The average consumer is exposed to 10,000 brand messages per day.
The sheer number of advertisements and brand visuals being broadcast makes it difficult for businesses to remain competitive— resulting in entrepreneurs all asking the same question: “How do we break through the noise?”.
Unfortunately, there is no simple answer or quick fix.
Instead, there are proven methods that can help businesses re-establish a higher position within their market and strengthen customer loyalty. The catch? They require time, focus, and in most cases, financial investment.
Rebranding is one of these solutions.
HOW TO KNOW WHEN IT'S TIME TO REBRAND
In an ideal world, businesses would be able to create a visual identity for their business and use it forever. It would definitely save companies a ton of money and brainpower.
But realistically, this just isn’t possible. As new generations gain buying power, what is expected of businesses begins to shift and what was traditionally effective advertising starts to lose its lustre.
So, how can business owners remain ahead of the curve and recognise when the time for change has come?
Here are a few signs that your branding may be due for a revamp:
Your services or products have expanded since you first created your brand identity, and your messages, visuals, or brand narratives no longer reflect the full extent of what you have to offer.
Your business has taken on a new brand vision, and your current branding reflects where you have been, but not where you want to go.
Your branding doesn’t celebrate what makes your brand unique and does little to deviate you from your competitors.
Your company is merging with another business or is taking on a major project that you want to communicate in a fresh, new and exciting way.
Your target audience has evolved or expanded to include new demographics, and you want to appeal to your audience members.
THE ESSENTIAL STEPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL REBRAND
You will only get out of your rebranding strategy what you put into it. Thus, it’s imperative that business owners approach every stage of the rebranding process with an open (yet critical) mind.
Every aspect of your company’s identity will need to be examined. From Instagram accounts, logos, and fonts, all the way down to your mission statement, advertising campaigns, and approach to customer service.
Too often, businesses bite off more than they can chew and struggle to prioritise the changes that need to be made.
To make things easier, we’ve put together a step-by-step guide.
3 VITAL REBRANDING STEPS
1) DELVE INTO THE DATA
Gathering up all the numbers, stats, and metrics of your business can be laborious work. But your rebranding strategy will be better for it in the end. The more data-driven your strategy is, the more you can avoid potential mishaps and better predict outcomes.
We specifically recommend taking a look at your brand mentions, media mentions, brand searches, and your net promoter score. These metrics can help you gain a thorough understanding of what people are saying about your business, what aspects of your brand they appreciate the most, and what motivates them to purchase.
2) FIND YOUR NICHE
Each time a company rebrands, it’s crucial to re-examine the playing field. What are your competitors already doing? Are there gaps in the market that aren’t being filled by other businesses in your space? How can you set yourself apart from your adversaries without deterring your target audience?
All of these questions will need to be answered. Your rebranding strategy needs to be deliberate and calculated. Thus, the more you know about the overall landscape of the market you are in, the more you can position your branding meaningfully.
3) GET CREATIVE
Once all required research has been completed, the fun part begins. This is when you will begin brainstorming your new visual identity and key messaging.
Whether it’s designing stunning social media graphics, improving the functionality of your website, or developing a fresh new logo, this is when all of the elements of your brand that customers interact with will be considered.
Creating an updated brand style guide is always a great place to start.
We recommend checking out this post from Hubspot for inspiration.
When you are satisfied with your brand style guide, you can then use this document to inform the overall aesthetics of your various platforms, including your website, social media profiles, print materials, and more.
After you have established your new identity and have a solid framework in place that all of your team members can refer to, you’ll be able to dig into the actual implementation of your brand.
This will involve using your new identity as you build brand loyalty and communicate your new personality in engaging ways.
About the Author: Ellan Dineen is the Marketing Associate at Design Wizard. When she’s not hard at work in the Marketing Department, Ellan can be found en route to foreign lands with a book in her hand and a podcast in her ear. With a Master’s in English and Diploma in Social Media Marketing, she knows the importance of staying up-to-date with the industry’s latest trends and insights and is keen to pass these tips on to her readers.
