Your brand is synonymous with your corporate identity, it is how customers see you and how they differentiate you from competitors. More than simply your company name and logo design, branding communicates your story to customers establishing trust and credibility. Therefore, it is crucial that your branding strongly reflects who you are, your position in the marketplace, and the values you uphold.
Sometimes your branding no longer meets this criteria and can actually be detrimental to your company by being too antiquated. If this occurs, it is important to rebrand and embark on a new chapter for your company.
What is a rebrand?
Rebranding is the process of creating a new identity for your business. This can include change of name, logo, or slogan design, but ultimately is about taking the business in a new direction. Your brand should fluidly represent the company’s core values, identity, and vision. This fluidity is important as your company will inevitability evolve over time, so it is crucial that the branding evolves with it.
There are many reasons why rebranding might be right for your company, such as: repositioning, evolution, new leadership, bad PR, and change in target audience. However rebranding can be risky. Consumers’ may not like changes to your brand, especially if it has been the same way for a long time. The benefits of making your branding coherent with your brand image greatly outweigh these risks, but it is critical to ensure you rebrand successfully.
Therefore, we have compiled a list of steps to ensure your rebrand is as productive as possible.
How to undertake a rebrand
STEP ONE
Define your company’s identity, values, and vision- First and foremost, it is crucial to understand who you are as a company and what you do best. In order to move in a different direction, it is important to think about why you want to rebrand and what message you want to communicate. Starting with a clear definition of the company mission will help to keep your rebrand relevant and ensure it stays coherent with your story.
STEP TWO
Start the rebrand from the inside out-Your employees are at the heart of your brand, so if they aren’t convinced the rebrand is in line with your company strategy then the public won’t be either. The best way to do this is to conduct an internal staff questionnaire, or survey to get a comprehensive understanding of what the company means to its staff. To ensure success, get feedback at every step of the rebrand process, make sure all employees fully understand the new message and are excited to communicate it.
STEP THREE
Establish your brand’s audience – Audience awareness is key. Decide what your target audience will be and how to best supply their needs. Think about your USP and how your rebrand can clearly articulate this. This can be done by boiling your brand down to a couple of keywords, so you fully understand your core focus. It is also important to talk to consumers first hand to establish if your new image will fit its target demographic. Create a survey for current customers and members of your target demographic, then listen and adapt to their opinions.
STEP FOUR
Research the market and your competition- One of the most important aspects of rebranding is to stand out from competitors and it is crucial that your new image is not too similar to an existing brand. Market research can help to highlight which brands are successful in the same market and why. Your brand can then ensure its rebrand doesn’t fall into the same pitfalls as others, whilst staying ahead of the competition.
STEP FIVE
Create a list of likes and dislikes for colours- Colours create a instant impression for consumers and can become inseparable from brand image, so choosing the right palette should not be overlooked. It is important to utilise colour psychology and competitor research in order to perfectly match your brand image to a colour scheme and create a unique new image. Colour is a great way to simultaneously update your company image and stand out from the crowd.
STEP SIX
Reconsider your slogan – Your slogan is essentially a condensed version of company’s purpose. It is important to ask yourself why your slogan needs changing, if you are unsure of its effectiveness you should hold a focus group to see how it resonates with your target audience. If the feedback comes back negative, there are a few key tips for creating a splendid new slogan. It should be instructive and complimentary, telling customers what you do and how you do it better than others.
So what’s next?
If you need support or would like expert guidance on the above steps then we work closely with Marketing 101 – experts in the fundamentals of marketing who support small-to-medium sized businesses with a huge variety of marketing activities.
If you’ve completed the above steps then you are now ready to approach a logo designer like TC Marketing. You have answered all the crucial questions you are ready to go to the professionals who can help your rebrand resonate with consumers. Logo designers ensure a strong foundation for your company’s rebrand, and will instantly convey a message of trust and professionalism to your clients. Once you have established the need for a change in direction, a great logo can help to clearly communicate your new story and ensure that the cornerstone of your rebrand is a resounding success.
Further reading;
5 Key Factors to an Excellent Logo Design
TC Marketing – logo design and brand development Brighton
At TC Marketing we focus on logo and brand design that combines your brand story with typography, icons, and colours to create distinct artwork that resonates with your target audience. We spend time understanding the core of your identity so we can translate this into the perfect brand to represent your service or product.
Click here to get in contact about your own logo design or rebrand requirements.
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