Tags – Tips for a Successful Rebrand
Often, there comes a point where a rebrand is necessary.
But this carries the risk of confusing your existing customer base; especially if you’re an already established business and have developed valuable relationships and a reputation worth holding on to.
So, how do you rebrand your business without causing too much shock to the system?
Well, it’s all about how you market yourself. You’ve probably already sat down and thought about your existing and potential customers during this process, but for it to be successful, it falls down to how you communicate this change once the rebrand is completed.
Obviously, changing your logo or name can cause a big shift in how you want to position your brand and your following will need a heads up.
Failure to do this effectively, any changes you make could potentially damage your reputation and lose the trust you worked so hard to build.
In other words, rebranding is just one step of the process. The real work falls down to how your marketing team brings this to life through a unified strategy and making your rebrand a worthwhile investment.
With that in mind, here are 4 important marketing tips for a successful rebrand.
1. Keep Customers Informed
Keeping your customers informed and in the loop is an important factor to consider to protect your company’s reputation during a rebrand.
Essentially, your customers should be advised of any changes and if possible, included in the process.
Simply, you can do this by asking for feedback; do they like your new proposed logo or brand colours? What message do they take away from it?
Moreover, you need to be clear on your “why”. Why are you rebranding? Then, communicate this message; what changes are you making? Who will these changes impact?
No matter how big your company is or how extravagant your rebrand will be, changes can alienate customers. The key then, is to use every tool in your grasp to stay in touch with your audience and involve them every step of the way.
Once you’ve told your audience you are rebranding and why, you need to tell them why it’s a good thing.
For instance, if you’re rebranding because of a merger or acquisition, you’ll want to ensure your audience that they won’t lose out on what they love about your business currently.
2. Ensure Your Message is Consistent
Even though a rebrand involves changing various elements of your brand, there are still some things to preserve.
In particular, your tone and language. Yes people will enjoy fresh graphics and new colours, but if you change the way you talk, people are going to feel like they no longer know who you are as a business.
Brand consistency is important, so you need to make sure that your entire brand presence, both online and offline, is aligned – you may even want to keep some existing design elements to make the transition a little easier for your audience.
It may take some trial and error, but experiment with different styles, social media and graphics templates without straying too far away from your core imagery.
3. Authenticity is Key
Yes, a rebrand is exciting. And it’s the natural next step in developing your business to take it to the next level.
But you should always remain true to your core values, which means taking into consideration the entire customer experience and how they perceive your brand at the moment.
If you think about it, a brand is a promise. It’s a reflection of everyone in your company and everything your company does – good and bad.
In fact, 91% of consumers are more likely to buy from an authentic brand than a dishonest one.
Generally, rebranding is about balancing who you were and who you want to be – you need to take a leap forward but not too far that your brand no longer resonates with the people who helped your business grow.
So whilst you should embrace evolution, never lose sight of your core fundamentals and make sure that whatever you change is authentic to you, your team and your customers.
4. Get Your Entire Team on Board
Often, employees are the last people to know about a rebrand and that certainly is not good for team morale.
The last thing you want is your team to feel confused or left out, they need to be just as excited and energised about the rebrand as you are.
In other words, a successful rebrand requires everyone to be connected to your company, including your employees.
With that in mind, don’t just discuss the rebrand behind closed doors and get your employees involved right from the start – even if you don’t have a clear direction yet.
In fact, inviting your team to the conversation can help spark new ideas and bring in fresh perspectives – perhaps they can propose something you didn’t think of.
Furthermore, you should launch your rebrand internally first, sometimes referred to as a “soft launch”.
This way, you can ensure everyone is on board and iron out any kinks. To do this, launch internally 4-6 weeks before you publish it out to your audience.
Here, you’ll need to explain what you have done and why; talk about the problems you’re trying to solve and the strategic thinking behind your decisions.
In addition, you should encourage feedback and questions and develop a new brand style guide that outlines new brand guidelines and includes real examples that everyone can adhere to, to ensure there are no inconsistencies.
Finishing Thoughts
Rebranding gives you the power to shape your business with a purpose.
Now that’s not to say letting go of the past will be easy, but have confidence that your rebrand will pay off and be worth any discomfort along the way.
Hopefully, these tips above will ensure you get the most of your rebrand and create an impact that inspires your audience to take action.
Please get in touch today to find out more.
In the meantime, take a look at our digital marketing services
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