The golden rules to rebrand your business

Brands grow in time, they add new value to their services and explore new audiences to address more clients. Sometimes development requires businesses to rethink their branding strategies because they need to project the brand in a new, more attractive light. But rebranding isn’t something they can do overnight, it’s a process companies should take up carefully and with considerations for some aspects. 

The reason behind rebranding varies from a venture to another, and according to their purpose, it can take different forms. Sometimes a business wants to change the logo because it no longer stands for their values, and other times people want to revamp the entire philosophy of the organisation. 

If you want to rebrand your business to turn it into a magnet for new public, research can help you. Here is some exciting information we want to share with you.

What does rebranding mean?

You create a new identity for your organisation. The rebranding idea means more than changing the logo, it’s a strategy you use to transform the business’ personality, slogan, logo, website, products, supplies, and even packing materials. 

On the Internet, the term rebranding is often used as a synonym for changing the logo and upgrading the website, but specialists state that it’s more than this. It’s the natural step that marks the growth of a business. It should be done with customers in mind. 

Internal and external factors influence the process. A business can change the website, logo and branding strategy, but the public decides if these modifications are successful. 

When should you consider rebranding?

It’s not so hard to tell when your business needs rebranding because you’ve probably started to notice some tell-tale signs that warn you, the time for change has come. They are obvious. 

• Lack of engagement – daily, buyers see over 5,000 ads. Daily, you make around 35,000 choices, so you understand how difficult is for your clients to select the brand they want to engage with. Check the reviews your buyers leave and if they interact with your products and website. 

• Outdated look – check your competitors’ websites. Be honest! Do they look better than yours? Websites and brand images evolve and change in time. Amazon and Starbucks did it, and they are competitive presences in their industries. Your customers expect your website to meet the latest trends and technological developments. 

• Loss of relevancy – 5 years ago your colourful logo was trendy, now people prefer simple and minimalist things. Apple changed its logo 5 times since 1977 to meet their clients’ expectations. 

• Brand growth – celebrate the growth of the brand with rebranding. As your organisation evolves, so do your public’s expectations. 

• Globalisation – during expansion, your present brand identity can get lost in translation. Often, brand names and slogans have a negative meaning in a foreign language. It’s essential for your new audience to understand the message your business shares, and identify with it. 

If the rebranding time has come, here are the golden rules to do it successfully. 

Update the business’ mission statement

Update the mission statement to reflect the new goals you set for your business’ growth. For example, if you sell clothing and you decided to use only eco-friendly fabrics and sewing techniques, then you need to highlight the benefits your clients get if they adhere to your new mission. 

“Our purpose is to provide you with high-quality clothing items made from sustainable fabrics that protect the environment.”

Change the logo

It’s overwhelming to create a new logo that highlights the change and portrays the new brand image. Working with a designer is a daunting task because sometimes they don’t understand your vision or they refuse to transform it into a logo because they don’t like the perspective. Designers are creative personalities and it’s difficult to convince them to make something they don’t find interesting. 

It’s wise to find someone who shares your values, and work with them closely to find a logo that stands for your new values. Replace the old logo with the new one on all marketing products. 

Invest in marketing

You need professional support to create a new image around your brand. You know what message you want to transmit, what colour scheme you want to use, and what new products you want to launch, but you lack marketing and rebranding knowledge so an expert should assist you. Before hiring someone check their area of expertise. It’s advisable to collaborate with a rebranding expert who can create a rebranding strategy based on your goals. Review their previous work to ensure graphic design, website development, and media advertisement aren’t new concepts for them.  

Build a successful rebranding strategy

For rebranding to be successful, you need to identify your ideal customer, their expectations, pain points, and solutions they seek for. The buyer’s journey includes three stages: awareness, consideration, and decision. Determine what are the right channels to reach them, what information they are looking for, and what would turn them away from your competitors. 

Once you identify your target audience and their needs, analyse your competitors. Categorise primary and secondary competitors to identify your position on the market. It can also help you understand what makes your organisation special. 

When you create a rebranding strategy, you need to define your brand’s story and voice. Go back to origins and try to remember what determined you to start this venture. Describe your company in three words, and explain what each of them means for you. It will help you create a manifesto that captures the spirit of the new image. The manifesto includes the mission, purpose and extent of the rebranding process. 

Use a guideline to create the rebranding strategy, and decide the following aspects: 

• Colour palette

• Logo size, placement and variations

• Brand tone

• Imagery

• Iconography

• Social media assets

• Typography

Use emotional branding to reach to your clients and retain them because emotions always attract attention and help people identify themselves with the message you share. An emotional message has power even over inattentive, busy or distracted people.