Brand identity is essential for any company, so sometimes a re-brand is needed. This might be because your business has evolved, you want to enter a new market or something isn’t working and you need a fresh start. Rebranding isn’t necessarily the easiest thing to do and there are plenty of different precautions that need to be taken to make sure that it’s a success. So, we are here to tell you how to successfully rebrand your business!
Clearly Identify Your Rebranding Goals
The first thing you need to do before you start the rebranding process is to clearly identify your goals for the rebranding. If you decide to rebrand just for the sake of it, it is likely that it won’t work effectively. So, sit down and really think about what you want to achieve with the rebranding. This could be to keep your brand current, increase market share, increase profit, align your brand with a new audience or to offer a fresh perspective in a condensed market.
This is such a crucial step in the rebranding process and without it, it is unlikely to go smoothly.
Work With A Brand Design Agency
Once you know why you want to rebrand and have a clear idea of what that might look like, it’s time to work with a brand design agency. It is absolutely essential that you get the design of your rebrand right the first time, as if you keep making changes, your customers will feel distanced from the company and this could be a severe issue. So, working with some of the best talent (choose a branding agency Manchester or London based for this) will help you to make sure you get it right the first time around.
Brand design agencies not only help you to develop the brand, but create all of the packaging, typography, colour palette, tone of voice, illustration, direction for photography and brand application across all platforms, such as digital, print and marketing. Investing in this in the first place is absolutely essential for a successful rebrand.
Create A Style Guide
The next step of the rebranding process is to create a style guide. This is a sort of rulebook that contains everything about how the brand is going to represent itself, including logo, font, colour palette, imagery, tone of voice, everything! Anything about how a brand represents itself, sounds, looks or feels should be in this guide.
Once you have the brand designs from the agency, you can put together the style guide. It is essential that first, the style guide is sent to every member of staff in your company so everyone clearly understands the new direction that the company is going in. You could then hold a meeting (or conference depending on the size of your business) to discuss the changes and answer any questions people may have. This is a really useful step, as an issue or something unclear could be highlighted that the people involved in the rebranding had missed!
Involve Your Audience In The Process
Last but not least, it is important to involve your audience in the rebranding process. When you just rebrand, it is likely that loyal customers will feel distanced if they have not had some involvement. Customers expect to have a voice, so send your loyal customers questionnaires about the rebranding, offer them discounts for once it is launched and pull them in at the idea stage so that you are creating a brand that you know your customers will love!
Final Thoughts
Rebranding can be a risk for some businesses, but when you take the time and invest in getting it right, it can be amazing and transformative. Keeping up with the modern marketplace is essential and rebranding is a part of that in some instances. So, before you take the leap and rebrand, take plenty of time to plan and know the exact direction you want to move in going forwards. The best thing you can do is work with a brand design agency and trust us, the investment will be worth it when you choose a good one! Rebranding can be amazing for your business and this is a risk that can definitely be worth it.
