How To Sustainably Pivot Your Brand Into a New Direction
There comes a time in just about anyones small business journey when they question whether they should make a brand pivot. Are you at that point now? If so, then this article is going to be right up your alley.
As our visions, missions and personalities grow and evolve, we often come to a crossroads where we must decide whether or not to make a brand pivot.
Though I'm not one to advocate for attaching our identity or sense of self to our work, I do however believe that most creatives imbed a lot of what makes us tick into the things we do within our businesses. Our businesses become an extension of who we are and what we love. Yet, who we are and what we love will always be evolutionary, causing our brands to potentially need to evolve alongside of us.
Pivoting your brand is a decision that can be difficult to make, as it requires careful consideration of your current as well as desired trajectory, goals, and market position. However, it's also a decision that can be incredibly satisfying, as it can help us not just grow our businesses but grow ourselves.
In order to make an informed decision about whether or not to pivot, you want to take the time to thoroughly envision, plan, research, and map out new pathways. But before you even go into starting your pivot, you want to first determine whether a pivot is right for your brand.
Signs that a brand may be ready to pivot
What you've been doing isn't creating the types of results you desire
Sometimes we just have to be real with ourselves and admit when something isn't working! If you've been trying to achieve a certain outcome, have exhausted all options, and still aren't where you want to be... it may be time to consider a brand pivot.
This is more common than is often talked about in the world of small business and entrepreneurship. Unfortunately, sometimes a business just isn't going to make it regardless of how much you try or how much you want it to thrive. There are countless reasons for this, some of the reasons being in the control of the business owner and others not. Yet, a brand pivot can potentially be JUST the thing to save a sinking business. It's not a cure all, but it is an option!
I've personally worked with brands in the past that felt like they were doing all the things right and, on paper, looked like they should be crushing it. Yet, something just wasn't working…causing them to struggle to hit goals or achieve the level of growth they were after. With a brand pivot, they were able to revive their business and start getting on a path that projected them to be able to achieve what they wanted. Pretty cool, right?!
What you're currently doing isn't bringing you joy anymore
On the flip side, no matter how much "success" we may experience, if we aren't feeling fulfillment in what we are doing anymore, then that is reason enough to consider a brand pivot. It may be time to innovate, refresh, rebrand or try something entirely new!
This is a place I know fairly well. Not to toot my own horn but when I made the decision to pivot my business into a micro-agency, it wasn't because what I was previously doing wasn't working. It was, rather, just not bringing me the level of joy I craved.
We spend SO much of our lives working (thanks, capitalism). As entrepreneurial-spirited folks, we typically get into business for ourselves because we want to do work that brings us a sense of purpose and fulfillment. To get trapped in a business you created on your own that doesn't even bring you joy is bonkers! And a great reason to consider a brand pivot 😉 .
There are many different levels of brand pivoting that you can consider. It can be a subtle and small pivot or a huge transformative shift. The choice is up to you!
Options For Pivoting Your Brand
Product/service segmentation:
We do this often for our clients! This can look like creating a micro-brand for a specific product or service and positioning it in front of it's own audience.
Example:
Just this year we have been helping one of our clients segment their primary brand into 2 sub-brands and 1 main brand. They started with 1 Instagram account where they shared all of their business offers and brand pillars, but it began to feel confusing and overwhelming. So, we began strategically segmenting their brand, creating niched Instagram accounts for their micro-brands. This has given us the opportunity to start building sub-audiences for each of their micro-brands! Now, their brand is much easier to understand and their marketing is, though more complex, more sustainable.
This is a great option for folks with complex service or product suites or for multi-passionate creatives that love to do A LOT of things!
Product/service offer pivot:
I did this when we moved into a micro-agency model. This can look like improving what you offer within your product or service suite, enhancing the solutions and results your offers provide, or implementing brand new offers.
When I decided to move into a Micro-Agency Model, I sat with the idea for about 3 months before I went public with it. Prior to that, I started testing the idea with the clients I was working with at the time. I began offering media and brand management services selectively to current clients as well as began opening up for custom branding and design projects. I spent almost a year offering the very things I wanted to offer as a Studio completely behind the scenes! This gave me the chance to figure out what I was doing and how I was doing it.
I also began just talking about my idea for the Studio with people. I started brainstorming out loud with friends and colleagues. And, I wrote out my ideas A LOT! I also researched how to make the pivot and began taking advice from folks I not only respected but knew had done what I wanted to do.
I didn't fully make the switch into a Studio model until I felt completely ready. As a manifesting generator, I typically want to announce things as soon as I get a gut PING that says “YES, LET'S GOOO!”….so this was a bit tough for me. I sat on the idea for a while and quietly built out the concept before making the full pivot. I also focused on sustainability over quickness because my business is what pays the bills 💸 and I didn't want to jeopardize the security I had in my previous business model without being certain that the direction I was moving into was going to take care of me and my family.
When you pivot your brand by shifting your products or services you offer, it takes a bit more time and thought because you are repositioning your entire business as well as potentially the market you are entering. If this is a direction you feel you may want to go into, my best advice is to NOT rush it!
Product/service focus:
A great choice for those with too many offers, possibly confusing or overwhelming your audience! This is when you zoom in on one core offer (flagship) and centralize your brand around that.
I love this option for folks that didn't necessarily start out their business journey with a plan. This happens often: We get into business for ourselves and begin doing, offering and selling all the things. This is basically our “figuring it out” stage and is totally normal! Actually, it may even be a rite of passage for all entrepreneurs 😂 .
Yet, there comes a time when we have to HARDEN.
My partner, Zach, is a computer engineer. I learn a lot of cool lingo as well as developmental techniques and processes from him. One of my most favorite things i've learned from him is the concept of hardening.
In the world of computer engineering…. there are stages of creating something that, in my opinion, completely relate to building a business… or in the case of this newsletter topic, pivoting a brand.
These stages are:
Requirements gathering and planning: If you are considering a brand pivot, this is where you start. You want to research, plan, innovate, ideate, and conceptualize your pivot!
Development (can be messy af!): This is when you start putting your plan into motion. It could be updating your brand style guide, guidelines, website, service or product suite, entire business model, you name it! This phase does NOT need to be finished nor perfect. Just get things down and clean it up later.
Hardening and revisions: Now is the time to clean up what you developed! In the world of brand pivoting, this stage is all about preparing to go public. You want to get all of your ducks in order so that you are ready to go live!
Testing: Before you push play and release to the public, you want to run some testing to make sure everything is working properly.
Release: Set the launch or reveal date and get that pivot LIVE!
The above stages can be applied to any type of pivot, yet work incredibly well when wanting to trim your service or product suite into a more focused suite.
Pivot For Sustainability
In order to pivot your brand sustainably, there are several things that you want to take into consideration.
Firstly, it is important to identify the key values that your brand represents, as these will be the foundation upon which your pivot is built. Once you have identified these values, you can then begin to explore new markets, products or services that align with them.
It is important to conduct market research to determine the viability of your new direction. This will involve analyzing market and consumer trends, competitor activity and other relevant data to ensure that there is a demand for your new direction.
Another important step is to develop a comprehensive marketing strategy that will help you to effectively communicate your new brand identity to your target audience. This may include creating a new visual identity, revamping your social media presence and developing a content marketing plan.
It is important to continually monitor and evaluate the pivot to ensure that you are achieving your desired outcomes that made you want to pivot in the first place. This will involve regularly reviewing your conversion data, client feedback and other relevant data as well as analytics to identify areas for improvement and make adjustments as necessary.
I hope this article was helpful for you, especially if you are finding yourself in a potential season of brand SHIFT! Have questions about brand pivoting that I didn't cover here? I'm just an email away - reach out and let's chat! If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to the DoGoodBiz email list so you can receive our weekly tips, advice and ideas on creating a sustainable brand online directly in your inbox.
Until next time…
Natalie Brite - DoGoodBiz Studio
