Rebranding your business can be a time consuming and costly undertaking. Large corporations often spend millions of dollars on their rebrands. They do so for a reason. A successful rebrand can elevate your business to the next level so it’s a worthwhile effort. This article will cover a few helpful tips on how to rebrand your business along with some free resources to hep you do so in a time and cost efficient way.
Do You Need to Rebrand?
The first and most obvious question is, do you need to rebrand? Don’t simply go on a hunch but base your decision on unbiased feedback. The best way to find out whether you business is due for a rebrand is to conduct a survey. Who better to task than your existing customers, business stakeholders and most important potential leads? You can conduct this survey via email, in store or even by telephone. Make sure your survey questions are well thought out and to the point. If you rather not engage in direct surveying you can also gather feedback from the general public. For that purpose try a free tool like Google Surveys.
Once you tally the results you’ll know whether or not to put your business through a rebrand.
Rebranding Starts With Your Logo
Whether you are just starting a business or rebranding you need to start with your logo. Your logo sets the creative tone and direction for all of your other brand assets. Your logo doesn’t just need to be a pretty but rather represent your business and what it stands for. In addition it needs to resonate with your target audience. The best way to make sure your logo conveys your business message is through color and font choice. To play around with your options try a free logo tool like Logo Creator.
Colors
Colors convey different meaning. Don’t simply choose your favourite color but make conscious choices. Find out which message each color communicates and then choose a color palette that represents your business appropriately.
Fonts
Just like with colors, fonts also convey different messages. Is a bold font choice appropriate and does it speak to your core demographic? Or is a slight script font a better choice? Make sure you understand what the different font types represent and then make your choice.
Build Out Other Branding Assets
This is the fun stage of the rebranding process. Once you have a logo in place that resonates with your customer base you can build out all of your branding assets. Try a free tool like Canva for these design projects. The next typical step for a web based business is to create a new website. Make sure your website includes the core brand color as well as accent colors used in the logo. The logo and website will set the design direction for all of your other web based branding like social media channels, ad campaigns, etc. These promotional items need to consistently include your new logo, core branding colors, messaging, etc. While working on your web based brand assets make sure you don’t forget about your print material. Your business cards, flyers, etc. should all be consistent in style too.
Take Score After Your Rebrand Launch
The purpose of the rebrand isn’t just to launch a beautiful new brand but to help you gain more market share and growing your business. Many businesses do a rebrand launch party as a fun way off introducing the new look to the world. However you introduce your brand take score after 3-6 months and then again after a year. Do another survey to see how your business stakeholders respond to the brand and track your KPIs. After all a successful rebrand should move your sales numbers.
In Summary
A rebrand is a powerful way to reposition your business so it’s better aligned with your core demographic. If you have been in business for a few years and your sales have fallen flat or you can’t penetrate the market successfully it’s worth analysing whether your branding is the culprit. If you are going the rebranding route keep in mind to start with your logo and to get that absolutely right. Only then should you go about redesigning your website and any other brand assets.