You've decided it's time for something about your brand to change. Maybe it's your logo, website, or even your social media strategy. Whatever it is, you know it's time to level up and invest in your brand.

TO SHARE OR NOT TO SHARE

It's embarrassing to admit that something isn't working. If it were up to any of us, we'd love to only launch perfect things, but realistically that would mean never releasing anything at all. The journey of building a brand is messy and far from perfect. The question remains, how much should you be sharing?

Maybe your name is too difficult for people to remember. Or is it too common to stand out? And what about using your own name versus a creative company name for your brand?

THE STRUGGLE IS REAL

I completely understand what a challenge naming can be, and that's exactly what Daniel (one of my awesome subscribers) has been struggling with. He asks,

“I have a really common and boring name, so my plan was to come up with a new brand or pseudonym that suits me and is explainable, until now I had no idea or kinda bad ideas.. so how do you go at it? And what do you think about it? Good/bad idea? In short: how to create a personal identity when your name sucks”

I feel your pain, Daniel. 

We've all been there—continually tapping the home button on our phones, refreshing our inboxes, and waiting for people to engage with us. The reality is that engagement is a game of give and take, and there are things you can start doing right now to foster that flame. So listen up.

Make Yourself Known

Your dream clients won't find you if you're huddled in a cave waiting for them. You have to give them ways to discover and connect with you—I'm talking a trail of brand bread crumbs here. Just think of the last time you had to find an amazing architect or florist or custom jeweler or whatever. There are countless options, and the search can be overwhelming.

To your customers, researching brands and finding the right fit can be a complex maze—no end in sight, walls so high they can barely see the sky. Make this process less terrible for them by making it easier to discover you. How do you do this?

Rebranding is a tough business—trust me, I know. In June, I tied the knot on one of the best days of my life. Since then, I've been making the slow transition of legally changing my name from Melissa Ginsiorsky to Melissa Yeager (seriously, I'm pretty sure I'll be at this for years). With this monumental life change, it became very clear that a personal rebrand was in order.

My rebrand meant more than reinventing my visual identity. It meant changing the name by which quite literally everyone knew me—no small task. We'll delve into the challenge of changing your brand name in a future post, but for now let's focus on identifying the right time for a rebrand.

I'm sure you've heard the term “brand” many times in your travels, but what does it mean? A spiffy-looking logo with a catchy tagline? A nicely designed website? Not quite.

Beyond the Logo

A logo is definitely essential and its value shouldn't be underestimated. Your logo acts as the face of your business, which makes you recognizable to the world. Investing in a quality logo can work wonders in terms of elevating or refocusing your audience's perception of your brand. Ideally your logo will be distinct and memorable, but it can't do all the work. The real job of a logo is to set the stage for the rest of what's to come.