Whether you’re changing your company concept or have had a new burst of creativity, re-branding a company can bring a whole new lease on life, boost engagement and offer brand new opportunities. Rebranding could mean minor adjustments to the logo or it could mean starting your whole business aesthetic from scratch including font, imagery, colour palettes and graphics.
When to consider a rebrand
Depending on your industry and company goals, your branding may or may not be a priority, however, there’s no doubt that successful branding can lead to greater brand recognition and engagement.
But how do you know if it’s time for a rebrand?
- Your branding is becoming tired or outdated. No matter what industry you’re in, markets are constantly changing and adapting to the modern world, meaning old branding can begin to look tired, forgotten about and neglected. If your customers aren’t impressed with your branding, this could deter them from using your services and instead, will be far more interested in modern, dynamic options.
- Your company is changing direction. The direction your business is heading can have a huge impact on your branding as it might not fit into the right theme anymore and lack new features and characteristics that are necessary for your goals.
- Public relations crisis. Rebranding can be an effective way to change a negative perception of your business and initially start from scratch in terms of assumptions and judgment.
- A new workforce. If you’ve seen major shifts in your workforce or company culture, this might influence a change of brand as your company will look and feel different.
- Keeping up with competition. Making sure that you keep ahead of your competitors and industry is critical to standing out from the crowd and retaining customers as well as engaging with new ones. This doesn’t mean re-branding just because a competitor has, more so meaning to stay in touch with industry trends and whether it is worth it.
Rebranding is, however, a big job, and isn’t something that can just be changed overnight and when done right, will cost a lot of time and money. Due to this, you must make sure that a re-brand is the right thing for the business and that the change will actually make a positive difference. If you’re considering a rebrand, here are a few things that mean you shouldn’t consider a rebrand.
- Copying competitors. Although this kind of contrasts with the above point, you should never rebrand just because a competitor has. Keeping on top of them is a part of business research, but what works for them might not always work for you.
- A change of management. If you have recently joined a business in a management role, it’s understandable if you want a fresh start, however, the business will always have a footprint and history which should be considered before any rebrand takes place.
- A burst of creativity. Although this could be a valid reason to re brand, make sure that you are certain instead of acting on impulse. Even though your business is up and running, make sure to plan and think our your ideas before implementing anything.
How to rebrand your business
Like most campaigns and projects, rebranding takes a lot of thought and consideration. Not only is a rebrand expensive to complete, but if it was to go wrong, you’d also have the responsibility of reverting all the changes. Follow these simple steps to complete a successful rebrand.
How does it benefit the business?
Start with the reason for the rebrand. How will this impact the business? What are the benefits and potential risks? How much is it going to cost? Understanding what your business needs is key to mastering your project and ensuring that you see results.
Research your business and your audience
If your business model isn’t changing, you will still need to carry out some research in terms of how your brand is sitting in the market and how your audience is currently interacting. If your scope is changing, you will need to have a look into the new customer base if there is one and how your business will be operating.
Customer feedback
Your branding is predominantly there for your customers, so when changing your brand, it’s always a good idea to get some feedback and see what your customers think of your current look. Here are a few questions you could ask when collecting feedback. The answers can then be used to plan the next branding campaign.
- How would you describe our brand?
- How does our brand make you feel?
- How would you describe our tone of voice?
- How would you improve our brand?
- Who do you think our brand is targeted towards?
Write a brief and create a plan
Whether you’re rebranding through an agency or an in-house design team, a brief and plan should always be in place before anything is agreed and implemented. The brief should include details such as outlining current issues, a defined brand positioning, customer profiles, marketing, key messages, values and design elements.
You could also create things such as mood boards or presentations during this period in case you need to present it or have a visual plan.
Appoint an agency or designer
For the actual rebrand process, you will need to assign the task to a professional, whether that be a graphic designer or a marketer. They will then read through and analyse the brief and use the necessary softwares and strategies.
This professional will then probably go through sprint meetings with you which will include brainstorming, research, final design work, marketing strategies and implementation methods.
Test concepts and gather feedback
Once you have mock-up designs and a plan in place, it’s a good idea to test your concepts and see what your customers think before officially launching. You can also gather feedback from employees, friends and business partners.
Create a brand toolkit
A brand toolkit will essentially be the place where you compile all your final ideas into one place. This will include elements such as an overview of your brand identity, logo variations, colour palette, typography, layout and alignments, illustrations and graphics and examples on different applications and devices.
Implement your brand
The next step is to implement your new look through teamwork and management systems. This will include setting time frames and deadlines, investing new systems and softwares and arranging regular meetings to keep track on the progress.
Launching the rebrand
The official rebrand launch will include exposing your new design to the world! Whether this be a new website, logo design or packaging, your new and future customers will now be part of the new brand. During this time you will also hold regular meetings, keep track of any important metrics and assess the results.
The launch may also include some marketing efforts as you will want to advertise the new change through social media, newsletters or announcements.
Digital Marketing for e-commerce businesses
Imaginaire have a team of digital marketing experts who will help to market and advertise your business using a range of different ideas and strategies.
Let us know more about your business and your digital marketing needs by getting in touch.
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