Everyone has experience with rebranding. Remember the new wardrobe you bought to mark the start of uni and sharehouse life? New clothes, new me, you thought with unbridled confidence. The positivity lasted until the summer holidays when your childhood mates took one look at your new outfit and said ‘It’s not you’.
Some rebrands work. Others don’t, at all. On the surface, rebranding seems a simple process. In truth, it’s a marketing iceberg. The public sees the floating visuals, but it’s the strategy and teamwork beneath that gives the rebrand its shape and power.
If you’re considering rebranding your business, there are a bunch of things you must consider first. Let’s look at the most critical things.
Know the why behind your rebrand
Like, really know it. You shouldn’t rebrand simply because you’re bored with your logo or because sales are down this quarter. You need a compelling reason to take this marketing path. Why? Because anything less will be seen for what it is: inauthentic. And brand authenticity is a currency in business that’s far easier to lose than it is to gain.
Start by going back to basics. Look at what your company’s about. Has this changed? If it hasn’t, a total rebrand mightn’t be the answer. Say you own a company that sells surfing hardware. For years, you’ve catered to surfers of all abilities. Now, you want to focus more on beginner surfers. In this instance, your company’s values haven’t changed; you’ve simply adjusted your approach to appeal to a particular audience.
An adjustment like this might require you to adopt a more inclusive brand voice and nothing else. Know the why and you’ll know how much to change.
Know your destination
Crystal ball time. Unless you know where you want to take things, there’s little point in rebranding your business. Just as there is little to gain from being reactionary. Wanting to be the number-one surf brand for beginners is a proactive company goal. Shifting your focus because you sold a few more beginner surfboards this summer than last? Not so much.
This is where strategy rules. A solid strategy can give you the coordinates for success down the road. It can also answer in clear terms whether you need to rebrand or not.
The anatomy of rebranding: what your customers see
If a rebrand is on the cards for your company, it will manifest in the following areas. These areas are critical to your brand’s life in public—regardless of whether or not you’re rebranding your business—so give them the care, respect, and constant attention they deserve.
1. Social media
A strong socials game is built on honesty and authenticity—make sure your rebrand message is the same. Anything vague or misleading around why you’re doing this and you risk losing the audience you’ve worked so hard to engage. Make sure that viral moment catches fire for the right reason.
Be careful not to confuse a rebrand with a new product launch. A product launch is all hype, fireworks, and manic energy, things that thrive on our transient relationship with social media. A rebrand can still harness that excitement, but only if it suits the reason why you’re rebranding your business. Coming on too hot could prove jarring for your existing customer base and confusing for anyone new to your brand.
2. Public relations
Public relations is the formal flipside of social media. Again, you must prize clarity and honesty here, lest you want to be called out in public, in a live setting. Above all, make sure a golden thread of continuity stitches your PR strategy to your social media strategy. People will ask questions—no rebrand is without them. Being consistent will limit the chance of being caught off guard by the press.
3. Physical packaging
Rebrand. Refresh. Rebirth. The idea lends itself to being spun however you like. And you want the product—be it new or not—to reflect that sense of rejuvenation. Getting your product’s packaging right is critical to instilling this feeling in your customers.
No half measures here. Research the best packaging design in Melbourne for your needs. These experts will make you smile and make your product a shining beacon in a crowded market.
4. Website
A shiny, brilliant product will count for little if your customers are derailed by a poor website. Before you launch your rebrand, take a look under the hood and make sure everything is greased and working. A website checklist is good for this activity. Broken links, dead pages, and ineffective keywords; issues like these you want to remedy. That way, your website will be humming when it’s launch time.
As with anything in business, there’s an element of the unknown with rebranding. You can take all the advice and cover all the details and still, the public is unconvinced. Trial and error and an agile mind will serve you dutifully in this instance. As long as you’re rebranding your business for the right reasons and communicate these reasons clearly, you will find the audience you’re after.
