Rebranding isn’t nearly a brand new brand or contemporary coloration palette.
It’s a full-on identification shift that may make or break how your organization reveals up available in the market. And whereas it’d look polished on the surface, the behind-the-scenes work is something however.
When finished proper, a rebrand can sharpen your story, strengthen your go-to-market (GTM) technique, and breathe new life into how individuals see (and belief) your product.
Crystal Hoecker, Director of selling at Docubee, is aware of this firsthand. After main the cost on Docubee’s latest rebrand, she’s gathered worthwhile insights on what it actually takes to navigate the method, get buy-in from leaders throughout the group, and measure what issues post-launch.
To look at the total interview, try the video under:
This interview is a part of G2’s Business Insights sequence. For extra content material like this, subscribe to G2 Teaa weekly publication with SaaS-y information and leisure.
Contained in the trade with Crystal Hoecker
What made you need to transfer ahead with a complete rebrand? And what did you truly change?
I have been with this firm for six years now. 5 of these years have been when the product was referred to as OnTask.io. The product was a few yr previous once I got here in to do advertising, and it simply felt like a constant uphill battle. I even began attempting to buy the domains for OnTask.com as a result of I felt so strongly about it. I spent about two years on that battle, and it did not appear definitely worth the funding.
So we began fine-tuning a big portion of our product to help contract and automatic doc processes. We began an enormous messaging mission to modify over to give attention to contract and settlement options. We have been already within the throes of that, which was an enormous enterprise in itself. It was an entire web site mission, and we have been altering all the things about it.
Sooner or later, we have been at a commerce present and have been having points with our cubicles, and the one factor that we had out there whereas that fiasco was taking place was our tablecloth that stated OnTask.io with our little brand of a checkbox. So I simply turned it into analysis for my private annoyances with the model. All people got here up and requested, “What do you do?” And I answered it with, “What do you assume we do primarily based on our identify alone?” I ran that for about 45 minutes, and it was probably the most validating 45 minutes of my life. So I got here again, labored with management, and stated, “You know the way we’re doing this huge remessaging mission? What can we take into consideration rebranding the entire thing as properly?”
I made the case, and all people agreed with it. We began to take motion actually rapidly. We discovered an company and doubled down on that mission as a result of I wasn’t altering my deadline; I simply added a rebrand to it. The workforce was thrilled.
What have been the most important considerations or dangers you needed to navigate earlier than committing to the rebrand?
First, we had to determine what we needed it to be and get all people purchased in earlier than it began rolling out. We needed to safe a reputation that was definitely worth the effort. It is not very straightforward to safe one thing that is sensible and hasn’t already been taken. We began constructing a mini model to current the concept and get individuals on my aspect.
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It did not take lengthy to get management on my aspect, which was nice. However then, after I did, determining a strategy to roll it out to all of the groups was a wrestle. That was one thing I needed to navigate in actual time as a result of I had by no means finished this earlier than. This was individuals’s child. Folks had been with this product since its beginning, six or seven years in the past. So it was like taking their little one away once they first heard about it.
However we navigated via some feelings and obtained all people on a cohesive mission administration sheet. I simply changed into a mission supervisor and obtained all of the groups on board and aligned with heavy communication and heavy accountability. That was the one strategy to make it work, plus a number of constructive power alongside the best way. The identify Docubee was enjoyable as a result of we obtained to make use of bee puns all through the method, and it simply added a bit of comical aid to each irritating state of affairs.
How did you guarantee alignment between advertising, gross sales, product, and management throughout the rebrand?
We went to a number of businesses and a few workforce members and requested them what they thought the hassle could be, and I attempted to get a price range and anticipated timeline. It wasn’t arduous to make the case for why OnTask.io wasn’t serving to us. The gross sales workforce was falling throughout themselves. All people thought we have been a job listing. Overcoming that at the start of each dialog was so arduous. All people knew we needed to change to one thing.
So as soon as we defined what we have been doing, why we needed to do it, and the quantity of labor it could take from everybody, it wasn’t arduous to get all people to purchase in, as a result of I used to be very sleek. I requested all people what they may do. I did not give them a tough deadline and say, “It’s important to do that.”
I got here to them with the why, the fervour, the thrill, and I requested what labored inside their roadmap and what was practical for them. It made them really feel seen, heard, and appreciated. After which, all of us put the plan collectively in tandem. I believe going to all people and saying, “It is a directive, we’re doing this whether or not you prefer it or not,” would have been unhealthy. Making all people really feel part of the method was actually necessary.
Did you additionally contain clients, companions, or exterior stakeholders within the course of? If that’s the case, how?
We requested a number of of them alongside the best way. We began doing informal interviews with clients concerning their satisfaction with us. We now have some companions that we battle with day by day, so there is a excessive stage of belief. As quickly as we talked about that we have been contemplating this, they have been like, “Thank goodness, that is going to assist everybody.”
It appeared so apparent as soon as we made the choice. I did a few of the client analysis myself. When individuals requested what I did for a residing, I’d say, “I do advertising for OnTask.io. What do you assume we do?” It simply turned my little check for a month, and I began writing down all of the solutions. Then I began listening to again from our gross sales improvement consultant (SDR) workforce about the place they struggled. I used to be listening to name recordings, and I may simply inform that the prospects have been stumbling over that reply. It should not be that massive of a wrestle. For a B2B SaaS product, it should not be that onerous. I knew it was a mountain that we may climb simply if we simply got here up with the proper identify and model to beat it with.
Was there a selected model story or message you needed to bolster with the brand new identification?
As we have been bringing the contract story to life, I wanted a greater strategy to do it. The model story that lived behind OnTask.io was very pressured. It did not click on, and we could not make it resonate, even with our clients. They used us as a result of we’re an excellent know-how, not something to do with our model. However I knew that model advocacy and loyalty imply a lot.
So, as we have been attempting to inform this contract story with OnTask, I struggled to make that story make sense. After we converted to Docubee, a number of issues clicked. The bee flies via the method the identical means that individuals would anticipate to undergo these processes. The employee bees are the individuals and the admins. All of it simply began clicking.
After we weren’t hitting our gross sales targets, I may inform the passion and power have been out. And because the head of selling, I personal that. I do not know why I made a decision to personal the power of our total product, however I do. We wanted one thing to deliver life again to us.
As quickly as we obtained via a few of the feelings of dropping OnTask.io, all people was 100% in. We even had a wake for OnTask.io to half with the model and respect all the things it did to get us the place we have been. It was actually humorous and nice. A whole lot of it was throughout COVID, too.
So, the rebrand labored on a number of fronts. It is helped gross sales, it helped us inform our story higher, it helped individuals establish with us extra rapidly, and it made us extra memorable, which is what we wanted. OnTask.io wasn’t memorable for something we needed to be remembered for, however it served a extremely robust goal to get us the place we wanted to be. And it laid a improbable basis product-wise. We simply wanted a model to assist deliver that product to life.
After a yr, how would you outline success for the rebrand? What key metrics mattered most?
After we hit a full yr after the rebrand in December 2024, we ran model analysis with a 3rd occasion to get an understanding and set a brand new benchmark for what individuals perceive Docubee to be, primarily based on particular goal industries. The suggestions from that was nice. One yr in and we have already got model consciousness. Six years with the previous model and we by no means had that. So to have the ability to accomplish that in a single yr was nice.
The stuff that I am actually in a position to see and tie again to the rebrand is our direct web site site visitors going up. Now that we now have this new model, we have finished a number of model consciousness campaigns the place they are going on to Docubee.com. Every little thing else we do, as any marketer is aware of, goes to a touchdown web page or a really particular place. Model consciousness occurs with simply your homepage and your major area. We have watched that go up about 250% since we began actively doing heavy model consciousness campaigns in late fall.
We have had a few 240% enhance in leads, which we are able to attribute to our model consciousness actions. And we have already seen like 10 to twenty offers begin to shut. Our gross sales life is a lot simpler. We’re watching the pipeline we’re in a position to construct, and the extra certified leads we’re in a position to get from inbound and outbound. All of those elements have left me feeling so nice concerning the choice to rebrand. Despite the fact that it might have taken a number of years off my life, it was the proper choice.
Have been there any surprising outcomes?
Watching the year-over-year traction, I anticipated it to be a restoration yr coming off of OnTask.io. We set targets that have been nonetheless development targets as they associated to all the things from inbound to outbound, and paid. I anticipated a number of excuses as to why we have been falling.
All it did was go up. It had a number of ebbs and flows, however it nonetheless went up, and it is persevering with to take action. I’d like to see income immediately tied again to model consciousness. That is not a actuality on a regular basis, however I’m beginning to watch all the things tick up. The primary factor I can attribute it to is the various new actions advertising has led which have helped deliver this product to life.
We’re now doing movies, we’re streaming, and we’re doing a number of bodily presence, even outbound is simply simpler. With the ability to do all of that and watch the affect that it is having is one thing you possibly can’t low cost. You’ll be able to’t say that this rebrand hasn’t made an affect. Taking a look at all of our numbers on the again finish, you actually cannot.
It has been so enjoyable to deliver this model to life. We could not deliver the OnTask.io checkmark brand to life. I attempted. We talked about having a canine named Checkers, and it did not work. However we obtained this one to life, and our Docubee bee mascot is Ziggy, and he’s a fan favourite. It has been actually, actually enjoyable, and it will proceed to be enjoyable.
Do you assume branding ought to continuously evolve, or is it higher to ascertain a long-term identification that stays constant?
I believe it is a mix. As soon as you have established who you’re and the values individuals affiliate along with your model, it’s a must to hold the core parts for model consistency. However manufacturers ought to evolve. Occasions change. Goal markets could change. We discover product-market match in numerous areas on a regular basis. So we have to cater to what they anticipate and wish and communicate their language, which additionally comes from a model perspective.
I do not mark something as finished. Every little thing in advertising is a course of. Every little thing will be optimized. We’re a way more data-driven firm than we have been years in the past as a result of now we now have information to trace. Taking that information and making choices because it pertains to our model, messaging, and the varieties of content material individuals need to take in is necessary. It’s important to do it to remain related along with your viewers, clients, and prospects.
So, our work in branding is rarely finished, however it’s a way more enjoyable uphill battle that we’re taking over now. It is value it, however it’s by no means finished.
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Edited by SUPANNA DAS
