Rebranding a business is a huge decision to make that often takes up a lot of time, money and stress to execute effectively. For that reason, our friends over at Team Organic have put together a few points for you to consider before you go ahead for the full rebrand.
Make sure you have a good reason to rebrand
The first step to take before beginning a rebrand is asking yourself ‘why?’ Rebranding isn’t a simple case of just changing your name.
It can be a huge undertaking once you’ve taken the cost of changing your logo, website, branded materials and shop sign design into account.
Paired with breaking the news to your clients and managing your website effectively so your traffic doesn’t crash overnight can make this a very demanding process.
If you don’t have a good reason, it’s possible that it’s just not worth the hassle and the expense of upheaval.
Some good reasons for a rebrand
- You’ve taken over the business or it’s under new management
- It’s too similar to another business and it’s causing confusion
- You have changed the direction or focus of your business
- Your name and branding are outdated and need a refresh to continue appealing to customers.
Check what the competition are doing first
Before you settle on everything from a new name to a website or logo design – make sure you check out the competition. It’s important to avoid switching to something too similar to another company’s design or name. This can get confusing and may also raise legal concerns.
If you’ve found yourself in a position where you have to rebrand because this is already the case, make sure you do thorough research next time around.
Plan all design elements carefully
If you’re doing a visual rebrand, for example with your logo and website, conducting market research to test out new ideas can be useful. Consider how individual elements or representations of the brand work when they’re combined, to avoid any confusing mixed messages. Branding isn’t just about applying the same colour palette across all of your marketing kit.
Handle your website traffic and SEO professionally
If you decide to change your business name and/or domain name, this isn’t a simple matter. You will need to think about how this will affect website traffic and your position in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
You will likely take a hit on your website’s rankings but the effects can be minimised when handled correctly. Any damage to your rankings is going to affect traffic which of course will affect sales. You need to ensure your website is redirected properly so that you don’t lose traffic, and this is best handled by a professional.
Let your customers know
As soon as you get everything finalised and ready to go, you need to think about telling your customers. Letting them know you’ve changed your look will minimise confusion and the risk of losing business.
Try to give your reasons for the rebrand honestly, but also highlight what’s in it for your customers wherever possible.
Launch a marketing push
With a new rebrand comes a unique opportunity to use it in a new marketing push. Rather than simply let your customers know things are changing, hype up your new changes with a marketing push to celebrate. This will draw new attention to your business – particularly if you announce it alongside a special offer.
Whatever your reason for rebranding, make sure it’s not a decision you come to regret because of poor planning. Don’t simply rebrand for a bit of a refresh or for the marketing push – although they can be benefits of course.
Make sure both you, and more importantly, your customers get something out of any changes you make. Remember, your customers’ needs should be at the heart of everything you do in business!
Are you looking to rebrand your business? What’s your primary reason and how are you planning to manage it? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
