Rebranding is a gigantic undertaking, but even though it can be hard on you and your team, it can also bring about a landslide of benefits like boosted engagement, more general brand awareness, and the ability to better align your organization with your target market. However, you shouldn’t throw yourself into a rebrand half-cocked and expect everything to work out for you. Here are some things to think about before you kick off your new evolution:
Why Here? Why Now?
Before you embark on your rebranding journey, you need a clear understanding of why you want to rebrand. Are you looking to update your image to better align with your target market? Was there an event that sent a lot of negativity your way that you’re trying to shake? Understanding your reasoning can set you on a strong path forward.
Scope The Competition
Your competition will be an asset to you during your rebrand, believe it or not. They occupy the same professional space, and if they’ve been around a while, you’re able to learn a lot from their brand and how their customers receive it. What’s working? What isn’t? You can emulate the strongest parts of their strategy while ditching the weak and still make something unique to your organization.
Give the People What They Want
It's important to understand what your ideal prospects and customers are looking for from a brand in your field. Conducting surveys, hosting focus groups, and interviewing individuals to gather feedback on your current branding can be a real sturdy foundation to build upon. No one knows what your customers like more than they do!
What Do You Stand For?
Your core values are going to factor in heavily when it comes to your rebrand. Changing how your organization presents itself is more than just changing fonts. You need to embody your ideals, and your design and brand voice need to reflect that. Consider what you want your prospects to feel when they interact with you; do you want them to feel calm? Comfortable? Impressed? Intimidated? These are all going to appear different from a design standpoint. I hope you have a good design team!
Time For a Makeover!
Your logo, color scheme, typography, and imagery are all going to look and interact with your prospects on a new and different level. It needs to for a rebrand to be successful. You don’t want to just slap a coat of paint on your old branding and call it a day. This is where you put your money where your mouth is and embrace the change. It’s around this point where people consider back peddling because their old branding was safe and familiar, but we encourage you to persevere. It can be hard to leave a safe place, but we all outgrow the baby blanket at some point. You’ve got this!
Don’t Spring it on Your Customers
Once your rebrand is locked in, it's very important to communicate the changes to your partners and prospects. Email, social media, and your website are all great places to make transparent announcements about the changes your organization has undergone. Make sure to explain the reasons for the rebrand and say it in a way that lets them know that the changes are for their benefit. The last thing you want is for some of your prospects to not recognize who you are and stop interacting with your marketing materials!
Stick With It
Consistency is critical when it comes to rebranding. Make sure that all of your marketing materials, website, and social media platforms align with your new visual identity and that you stick to the new style. This will help to establish your new brand and keep it memorable and strong for your customers, prospects, and your competition. Give them a scare with your powerful new identity!
