Is one of your goals for the New Year to freshen up your company’s branding? Your brand is more than just your logo, tagline, or color palette. It’s the overall perception of your business. Your brand should represent your company story and mission statement. If your current branding feels like it’s missing the mark in representing your business, it might be time for a brand makeover. If the prospect of starting a rebrand seems overwhelming, don’t worry - we’ve got your back. We’re breaking it down into 5 manageable points to consider as you plan your rebrand.
Before you go full steam ahead with your new brand vision, ask yourself “Why?” Why does your company need to go through a rebrand? Landing on your “why” will help you understand where to take your rebrand. Some reasons may include:
“With a rebrand, you can change how you are perceived, but you must know where you stand now, and you find that out through research,” said Joshua Eday, Facilisgroup’s Creative Director.
Conducting a brand audit is an excellent way to gain a better understanding of your current brand. Take the time to review your current messaging, gather your visual assets and marketing materials, and reevaluate your content. Researching not only yourself, but the market, your competition, and your audience will determine where you stand and how to best clarify your message.
Now that you asked your “why” and have done some research on your brand, you might be tempted to jump straight into new logo designs. Before you start drafting your artwork, you need to clarify your brand’s message. Your business is more than just visuals. It’s an extension of your company’s story and vision. Here are some points to consider when crafting your messaging and voice:
Ready to get creative? With all the research complete and a solid vision statement in place, it’s time to craft your new brand identity. Your visual assets are the face of your brand so they should represent you at all times. “You never want to miss an opportunity to brand yourself to create a sense of trust and loyalty in prospects and clients,” Eday said.
Consider the new colors and logos you want to use. Develop a style guide so your team has a clear understanding of the rebrand. Create assets like PowerPoints for your team to reference so they can easily represent your brand. And don’t forget to update and redesign your website.
“Your website is an important communication and business development tool,” Eday said. “It’s the first place prospects go to learn more about your company. You’ve just spent a lot of time, energy, and money on your rebrand strategy so make sure your website accurately tells your story.”
It’s time! After completing the previous steps above, you’re ready to launch your new brand! Before you announce your new brand to the world, do a soft launch internally so everyone can be onboard and excited about the new direction. Treat this as a final run-through before launch to iron out any last-minute kinks.
But, how do you get the word out about your rebrand? Create a marketing campaign that carefully plans the launch and outlines your story including having the proper marketing materials and brand guides ready.
Your rebrand is not the end of your brand story, but the beginning. While your content, logos, and messaging play huge roles in telling your story, it’s important to have buy-in from your entire team. Make sure they feel empowered to spread the company’s message accurately and consistently. If you’re looking for a real-world example of a successful rebrand in the promo industry, check out our Q&A with Matthew Lamb, CEO of Brandability, formerly known as Scarborough Specialties.