If there is one thing I could scream from the rooftops, it would be capitalizing on your differentiators. I prefer to say 'brand positioning' over 'niching down.

Understanding not just what you think your audience wants—but how they actually perceive you (which is the exact definition of brand positioning) is the most important thing you can do if you want your marketing and your brand to land and convert with your customers.

Research of all kinds, from polling to research calls, is the first thing I do when I am first refreshing Cedar June—and when I am working with a brand.

​Here's a free Notion template you can download, complete with all my tips inside.​

• Whether it's analyzing your feedback & reviews (you can use your robot friends to help with this),
• Conducting research calls (hands down one of the most valuable things you can do),
• Or a combination of the two (the crème de la crème if you ask me).

***Understanding how the audience you have now perceives you is the most useful thing you can do—even if you want to attract a different audience, or expand the audience you have now.

In Cracker Barrel's case, they wanted to rebrand in an effort to attract more diners.

What they should have done is first understood why people love Cracker Barrel—and then create brand stories, marketing, and branding that would attract those who might consider other options.

You want more young people coming out? Remind them of the summer evening they spent there rocking outside while waiting for a table with their grandma—show them how their kids could have the viral "90's summer" everyone has been posting about—inside their restaurant and store.

One of the biggest misconceptions about rebranding IMO is that everything needs to change. When in reality, there are probably some things about your brand that already work & are recognized and associated with your branding.

One of the biggest faux pas of the Cracker Barrel rebranding is the oversimplification of the barrel. Turning it into an icon of sorts. They kept some of their colors, but the addition of black, white, and gray interiors makes it feel stark.

Design is a visual language. It is meant to elicit emotion - take the emotion out, take the personality out - and you are left with just another CEO coded canvas corp.

Nostalgia never goes out of style.

Especially in a time where people are more and more nostalgic for the way things used to be.

There are two ways to roll out a rebrand. By building in public (like I have for the last year) or by doing a full unveil. And honestly, I don't know that there is a wrong or right answer.

When it comes to building in public, you constantly receive feedback from your audience and involve them in the conversation along the way. But where that can get sticky is in the timeline. Rebrands and repositioning — take time. If you are rolling it out over time, it is easy for the conversation to get drawn out and become stale.

The grand unveil can create a lot of noise — but at the same time, you really don't know how it is going to be perceived until you press publish on your post.

I think a hybrid approach is your best bet. Do your research, ask questions, tell people about what you are doing, and open the conversation to the world. Show them sneak peeks along the way, share what you are doing, why you are doing it, and give them sneak peeks of sorts. But save something for the grand unveil.

That's what I'll be doing with my website, for example. I'm going to take you through the process in an Instagram series — but use the launch of that site as the grand unveil.