Whether you are looking to expand your company into a different market to refine your brand image in an existing marketplace, a rebranding project can be a powerful option to launch your organisation into the future.
At the same time, a rebranding process can come with challenges and barriers, and even impact how your customers see your business. Fortunately, with the right strategy and tips at hand, you can prevent pitfalls and ensure that your rebranding process is as smooth as it is successful. Let’s look at the steps to take to lay solid foundations for your brand’s transformation below.
Understanding the Need for Rebranding
Rebranding is more than just coming up with a new logo! It’s a comprehensive shift in how a company is perceived by customers. And, often, fresh branding dictates changes in a company’s identity, value proposition, and voice tones. So, before undergoing such a major project, it is important to understand why your company needs and rebranding, what goals you wish to achieve, and what direction your rebranding should go to hit your KPIs.
For example, you may want to give your brand a refresh to make it more in line with evolving market demands and rethink outdated imagery.
When working to identify the need for a rebrand, take key steps, such as:
- Conduct internal audits and customer surveys.
- Gather honest feedback to identify weaknesses.
- Evaluate competition to see if or how your brand falls short.
If you feel overwhelmed by the challenges ahead, you are now the only one. Fortunately, specialized companies, such as Signage Rebranding Experts, can guide you through a successful company rebranding process and align internal culture with the new brand vision to maintain cohesiveness and consumer trust.
Setting Clear Objectives and Goals
Clearly defined goals simplify the rebranding process and can guide your decision making process. Begin by identifying what you hope to achieve. Are you targeting new demographics or updating your brand message?
Objectives vary, as they need to reflect the long-term plan for your business. These could include increasing market share, reaching new customers, or revitalizing a stagnant image.
Regardless of your objectives, be sure to set measurable KPIs to track progress. For example, aim for a 20% increase in social media engagement within six months rather than just “improving social media channels!”
Conducting Market Research and Analysis
Research is crucial to ensure that your rebranding is efficient and successful. After all, you’ll want to make a long-lasting investment that will solidify your brand as a market leader. So, when it comes to making decisions about branding, data should be your North Star. a sources of information include:
- Reviewing current demographics and psychographics.
- Analyzing competitor brands for insights.
- Using focus groups and surveys to gather consumer ideas and impressions.
- Exploring cultural and industry trends.
- Collecting data through interviews, questionnaires, and market reports.
Defining Your New Brand Identity
Think of your brand identity as the unique personality of your organization. Should it be funny, engaging, elegant, or smart? What about its voice tone, visual identity, and approach to communication?
When it comes to outlining your brand identity, take time to research and define your new mission, vision, and values. They should align with your objectives and resonate with consumers. Then, develop key messaging that supports this identity and ensure visual elements reflect the personality of your brand.
Designing New Brand Elements
Design elements—like colors, fonts, imagery—play a key role in your rebrand.
Start with the logo and color palette, which set the tone for the entire brand and can guide your design choices. When choosing your logo, you’ll want to focus on the shapes included, as well as the hues and typography used.
Here, a few elements of color psychology may come in handy. Different colors influence the mind in different ways, evoking emotions and triggering mental processes. For example, blue has a calming effect, while yellow may energize you and red make you hungry. If you are unsure how to best use these colors, be sure to partner with a professional designer.
Planning and Executing a Brand Roll-out
An effective roll-out strategy is essential for the success of your rebranding process. After all, you’ll need to tell all of your current consumers about the changes you’ll implement, ensuring that you don’t register a drop in brand awareness or trust.
A few tips to manage your rebrand roll-out include:
- Develop a detailed timeline and project plan.
- Coordinate with marketing, communications, and sales teams.
- Prioritize internal launch before public announcements.
- Manage press, including conferences and press releases.
- Educate staff on the new brand to ensure a unified message.
- Plan campaigns to generate excitement and anticipation.
- Implement changes across all customer touchpoints—from websites to social media—for a cohesive outlook from the get go!
Monitoring and Evaluating the Impact of Rebranding
When rolling out your rebrand, be sure to evaluate progress and success using measurable KPIs. These can include engagement levels, sales, or even newsletter sign-ups. In any case, be sure to use analytics and value customer feedback as one of the most important assets of your new brand.