Rebranding to attract top talent can have a huge impact in the growth of your business.
People build brands. In the case of corporate brands, this means customers and talent. To build a brand requires much intentional effort. Brand building requires blended expertise, collaboration, and clarity. The rise of social media, tech, and online courses makes everything seem easy. DIYing your way to a brand can work, but that's a myth. The truth is far from this. This article will cover 5 reasons a rebrand can attract better customers and talent.
Building a successful brand centers on the customer. Branding efforts focus on their needs. The leadership team directs the company in every marketing effort. But CEOs take a particular role—to differentiate. What the business offers attracts the customer. But there is another party influenced by such clarity and direction—talent. Talent, as used in this article, means job seekers, employees, and contractors.
When you build a brand in the right way, you gain clarity. You're able to align values and beliefs with other individuals. This match is magical. Attracting new leads and hiring good talent becomes easier. Filtering bad matches becomes easier too! Let's now discuss how this is possible.
1. Become Attractive to the Right Clients
I found this quote on the internet the other day: "It's that heart of gold and stardust soul that makes you beautiful." The phrase may sound cheesy, but it's rich in meaning. A heart of gold signifies commitment and values. A stardust soul means personality and beliefs. Beauty, or being attractive to someone, is not about looks. It's about personality. How you make others feel.
Brands have personality. People build businesses. As a company transforms, so do its customers. Products and services also evolve. Lego, for example, started producing and selling wooden toys. If you started your company for a specific audience, but later expanded or shifted your focus. If your brand still speaks to the old audience, it’s time to make sure it aligns with the clients you want today.
To become attractive to the right clients, you need to understand them first. Make no assumptions about their wants and needs. In market research, nothing beats observing and having conversations with them. Ask questions that will help them open up to you. Make them feel comfortable sharing what they think. Let me be clear: it is what they value in you that will make them stay loyal or leave.
An example is Slack. They focused on small teams at first. As they grew, their rebrand aimed to be the top tool for large organizations. They updated their messaging to attract bigger, more influential clients. Offering free access to their tool, people started to create communities. Bit by bit, introducing "Pro features" worked its way into small and big corporations alike. Today, people recognize Slack as the chat app for work. A strategic rebrand can make your brand align with the kind of clients and talent you want.
2. Stand Out in a Crowded Market
No matter what industry you’re in, competition is fierce. There are many strategies to help a business stand out.
- Price different
- Niche down
- Be a thought leader
- Unique buying experience
- Use your visual brand
- Heritage and Origin
- Same but Different
- Be a rebel
- Simplify Lives
- Show them love
- Take on a competitor
- Tell a story
- Align with a moment
- Shock and Awe
- Lighten the mood
- Serve an unmet need
It's important to mention that all these strategies focus on the customer. But it can have a direct effect on the people who want to work for your company. Take Chick-fil-A's example of differentiation. CFA's leadership took almost three years to train franchise owners and staff to adopt the phrase: “my pleasure.” Today, this phrase has gained national fame and popular recognition.
Each company and brand is unique. But new businesses often copy what big companies do right. This can help you start. But nothing beats finding your own uniqueness. You must then communicate it to customers and talented people in a clear manner. Rebranding is a team effort to create a compelling promise. It should connect with people. There is a famous quote that reinforces the difficulty of achieving this:
“The most difficult thing in life is to know yourself” Thales of Miletus.
Business founders and leaders on their own can't do it. To find one's uniqueness requires objectivity and creativity. They need a clear communication plan. These strategies help the company deliver the right message to customers and talent.
3. Attract Top Talent
There is an adage that a company is only as strong as the people behind it. Attracting top talent is one of the best ways to ensure long-term growth. The impact a good hire can have on a business is profound. Today’s job seekers are more selective than ever. They are looking for companies that make an impact on society and value them as individuals.
A brand that feels disconnected from the world will only attract people who see a job as a need. In contrast, career-seeking candidates will give more to companies with a clear mission. If you're having trouble attracting the right candidates, try rebranding. Rebranding can position your company as an attractive place to work.
For instance, Airbnb did more than update its logo when it rebranded. It completely transformed its business and mission to focus on "belonging." Attracting people that align with their brand's purpose.
“To create a sense of belonging and connect people with unique experiences and places to stay.”
This helped them attract more consumers and a mission-driven workforce. If your brand has a clear purpose, mission, and values, it will attract and keep talent and customers. They will stay longer if they understand it.
4. Build Trust and Credibility
The ultimate goal for any brand and business is to create value. By delivering on its promise, a customer-brand relationship grows in trust. This is one of the reasons why many companies consider rebranding. A well-executed rebrand can help build trust with potential clients.
A company that invests in its brand signals that it is serious about growth and providing value. This is true for organizations ranging from small businesses to global corporations. A rebrand shows you're professional, trustworthy, and ready to help.
Kit rebranded in 2024. The rebrand aims to serve creators who mean business better. Their updated look, logo, and messaging are now centered on that promise. This is what the team at Kit (formerly ConvertKit) says on its site:
Our rebrand to Kit goes beyond aesthetics. It reflects the values we stand for and a bold new direction for how we serve the creator community. Through conversations with creators, we learned that while earning a living is important, what creators value even more is the purpose behind their work—the “why” that keeps them going.
You can learn more about Kit's rebranding process here. But the refreshing of your image or messaging isn't the end of the story. Branding—like its cousin Marketing—has an ongoing nature. The game centers on creating trust and value for people.
5. Send a Clear Message About Your Future
A company's vision is more than a paragraph written during the founding days. It's a statement of direction. It should work as the ideal future any organization seeks. It's a promise so strong that it will serve as an anchor, especially during hard times.
After a few years, it gets harder to remember what your brand seeks. The leadership team handles making it known often. If your company is planning to expand services or enter new markets, having such clarity is key.
Rebranding lets you send a clear message about your future, too. It can show clients and employees that your company is evolving and what you're seeking. It can create excitement around your brand, attracting better clients and talent. They are those who want to be part of your success story.
When Uber rebranded, they sent a message that they were more than a ride-sharing app. Their new brand identity reflects their larger mission. An effort to provide various types of transportation solutions. This helped attract both clients and top talent to be part of their expanding vision. But not only did that, it also changed the global transportation economy.
To attract the right customers and better talent, consider adopting strategic branding. There are many testimonies of brands that have done this. But what matters is what you do with yours. A good group of experts in Brand Strategy, Marketing, and Creativity can help you shape your brand.
Branding is more than colors or redesigning your logo. Don't hesitate to make intentional efforts to help your brand's positioning. Doing this will give you clarity. You will stand out in a sea of options and connect with top talent.
