and bringing in their new digital ways of doing business. They are adopting new digital technology that their companies are implementing, so they will expect their providers to keep up with digital as well.
If your business is too slow to adopt new technology that makes it easier for your clients to interact and buy from you the way they want, you can lose your customers to competitors with stronger digital brands.
4. You want to remain competitive and grow
In a competitive market such as the distributor business, you must keep up with industry trends. Your brand is not only your graphics and visuals, but also every touchpoint with your clients and prospects.
How do your digital touchpoints compare with your competitors’? Are your website, social profiles, email newsletters and digital ads on par with industry standards in the eye of the consumer?
If your digital brand does not have a differentiated presence, you will have a hard time competing.
Think about it. If you were researching online for your products, and you find a business with a professional-looking, modern digital presence; and three generic-looking ones that look alike—considering they all offer roughly the same services at similar prices—which are you going to immediately eliminate?
You need a competitive digital brand so that your business can meet the expectation that has been established for your industry and market.
5. You want to establish yourself as a leader in your market
Becoming an industry leader in your market will allow you to gain a strategic advantage for your business. It will not only allow you to attract the right type of clients, but also the right talent and opportunities to partner with local leaders in the community for added exposure. In this digital age, potential employees and partners are also evaluating your brand. You want to make sure they are left with a good impression.
In order to position your brand as a leader, you must continuously innovate and differentiate from your competitors to stay ahead of them. Always be looking at what can you do better, and be among the first to adopt and implement new practices as the digital landscape evolves.
Things can change fast online. Something new seems to always be coming into the scene. From new kinds of content and new ways of displaying it, to new tools to connect and communicate, change is the name of the game.
This doesn’t mean that you have to be constantly changing plans and what you do, but you do want to be observant of trends, and be prepared to test and adopt the ones that make sense based on your client’s online habits.
That’s why it is key to know your customer so you can have an attractive digital brand that appeals to them and it’s easy to interact with.
The Point
If your digital brand does not make a good first impression, it is time to rebrand your small business.
Rebranding can yield big results over time. Since you are in the branding business, the first impression potential clients will get of your businesses must clearly communicate that you understand branding.
Developing a quality, distinct digital brand will attract customers and opportunities that will further your business goals.
For more marketing ideas that work in this digital age, specific for the promo business, visit the Resources section of ActionMarketingCo.com.
