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Rebranding Your Business? Follow This 5-Step Guide
There are a number of reasons out there as to why a company would want to change its brand. Sometimes bad publicity it hard to shake, and a new brand is the best way to begin to overcome it. Sometimes a company moves away from its mission, and needs a new brand to communicate the change. Whatever the case may be, these steps can help you determine the trajectory of this large task ahead of you.
1. Reflect before you move forward
As a larger group, assess the fundamental reasons for the rebranding. Revisit your company’s mission, vision, and values, and look at how they fit into your existing brand. Is there synchronicity? Is it just the logo or the entire brand that presents a problem? How has the public responded to your brand? Delve into these topics deeply in order to ensure that a rebrand is even warranted in the first place, and if it is, what goals you have for the new brand.
2. Assemble your team and assign tasks
Gather a team of highly qualified members who’ve demonstrated their capacity for marketing, design, and consumer research. This may mean hiring a brand specialist to take the reins, which is something to consider in your budget. Then hold an initial meeting in which you communicate your expectations for the project and the team. From there, you will likely need to leave the project execution to the manager of the team you’ve assembled, as they will know best how to delegate each component. It may be difficult to step back on a project like this, but your team will need some creative breathing room. Instead of micro managing, schedule a series of check in meetings with the project team manager to stay in the loop on how the new brand is developing.
3. Inspire word-of-mouth interest
Once the rebranding is ready to go, you can begin by showcasing it internally first. Distribute branded promotional items like t-shirts and pens to your employees and encourage them to flaunt the items publicly. Also encourage your employees to let people know about the new and improved company mission that you’ve adopted. By sending your employees out as brand ambassadors, you will help to generate the traditionally well-trusted word-of-mouth buzz.
4. Be thorough
When you rebrand, make sure that no platform is left behind. Every single item with your brand on it, both internally and externally, will need a refitting. You will need to reprint letterhead and business cards. You will need new graphics for social media. You will need to redesign all existing advertisements. It’s a long list, but don’t skimp on it. Brand recognition and familiarity are goals as well, so you want the public to know you when they see you.
5. Unveil your new brand!
This is one of the most exciting parts—letting your customer base know about the change. One of the more effective ways to deliver this news to your base is via email. And for companies with a social media presence, you can get the news out to people who follow your company, but may not be subscribed to emails (an increasingly popular trend these days!). This is definitely not a step to skip, either. If you discretely implement a change as massive as rebranding, your consumer base may not realize that you are still the same company. You’ll need to keep them in the loop regarding the change, and they may also appreciate knowing what inspired it.
Depending on how well your rebranding is received, you can also adjust course after you launch. There are plenty of examples of major corporations out there who’ve opted for a rebrand, only to have it ill received by the public and so subsequently reverted to the previous branding (this is where that consumer research comes in handy!). But plenty of others find success, too. You’ll know quickly after you showcase your new brand whether people like it.
Jessica Gust is a Marketing Assistant at Localpeek.co.uk- a new postcode finder. She is passionate about new marketing strategies, she is always eager to share her ideas through blogging.
1. Reflect before you move forward
As a larger group, assess the fundamental reasons for the rebranding. Revisit your company’s mission, vision, and values, and look at how they fit into your existing brand. Is there synchronicity? Is it just the logo or the entire brand that presents a problem? How has the public responded to your brand? Delve into these topics deeply in order to ensure that a rebrand is even warranted in the first place, and if it is, what goals you have for the new brand.
2. Assemble your team and assign tasks
Gather a team of highly qualified members who’ve demonstrated their capacity for marketing, design, and consumer research. This may mean hiring a brand specialist to take the reins, which is something to consider in your budget. Then hold an initial meeting in which you communicate your expectations for the project and the team. From there, you will likely need to leave the project execution to the manager of the team you’ve assembled, as they will know best how to delegate each component. It may be difficult to step back on a project like this, but your team will need some creative breathing room. Instead of micro managing, schedule a series of check in meetings with the project team manager to stay in the loop on how the new brand is developing.
3. Inspire word-of-mouth interest
Once the rebranding is ready to go, you can begin by showcasing it internally first. Distribute branded promotional items like t-shirts and pens to your employees and encourage them to flaunt the items publicly. Also encourage your employees to let people know about the new and improved company mission that you’ve adopted. By sending your employees out as brand ambassadors, you will help to generate the traditionally well-trusted word-of-mouth buzz.
4. Be thorough
When you rebrand, make sure that no platform is left behind. Every single item with your brand on it, both internally and externally, will need a refitting. You will need to reprint letterhead and business cards. You will need new graphics for social media. You will need to redesign all existing advertisements. It’s a long list, but don’t skimp on it. Brand recognition and familiarity are goals as well, so you want the public to know you when they see you.
5. Unveil your new brand!
This is one of the most exciting parts—letting your customer base know about the change. One of the more effective ways to deliver this news to your base is via email. And for companies with a social media presence, you can get the news out to people who follow your company, but may not be subscribed to emails (an increasingly popular trend these days!). This is definitely not a step to skip, either. If you discretely implement a change as massive as rebranding, your consumer base may not realize that you are still the same company. You’ll need to keep them in the loop regarding the change, and they may also appreciate knowing what inspired it.
Depending on how well your rebranding is received, you can also adjust course after you launch. There are plenty of examples of major corporations out there who’ve opted for a rebrand, only to have it ill received by the public and so subsequently reverted to the previous branding (this is where that consumer research comes in handy!). But plenty of others find success, too. You’ll know quickly after you showcase your new brand whether people like it.
Jessica Gust is a Marketing Assistant at Localpeek.co.uk- a new postcode finder. She is passionate about new marketing strategies, she is always eager to share her ideas through blogging.