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Welcome to The Creative, a show where workers in the creator economy give content creators useful tips they can use. Read The Creative to learn how to grow your brand, make your content better, and stay ahead in the ever-changing world of creators, no matter how long you’ve been making content or how new you are to it.
I had a complete rebranding years ago. Before I joined HubSpot, I worked as a neighborhood writer in Florida for years, writing content. That’s why most of my social media accounts and posts were about politics and news.
In the end, though, I quit working in news and started writing for myself. Soon, I stopped writing news stories and started making videos, podcasts, and blog posts about anime, manga, and “nerdom.”
I don’t really think about how my audience would react to my rebrand because, as I’ve said in other blog posts, I only write content for fun outside of HubSpot. I’m sure the change was a bit shocking and hard to understand, though.
So, if you’re a business owner who wants to change your brand, you might be wondering how to do it as a maker and still be current. I talked to Lisa De La Cruz, a maker, writer, and YouTuber who just recently changed her brand, to get some ideas.
Here is her story and some advice for content makers who want to change things up without hurting their own business.
Why a rebrand?
The Challenge of Rebranding as a Creator
How to Stay Relevant Through a Rebrand
A person who makes content may decide to rename for a number of reasons. When it came to me, I switched fields and wanted to make stuff that wasn’t news.
As for De La Cruz, the COVID-19 spread was a big reason why she changed what she wrote.
“I changed my brand because the content I was making during the height of the pandemic was very local,” she says, referring to the content she was making for people in her city of Reading, PA. “And because of rules, I couldn’t keep interviewing people in person.” It wasn’t making me happy either.”
De La Cruz started to focus on the anime and manga industries to find her creative spark again and keep making art even though the pandemic put limits on her.
For her show, The Wonder of Anime, she talked to voice artists, cosplayers, and anime fans. For her YouTube account and blog with the same name, she reviewed anime and manga.
It was making her very happy that she had slowly started to change her material in this new way. “I learned that I can talk to people from all over the world about this subject without having to meet them in person.” “Zoom works for me.”
The Challenge of Rebranding as a Creator
As a creator, it’s not easy to switch to a different area, especially if your fans don’t like the new way you’re going in.
The people who watched my show changed. At that time, most of them were from the area and weren’t anime fans, De La Cruz says. “There was a clear drop in attendance at the start.”
Luckily, De La Cruz’s platform grew as she kept writing in her new niche.
She says, “If I know myself and what I’m doing at my core, then I know this is right for me and I just have to keep going.”
How to Stay Relevant Through a Rebrand
How did De La Cruz’s platform grow after she changed it? What can you do to make your change work? If you want a smooth change, she says these tips will help.
1. Consider appealing to an untapped market.
“The new kind of content I was making was different because I was writing about things that weren’t getting much attention,” she says. “Like an old show or nostalgic things that people may have forgotten about.”
People who liked anime and manga started to follow De La Cruz’s work over time, and they liked how she brought rare classics to light.
“I reached a new group of people and filled a need that wasn’t being met,” she says. “I think that really helped because people were glad to see someone talk about a show they like that doesn’t get much attention.”
So, if you’re thinking about rebranding, think about how you can make your own path and what open places you can reach with your new message.
2. Know why you want to rebrand.
Creators need to know what the latest market trends are, but De La Cruz warns that changing trends and numbers shouldn’t be the only thing that drives you.
“Think about why you want to change your brand,” she tells you. I didn’t want to reach a new audience; I just wanted to stick to what I love and am enthusiastic about. I would tell you not to switch because of the numbers.”
People are very smart, and De La Cruz says they’ll tell if you’re just changing your brand to stay in the news. This can lead to mistrust and make your brand seem fake, which is not good for branding at all.
In fact, 88% of people say that trustworthiness is very important to them when choosing brands to support and like.
To be real, you also need to know your personal brand. Author and business coach Troyia Monay talks about personal branding in a YouTube film called Rebrand Yourself & Stand Out on Social Media in 2024.
“The essential word in personal brand is ‘personal.'” That’s all about you. What do you want to know about? How do you behave? How does your voice sound? What kinds of things do you like to do for fun?”
First, figure out “why” you want to rebrand. Then, think about your personal brand and how your “why” fits with who you are and where you want to go.
3. Go all in.
“Go 100% in. “You can lose people and confuse them if you are in the middle and show your audience a mix of old and new things at the same time,” she says. “That might turn people off from you.”
De La Cruz says that if you shift, you should do a tough one.
“It helps build your new audience because you don’t give people false hope that you’ll keep making the same kind of content you used to.”
While I was switching from news to nerdy content, I didn’t start by sharing news content and then slowly add more of my nerdy content.
I changed my social media names and put the spotlight on my newest work as a way to start over.
4. Communicate your rebrand to your audience.
There needs to be a hard stop, but you should still let your viewers know what’s going on. Your fans may have been following you for years before you changed the name of your site, depending on how long you’ve been a producer.
De La Cruz says it’s important to keep your fans up to date on your new era and value the bond you’ve built with them.
“There is a connection between you as a content creator and the people who read your content,” she says. “If you do a hard pivot without making it clear, your audience might not trust you, especially if they didn’t see it coming.”
De La Cruz says to make a clear statement to show your gratitude and give people a chance to choose if they want to join you on your new trip.
You can find this sentence in a mailing, a social media post, a YouTube movie, or an email.
5. Have confidence.
De La Cruz says that the most important thing is to be sure of your choice.
She tells them, “Your rebrand is probably something you’ve been thinking about and feeling heavy about for a while, so be sure that it will do just as well as your old content.”
“You have to believe it for your old fans and new fans to believe it too and follow you on your new journey.”
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