Last Updated on September 13, 2024
The world is constantly changing, and so is your business. No matter how great your values and ideals were twenty years ago, if they don’t need an upgrade, at the very least you should consider marketing them differently. Since nothing stays the same way for too long, it shouldn’t be a surprise that you need to rebrand your business at some point.
Rebranding isn’t something you do on a Saturday evening. It take time, patience, and brain power to implement. Like many procedures, this one requires some baby steps. Today we will take a look at how you can successfully rebrand your company. All you need is the motivation to do it and some extra time, costs come later but you’ll make them back in no time.
Think About Why You’re Choosing to Rebrand
The first thing that you need to consider is why exactly you’re changing your company’s image. While you might not think you require a change, think about everything your company has dealt with over the past few months or years since you’ve opened. Things have most likely changed, and you need to find a way to embrace those changes as they are happening.
Most of the time this is easily thought of just trying to do something new to attract more customers, but at times it can go deeper than that. When a company has an image that is outdated, they will begin to see a loss in revenue. Another main reason that business owners will chose to rebrand is that they are too alike in comparison to their competitors.
When a new brand is fully implemented, you should stand out from similar companies. When you first went into business, you knew that no one had a company just like yours, so don’t let others steal your ideas, keep them current and promote them well.
Preparation is Key
This step of the process is really two steps. First, you need to ensure that you know where you’re trying to go with your brand. Secondly, you need to plan out how far you’re willing to go to do so.
To reassess where you want your brand to go, think back to when you first opened. What were your company’s core values? Have they changed? Why or why not?
From there you will have a chance to see what your values are, and what you should really keep to the end. Another question to ask yourself is, “Is this the image I want for people to see when they consider doing business with me?” If the answer is “no” then you should start planning what your next moves are going to be.
To assess how far you’re willing to go, consider you, your employees, and your customers. Do people rely on your business being available to them all the time? If so, it might not be best to do any major reconstruction. Think about what your employees are going to be able to convey for your brand, are you willing to let some go and bring in fresh employees that are willing to bring your new brand to life? And of course, how much money are you willing to spend?
It’s important to have a strict budget before you start to doing anything else. If you don’t prepare your budget before you start, you’re going to end up spending more than you wanted to. You know just how easy a company can nickel and dime itself to death, and it’s important that you don’t fall victim to this. Make sure you shop around before committing any amount of money.
See What Others Have to Say
It has never been a bad idea to at the very least take a look at other opinions. You might not agree with what everyone else is saying, but it’s important to see their side of the story as well. This technique will also allow your employees and customers to become more trusting of you, since it will reassure them that you do, in fact, care about their opinions and are ready to make changes that positively affect them.
It can be hard to hear things about your company that people do not like, or what they would like to see, but it is vital that you take these ideas into consideration when you plan out what you’re going to do for your company. Make sure that you include potential customers as well as regulars. Ensure that you are talking to your employees and you’re doing something that they can believe in as well. If you are ready to get going, take a deep breath and rethink everything so far.
Look at what is popular in the markets right now, and ensure that you’re bringing things to life that people will be attracted to and be able to get on board with. See to it that everyone in your target market will be excited about your new brand, and make sure they know that something big is about to happen within your company.
Design!
Now, the creative process needs to start somewhere. Do you have a new logo in mind? You should by now, since you’ve considered where you want your brand to take your company and what others have to say about the idea of moving on to something new. Maybe this would be a good time to revisit your mission statement and come up with something new and impressive.
Make sure that you’re making good use of technology. There is a world of information out there, and you don’t want your employees and customers to think that you’ve been left in the dark-ages. Have you considered having a new name for your company? This is one of the hardest things to do as a business owner, but when you’re going for a brand new image, you need to purge yourself of the old and embrace the new life that you are breathing into your company.
Make sure that it’s something attractive and that people will enjoy being a part of. Most importantly, ensure yourself that you won’t get too bogged down with the design process, and be able to have fun while trying something new. It can be hard to change everything, but don’t let it bring you down.
Marketing
Now that you’ve designed a new name for yourself and your company, you need to figure out a way to get your customers to know that you’ve done something new. Your regular customers might notice that you have a new mission statement on your wall, or that your logo has changed, but what can you do to ensure that others know about you?
Try passing out T-Shirts with your logo if you have an in-store business. Consider some online marketing strategies, get your name out there, and make sure that you’re ready to answer questions. If your company doesn’t already have a Facebook page, you should really consider making one. American adults spend over 33% of their time online on Facebook. It’s your number one chance to make sure that everyone is seeing your new company face.
If you have an international business, talk to the powers that be from around the word, take in all the advice you can get about growing and changing global markets and start going to work. When you have the right marketing strategies, you can ensure that everyone in your target market has had a chance to see what your company is now made of.
If you’re not an international company, you always have the option to do more in your community. It’s the best way to get your name out there. Build a new field for children, or offer to put money into some local charity that will help your community to grow. Your customers will love the fact that you’re willing to sacrifice something for the betterment of your community and will choose to buy from you over competitors that are not as involved.
Run With It
If you’ve tried everything, and gotten your new brand to as many people as possible, it’s due time to bask in the glory of your evolving business. While not every technique will be perfect, you will always find new ways to improve on your branding and your marketing. Make sure that you stay on top of changing markets and be ready to start from scratch if something starts to go South on you.
Make sure that you’re ready to accept changes. If everything seems to be going well in your plan, there is no need to change it until your customer base begins to change. When your brand is fully implemented, you should be ready for anything.
Conclusion
In conclusion, you can have fun making a new brand for your company. It doesn’t have to be all about numbers. See to it that your new brand reflects what you’d want to see in your company now and in the future. Take some advice from those around you and don’t be afraid of failing, since there is always time to try again. You can have all the time in the world to perfect your creative and design process. When you make a new brand, you’re giving yourself a chance to re-invent what you started, and that doesn’t have to be a painful experience.
