The 7 Things To Know When Rebranding Your Business

written by Kendra Beckley on October 6, 2021

The brand image you create says a great deal about your company. It helps set the overall personality of your business, and gives off the vibe of who you are as a company. But, there may come a time when you will want to consider rebranding. If that happens, there are some things you will want to keep in mind, in order to successfully rebrand and put a new face on your business.

Why consider rebranding?

There are a lot of reasons why you may want to rebrand your business; some good, valid reasons and others not so great. A few good reasons to think about rebranding include if your business is changing its name, moving in a different direction in terms of products or services, or targeting a new crowd.

Another reason, as seen recently with some companies, is to modernize an outdated name or image. As times change, it’s important to stay relevant and make branding revisions when needed.

Your Rebranding Checklist

Whether you are doing a full rebrand, or just a brand refresh, these are the 7 essential steps you will want to take to ensure a smooth transition.

What Does Your Current Brand Look Like?

There may be some things enveloped in your current brand image that are working quite well, and that can be transitioned over to the new rebranding plan. Take stock of what your current brand looks like, what is working well, what could use a little improvement to be more effective and what needs to go. You will need to have a clear vision and plan in place first for the goals of the new rebrand. This can be done internally, although sometimes hiring a branding professional with an outside perspective and fresh eyes on your business can be a great option.

Shaping Your New Strategy

So now that you know what your current brand looks like and what components may be salvaged for your rebranding, it’s time to take a look at the new strategy and really  begin to determine how you will create your new image.  What has changed with regards to your mission statement, target audience and core brand values? How is your current branding missing the mark on these items and how can you shape your new strategy to focus on strengthening these?

Create Visuals That Reflect Your New Brand Image

Visuals are such an important component of any brand image. If you are rebranding your business, it’s very likely that the visuals of your company will need to be revamped to reflect your new image. These can include your logo, fonts used in marketing materials, brand colors and more. Depending on how far you want to move away from your current branding, you can choose imagery that reflects and pays homage to the history of the business or you can go in a totally different direction with something completely new.

Get New Photos Taken

Something as simple as having new product photos taken can show consistency when it comes to reflecting the overall brand image. A lot of business owners think they can cut corners and re-use old photos without anyone noticing. But if they don’t reflect the new branding they will stand out and look out of place. New photos, even with slight changes to incorporate the new branding, shows that a higher level of intention and thought were put into the rebranding strategy.

Revamp Your Online Presence

You’ve got a new logo, new colors and new photos. The next step is implementing this new look into your online platforms, including your website, social media and any other online spots where you have a presence. It’s not just a matter of swapping your logo and keeping your website the same. When you’re rebranding, you want to show that there is a deliberate and purposeful shift in the direction of the company, so a total website revamp is usually a good idea.

Complete Your Look With Updated Marketing Materials

You will likely have a variety of different marketing materials, from flyers to business cards, online ads and signage. Create a consistent look that reflects the new image of your business by totally revamping all of your marketing. Rebranding your business, then continuing to hand out business cards with the old branding can be confusing and make your business look disorganized and unprofessional. It can sometimes seem wasteful when you’re getting rid of old packaging or marketing materials, but in order to successfully rebrand it’s absolutely necessary.

Get Ready To Introduce Your New Image

Once you’ve finished strategizing and putting your vision into place, it’s time to start putting it out there. Make sure you do a final review of everything first, to check for errors and ensure the look and feel are consistent.

Rebranding your business can be an arduous process, but if you’re doing it thoughtfully and with a strategic purpose, it can lead to great things for the success of your brand and business.