How to Complete a Rebranding Project Successfully
Rebranding is one of those marketing strategies that can make or break the success of your company.
There is no doubt that it can be a great tool if you do it well.
However, there’s a lot to keep in mind when planning a company rebranding project, especially if you already have a large audience.
If you decide to rebrand at an early stage before you start reaching the masses, you will most likely have an easier time making this happen.
However, for companies already out there and have thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of followers, rebranding can be a bit trickier.
Here’s how to do it without losing your audience!
What is Rebranding?
Simply put, rebranding is a marketing strategy that includes changing the entire corporate image of a company.
That means creating a new name, new symbol, and logo, as well as a whole new identity that will take over the last one.
A Rebranding project is massive because it requires companies to change their marketing outlets and materials to suit the newly developed image.
There are many reasons why companies consider rebranding when they feel stuck in the market.
Just like anything else, companies evolve and change regularly, mainly to improve their services and stay competitive in the market.
When the time comes that a brand aesthetic no longer speaks to the company’s audience or no longer represents the company vision appropriately, organisations opt for the next big step – the rebranding project.
Do It Once But Do It Right
A lot of time and effort needs to be put into rebranding projects. Hence, it all might seem a bit overwhelming at first.
However, as long as you take a systematic approach and follow a good strategy, you’ll be on your way to making a successful change. While you’re at it, don’t neglect the importance of cybersecurity.
Rebranding requires a lot of online activities, including monetary transactions performed over different platforms. Hence, it is best to use cybersecurity tools for additional safety to avoid unwanted incidents.
For example, securing your internet connection and keeping personal information private are just some of the benefits of a VPN.
How to Rebrand Successfully
While rebranding takes many forms, knowing where to start from will help you get from point A to B a lot faster.
However, what’s more important than speed here is how well you plan out the rebranding project to avoid losing a large chunk of your audience in the process.
Understand Why You’re Rebranding
Before you dive into the process, start by taking the time to understand why you’re rebranding the company in the first place.
Keep in mind that your company will still have to operate while the changes are taking place, which is why you need a good execution plan.
This process starts with understanding why and how you’re going to rebrand the company. Remember that rebranding is a huge step.
Think twice before you take this road and only go for it if it is necessary.
Create a Comprehensive Strategy
While it might be easy to decide to rebrand and list a dozen of reasons why you should be doing so, the difficult part of the process is yet to come.
Now you have to create a comprehensive strategy that will allow you to make the changes without disrupting your current audience or your company’s idea.
It sounds impossible to do, but it’s doable as long as you take the time to plan accordingly.
Communicate with Customers
One thing to keep in mind when rebranding is that you should anticipate many questions from your audience.
Keeping open communication with them while undergoing significant changes will help you understand which direction to take and how to position yourself during the process.
If the customers don’t understand why you chose to rebrand, they might lose trust and interest in your business, which is the last thing you want to happen.
Keep your communication with the audience simple and straightforward.
We understand that change might be scary, but if you present it the right way, your customers will see the value that change will deliver.
Go Public with Your Rebrand
Many companies choose to keep their rebranding procedure on the down-low until it’s all done and ready to go.
However, this is the wrong way to go about the whole process.
Think about it, if a company you’re familiar with doesn’t announce the change, and they decide to switch things up overnight, how confused would you be?
On the other hand, if they were to present their plans and ideas over time, you would know what’s coming, and you’d be more accepting of the entire change.
You can learn from this example that it’s good to use social media and press releases to make a big deal out of your rebranding project.