Listminut, the platform for exchanging services between individuals, has changed its name. It has become Ring Twice after a meticulously prepared rebranding operation. In a podcast recorded on the eve of this change, Jonathan Schockaert, the founder of Listminut / Ring Twice, tells us all about the origin of this rebranding, its preparation, and the expectations it raises.
Ring Twice in figures
- 300,000 people registered on the platform
- 100.000 registered Service Providers
- 36.000 regular Service Providers
- 80% less acquisition during the covid
- 27 employees
- Subscription-based business model since April 2019
- 1 to 2 people turn their passion into a job every week with Ring Twice
Listminut is a project that started in 2013 in a student’s bedroom. The start-up is not a start-up anymore since it now has 27 employees. Thanks to it, individuals can offer or receive services for a fee (DIY, baby-sitting, cleaning, …). Nearly 300,000 people are registered, which makes it a real success story.
In this podcast, we look back at the history of Listminut and the reasons for the rebranding operation that will affect even its name. Listminut will now be called Ring Twice, and the consequences are multiple.
Rebranding: an unexpected trigger
The rebranding of Listminut has its roots in a very unique but nevertheless recurring story: direct contact with customers. Entrepreneurs are often so busy with their company that they forget an essential thing: talking to and understanding their customers.
This is precisely what I call the “head-in-the-sand” syndrome from which the founders of Listminut suffered. As Jonathan Schockaert explains it very well, he thought he knew his users and didn’t see the point of talking to them. His co-founders convinced him to take the plunge, and it was a revelation.
The moment we started to meet our users was the trigger. We were in contact with our users, and we thought we knew them. But in fact, we didn’t.
Jonathan Schockaert, Ring Twice
Why did you decide to change the name of Listminut to Ring Twice?
In this podcast, Jonathan Schockaert talks about the reasons for the rebranding and the origin of the name Ring Twice. The rebranding started with the observation that the human aspect is central to the success of the Listminut model.
As Jonathan Schockaert explains, the Covid crisis certainly accelerated the thinking behind the name change. While Listminut suffered an 80% loss of acquisition because of Covid, it also witnessed a surge of generosity from its community. Service Providers from all walks of life, overwhelmed by the health crisis, volunteered their help.
Beyond the transactional aspects, the Service Providers are the real added value. They are the visible face of the platform when they go to the clients’ homes. The rebranding aims to put the importance of the human relationship back at the center of Ring Twice’s business model.
The name is there to materialize the values that underlie the relationship between customers and Service Providers. Often, a real relationship of trust is established between them. The customer greets the Service Provider like a friend who “rings twice” to be recognized and open the door.
A new name for international ambitions
The change of identity also aims to support Ring Twice’s international ambitions.
The platform had already launched on the French market (in Paris) in 2016-2017, but the operation had proved to be a failure.
With this new identity, Jonathan Schockaert aims to conquer foreign markets in the next 2-3 years. That’s all the bad news we wish to this beautiful company full of promises. Its business model is perfectly replicable to other markets with probably some adaptations.
How did Listminut prepare its rebranding?
The rebranding project had been under consideration for 2 years. However, they did not plan to change the name. The attachment to “Listminut,” but also the impact on SEO, were obstacles. With 50% of the acquisition, SEO is indeed Listminut’s primary channel for finding customers.
Jonathan Schockaert rightly reminds us that the logo, the visuals, and the name are only the tip of the iceberg in a rebranding operation. Changing your identity involves much more than that, and it is necessary to plan all the details of the project in a detailed timeline.
Timing is not insignificant either. In the case of Ring Twice, they chose the month of October. A certain seasonality marks the platform’s business (think of DIY and garden work in the summer). The activity is still sustained in October, but the danger in terms of SEO is less. Jonathan explains that it is still possible to correct the situation in October if something goes wrong.
As far as SEO is concerned, a person has been in charge of this aspect full time for 1 month. The most complicated task is to contact one by one all the websites that have made a backlink to the old website to request to update it. Fortunately, the 301 redirect is there to help when this is not possible.
Posted in Entrepreneurship.
