A brand-building effort is not something to take lightly. It requires a commitment of money, time, and faith. While there are tools that can help you determine whether it’s time to rebrand, there are also a number of clues you should watch for. Here are some to consider, says Bob Fiddler, president of The Fiddler Group:

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• You’ve lost market position. If you were No 1. five years ago and are now No. 3, there may be some things you need to fix. Tinkering around the edges won’t get you back to the top spot. Start with your brand.

• Your marketing investments are delivering diminishing returns. You’ve invested in advertising, direct mail, and search engine optimization, as well as customer relationship management and new collateral. But no matter how much you spend, you get the same results. The big problem could be your message. New executions and new media won’t fix it. You need to pay attention to your brand.

• You’re dissatisfied with your logo. Everyone gets tired of their logo at some point. If yours doesn’t seem to fit who you are, and you aren’t sure why, ask yourself what your brand is all about — before you redesign the logo.

• You’re dissatisfied with your name. Your name is much like your logo; if it doesn’t fit, you need to know why and adjust accordingly.

• There’s been a change in your business strategy. Your brand strategy is the face of your business development plan. A change in business strategy should provoke a serious look at your brand.

• Revenue growth has stalled. If your category is dying, you can’t necessarily blame poor performance on your brand. But if your sales growth doesn’t match your category’s growth, it could be time to overhaul your brand.

• The market has changed around you. Are there new players, new developments, and new customers in your market? Determine if your brand is well positioned to take advantage.

• There’s been a restructuring of senior management. Brands belong to the people, but brand development begins at the top of the organization. When there’s lots of change at the top, there’s bound to be some confusion below. A strong rebranding effort is a great way to get everyone on the same page.

In the end, working on brand building — understanding it, delivering on it, communicating it, measuring it — is an all-the-time thing. If you have a clear vision of your brand and are acting on it, you’re more likely to be successful.

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