Rebranding: Dos & Don’ts

Businesses are dynamic in nature and as such, so are brands. Change happens, and it tends to happen quicker than most people think. Whether it’s a shift in the market, change in the competitive landscape, internal change in the company, or change in customer behaviors, if you’re not evolving your branding in order to stay relevant with the current times, you risk getting left behind. Regardless of how successful a brand strategy may have been in the past, you may find what worked yesterday no longer reflects the needs of your business today and a rebrand is in order. Implementing a rebranding strategy can be daunting but if it’s executed correctly, it can have huge payoffs that outweigh the risks. Before you dive into reinventing your brand’s identity, consider these dos and don’ts to make a rebrand work to your advantage.

Rebranding Strategy Dos:

1. 1. Do brand research. Assess your current branding strategy to discover what is currently working and what is not. Thorough research affords you the necessary insights needed to make changes that have the most valuable impact, without losing your audience.
3. 2. Do keep it authentic. Many businesses struggle with maintaining their brand’s personality after it has undergone a facelift. Whether it’s tactical changes or a dramatic change in strategic direction, your rebrand should attract and resonate with the right types of customers. Knowing how your customers relate to your brand will allow you to create changes they identify with and in turn, will naturally gravitate toward.
5. 3. Do a detailed campaign about the change. Your rebrand should affect your existing customers as little as possible. In order to manage your customers’ expectations with your rebranding, be transparent about your plans for change and how you’re going to accomplish it. Reassuring them that their needs will be fully met going forward goes a long way toward retaining customers throughout a rebrand.
7. 4. Do over-communicate. Individuals engage with brands they trust. As such, you should anticipate questions and concerns during a rebrand as to why changes are occurring. Have a clear purpose for your rebranding and communicate it to your customers and employees so they stay in the loop. The more people know about your rebrand, the easier it will be to get behind and support.

Rebranding Strategy Don’ts:

1. 1. Don’t try to be something you’re not. Businesses will rebrand just because they believe it is the ‘cool’ thing to do. Understanding the strategic importance of your brand is critical to implementing changes that exemplify your company’s behavior and values.
3. 2. Don’t skip mentioning the change. If there’s one way for your customers to lose trust in your business, it’s completely blindsiding them with a rebrand. Your customers have clear expectations when working with you and a rebrand should be introduced in a manner that respects that relationship.
5. 3. Don’t be inconsistent. A successful rebrand requires proper planning and a proper rollout. If you say you’re going to make a change, stick to it. A cohesive narrative will keep you from dealing with confused customers and helps you build your brand’s authenticity and believability.
7. 4. Don’t overcomplicate the concept. While the rebranding process can be complex and time-consuming, the final concept should be simple enough to be explained in under 30 seconds. Your rebrand strategy should be a strategic endeavor that benefits every aspect of your business but if taken too far, you risk confusion and backlash.