Rebranding your business is a full facelift for your company. You might think it’s just a matter of creating a new logo and changing your filter on Instagram. The whole point of rebranding is to change the way people think about your brand. It might be a matter of moving with the times or because there’s new leadership and a new way of thinking. You might be gearing your business to a different target audience or you have a totally new vision of the business. A brand will often require some support just as though you were starting a new business. Keep this in mind.
Whatever your reasons are, rebranding means changing everything and it’s going to take time. When rebranding is done properly, it will energize your business. Mike Jones, CEO of Resound says, “Staff will be clearer on your purpose, vision and values. Potential customers will resonate with your personality and communications. Sales will get easier. Marketing will be more efficient, as designers, writers and creators for your brand will have clear guidelines.”
How to Tackle a Rebrand
Image by Karolina Grabowska from Pixabay
You should take your time when it comes to rebranding. Take the time and create a plan on how to rebrand. Think about how you’re going to share the news with the world so everyone knows you’ve changed your logo but not the services/products provided. Think through all the stages you’ll go through while rebranding. Here are some questions you’ll want to ask yourself to help you plan everything out:
The Tough Questions
Michelle Barry, who founded Mesmerize Media Consulting states “it’s important to really think about your company and get a strong understanding of who your company is, what you do better than anyone, and what you want your customers to know about you.” You want to think about the customer base you have right now and what kind of brand values they’re looking for. Make sure to be aware of current events and see what’s on-trend with the market at the moment. Figure out what customers look for in businesses like yours.
It can be quite effective to do a customer focus group to get things started. This is going to give you a better idea of what customers currently think of you. This can help you create a strategy on how you’d like your brand to be for the greatest success.
Choose Who’s Executing Each Aspect
You want to figure out who will do the logo and who should be involved in creating the purpose, vision and values. Consider whether you need to totally change the company name. Figure out as well who will create guidelines for colours, fonts, writing, and design. Who is going to implement elements for the site, signage, intranet, invoices etc? Leading a rebrand is a big deal and if you haven’t done it before, you may want to get help from a consultant who has experience. This step is important when creating a small business plan or rebranding.
Create the New Brand
This process won’t be quick and easy. You want to ensure it’s done properly the first time or it could hurt your business. Get feedback from customers, employees, partners, and vendors to see what their response is regarding your ideas. Think about why you’re creating your new brand. If it’s just to get news and attention, it may not be worth it. Experts say this is the worst reason to rebrand.
Prioritize and Set Goals
The rebranding comes in stages and to complete the full brand redo, you’ll want to list all things branded and prioritize the rebranding of each thing. Make a timeline and assign responsibilities to people who can execute the task properly. A hand-written plan helps you stay on top of everything and allows you to keep track of your goals and feelings throughout the rebranding process. This can be advantageous when you make the rebranding announcement.
Announce It
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Announce your rebranding as it’s a great opportunity to tie it into marketing opportunities. Send an email to customers, explaining goals and reasoning for the rebrand. Let them know that the same service will be extended to them. Let the media know and draft up a press release. Blog your reasons for rebranding and get the work out on social media. Announce your rebrand with a sale, promo or contest and generate some energy and excitement. Let customers know that this rebrand is going to be an improvement for them. Make sure to change your social media ads to showcase the rebranding and offer giveaways to spread the word.
Rebrand Success Story
Airbnb
Here’s one example of a success story. Airbnb rebranded in 2014 after outgrowing its brand identity. The company said it was to signal its embrace as a home experience and not just a site. Customers were able to use Airbnb to immerse themselves in the community they were visiting. The purpose to rebrand was driven by the customers and was redefined through design, the mission statement, and brand colours. They reinforced how important it is to listen to customers. This has worked well for Airbnb and they generated a lot of attention and energy for the revamp.
