Your brand is the way the world views your business. Choosing to pursue rebranding your business can come with lots of stress attached. A brand refresh can be a highly effective way to connect with new audiences, inspire existing ones or set yourself apart from the competition. To help with that transition, we’ve curated a list of nine steps that should be taken when rebranding!
1. Organize your efforts
Before diving into your rebranding efforts, make sure you have a clear idea of what message you would like your new look to promote and what you wish to accomplish. What exactly is driving you to rebrand? What are you hoping to get out of it?
2. Make sure your team is on board
The most important step of any brand refresh is making sure all members of the company are on the same page. Current employees must adopt, embrace and implement the new brand image in order for it to be effective. Throughout the process of planning the brand refresh, make sure you are also as transparent with your stakeholders as possible. Keeping them involved will help build relationships and promote loyalty.
3. Prepare your audience
When it comes to your new brand, members of your community will have differing opinions. Regardless of their opinions, being open is vital. Your community deserves to know about a brand refresh. Make sure you are providing a heads up and sneak peaks to pique people’s interest.
4. Check availability
Before announcing a brand refresh, double check everything. With the internet, it is very common for handles and websites to be claimed. You don’t want to go through all that work only to realize your new handle or desired URL belongs to someone else. Do your research! Simply check social media networks for your social media handles. A domain search on Go Daddy will quickly show you if a URL is available for your new site. If yours is taken, get creative! Find a variation that still works for your new brand.
5. Plan FAQ
After your announcement, people are going to have questions. Take time to prepare for them. Try to anticipate their needs and put together a list of all likely questions you may receive post-launch. Creating straightforward answers will help put your community at ease.
6. Stay consistent and cover all bases
To maintain professionalism and consistency, make sure to update all social media platforms on the same day, before the launch. To reduce confusion on the day of your brand refresh announcement, ensure a consistent message across all public platforms as you make updates.
7. Address the changes
Do not be afraid to talk about your changes. While there will be many people excited about the new direction your company is taking, there will be others confused about what it means for their future. At the very least, explain why the rebranding has taken place and what it will mean for your community.
8. Promote your new image
Along with your new brand image, should come updated content. Make sure to promote it to your followers! Give your community something to help them make sense of this change. Try aiming for a 50/50 ratio of celebratory and explanatory content.
9. Engage in conversation with users
Having meaningful interactions with your followers post-rebranding is one of the most important steps that comes with announcing. This can be as simple as addressing any questions your community has over social media platforms. Your community members have no idea how your company operates and your old followers may be worried that this rebranding might negatively affect them. Take this time to put both parties at ease and share with them how this brand refresh will benefit them!
A brand refresh can be a very scary and nerve-wracking process. When done properly, it can have tremendous benefits for your company. Here at Burkhart, we specialize in brand refresh and would love to help! Call us today!
