This article was most recently updated in November 2024
Your brand is woven into the fabric of your business. From your email signature to letterheads, business cards, websites, storefronts, and more, your brand is everywhere. It helps people recognize your company, communicates your vision and mission, and much more.
Branding Basics
Your brand identity consists of several elements that make up the total package, including:
- Logo
- Mission statement
- Company name and tagline
- Vision statement
- Brand voice
Each of these components reveals who your company is. Your logo visually represents your business; its design and colors create a visual identity that audience members can recognize by sight alone. On the other hand, your name, tagline, mission and vision statement, and brand voice all form your company’s content tone. Together, these elements tell your audience who you are.
Some companies, like law firms and wealth management firms, use elements that create very formal brand identities. They want their brands to reflect the professionalism and solidity required in the more official worlds of law or finance. When people need these services, they tend to gravitate towards more traditional branding and firms with a very straightforward brand voice.
Other companies like bakeries or boutique stores often have more casual, fun elements. When looking for fun clothes or tasty treats, shoppers are looking for a brand that demonstrates style, innovation, and enjoyment. A more casual tone does not have to decrease the company’s professionalism while making the brand appear more approachable and informal.
From Brand to Rebrand
For many young businesses, the identity they first created won’t fit with the direction of the company later. It’s common to undergo a rebrand after a few years once team leaders have had time to watch their company grow.
Some companies even make brand changes decades after their grand opening. Designs can become outdated, or company leaders may want a fresh, new brand after several years of using the current one.
If you’ve already created a brand identity but want something new, the rebranding process can feel like a huge undertaking. But it’s not impossible. Plenty of companies have successfully rebranded themselves throughout the years. With the right team of people and strategic marketing efforts, a rebrand can breathe new life into your company and help you reach your marketing goals.
You may be rebranding because your company offers new products or services, or you may want to reach a new audience. You may be interested in creating a stronger brand identity. Market research could even point you in the direction of a rebrand. Whatever your reason, check out our five tips for implementing a successful rollout of your new brand to achieve your marketing goals.
Create a Realistic Budget
Rebranding efforts cost money. From new logo designs and name development to reshaping your company’s voice and mission, you must think through the cost of the change. To create a realistic budget, inventory everything that will need to be updated. This inventory should include but not be limited to:
- Colors (Do you need to repaint? Purchase new uniforms?)
- Logo (List every place your logo appears)
- Messaging (Where do customers see your mission, vision, and values?)
- Print (Do you have flyers, rack cards, trifolds, or other materials that will need updating?)
- Signage (Even your in-store signage must match your new brand)
- Social media (Cover images, profile “about” information, and anything else that reflects the old brand)
- Website (A detailed audit can help you inventory every aspect of the site that needs to change)
A well-planned budget is the difference-maker between a rebranding success or failure.
Not budgeting correctly can end in a disaster. Either the project is never fully realized, or only a portion of your company is affected by the changes. So, before you do anything, write out everything that is associated with your brand and work it into your budget.
This task doesn’t have to be one you take on alone. Get other team leaders or groups of people within the company involved to help think through the inventory.
Plan an Internal Rollout to Excite Your Team
An internal rollout is an opportunity to transform your employees into brand ambassadors! Get your team excited about the new branding so they can properly communicate it with your clients.
You are all working toward a common goal: to make your new brand a success!
Ask group members for their input and take into consideration their ideas. By making everyone feel a part of the process, you are communicating their value to the company and increasing loyalty among your employees. You’re also getting valuable feedback from voices that may not usually be heard in executive-level discussions.
Plan an External Rollout Celebration
Your external rollout should really be a massive celebratory launch. Make a big deal out of it! Throw a party, offer discounts on your products, blast it all over social media – anything that says, “You want to be a part of this!”
But, even more importantly, the launch should represent a clean break from the old brand. A rebrand is not something to “trickle out.” Failing to make a clean, decisive switch to your new branding can confuse your customers as they’re presented with two different brand identities.
Allow the New Brand to Affect Everything
When your external launch occurs, absolutely everything must be affected by the rebrand. People are naturally apprehensive to change. They shy away from it and gravitate to what they know. So, when your customers see your new brand, they need to see it everywhere.
This step is where a comprehensive inventory truly helps your company succeed in its branding strategy. Rebranding is not just about the big items such as your logo, signage, and advertisements. It needs to touch the smallest details of your business, such as your pens, t-shirts, and email signatures.
Turn Rebranding Challenges Into Opportunities
There will always be challenges when you decide to rebrand your business. But, without risk, there is no reward. Fortunately, through forward-thinking, intentional actions and thought-out marketing tactics, you can transform challenges into opportunities!
For example, to ensure there is no confusion among your staff, plan an internal rollout that addresses all of the changes. Prevent a loss in brand awareness with a marketing strategy that saturates your target area and audience and clearly illustrates the switch. Write out every feasible challenge that may occur and have a plan to turn it into an opportunity.
With this mindset, your rebrand will be one of the best decisions you make for your company.
Learn More About Branding and Rebranding in Our Definitive Guide to Branding!
Let the M&R Marketing Team Help
The decision to rebrand is monumental, and we know that you want it to be successful. But choosing to rebrand isn’t enough. How you rebrand is everything. Let the M&R Marketing team guide you through the rebranding process then manage your brand when it has launched.
Send us an email at hey@mandr-group.com to get started. We look forward to working with you and furthering the success of your company!
Related articles:
- Our 5-Step Process for Logo Design and Redesign
- 5 Reasons to Redesign Your Logo
- How to Brand the Inside of Your Business
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