10 Tips for Successfully Rebranding Your Business

You may start your business with a winning strategy, but what happens when things change and your brand no longer reflects the message you want it to? Whether your business has suffered damage to its reputation or your target audience has changed, there are plenty of reasons why your business might be in need of rebranding. But a true rebrand means so much more than just a new logo, name and site redesign — it’s a complicated process.

Ready to change your business’s image? Here’s what experts had to say about rebranding the right way.

Focus on the big picture

“Don’t spend too much time getting lost in the mythology of the story behind the brand assets. Branding experts can be great storytellers but remember that most people are never going to pay that close attention to the deeper meaning of a tiny element of your logo.” – Emerson Spartz, CEO, Dose

Be specific

“Remember that branding is as much about what you are not as [it is] about what you are. Too many businesses fail to exercise the discipline required to narrow in on what makes them special or unique. They try to include all of their customers or markets and wind up with a brand indistinguishable from other players in their market. A brand that means everything is a brand that means nothing.” – Robert Sprague, president and CEO, PCI

Hire an expert

“Get help. Especially for startups, but in larger companies as well, oftentimes you or your team members are too close to the brand to be objective. Whether you just hire a consultant for an hour or 3 months is up to you, but getting an expert’‘s unbiased opinion early on in the process will be invaluable moving forward.” – Alex Kelsey, brand marketing strategist, Greenvelope

Think about your audience

“Understand who your audience is and identify your consumer. What new audiences are you trying to reach and who already loves your brand? Are you looking to obtain new customers, play to a new crowd, or make your current fans excited again? When rebranding, you want to make you are gaining attention for your new look and feel while not losing the key customer that holds your bottom line intact.” – Jenna Zilincar, creative director and owner, M Studio

Strategize your announcement

“With so much weight on the actual rebrand, it’s easy to forget about the strategy for announcing it to the world. When developing the strategy, it’s crucial to remember people don’t care about names or logos — they care about how the rebrand is going to positively change their experience with your company. At the same time, most people fight change. Make sure you’re not leaving behind the things people love about your company. You must articulate why this is better — explain they’ll still get the parts they already love plus new, exciting benefits.” – Shannon Fitzgerald, brand strategist and founder, Brazen Branding

Make sure it’s legal

“Make sure you have the right to use the name you chose. So many business owners make the mistake of choosing a name and then charging forward with branding efforts like signage, website, logo, etc., when they don’t even know who else may be using the same or similar name. Consulting with a trademark attorney to have a search report done on the name is the most essential step a business can take when it is rebranding.” –Sonia Lakhany, attorney and owner, Lakhany Law

Consider social media

“With clear rebranding objectives, work with an experienced branding company with experience in naming. Particularly with the advent of social media, you need to make sure that your new company name is a clear, available trademark, the domain is available, as are your priority social media addresses.” – Tammy Katz, chief executive officer, Katz Marketing Solutions

Don’t leave anything outdated

“Make sure you rebrand everything. Don’t leave traces of your old logo behind. It looks very unprofessional. When customers see your new logo in one place and your old logo in another, they’re thinking one thing — disorganized.” – Zach Alam, founder and manager, everbranded

Don’t surprise your customers

“Let your audience [and] customers know something big is coming. Post about it on social media and your newsletters, don’t catch them off guard with your rebrand. Start laying the groundwork that you have a special launch or exciting rebrand coming two weeks prior. This way if they visit your site, they don’t think they went to the wrong place. This is also a great way to engage with your customers [and] clients and get their feedback or thoughts and build a better relationship, which typically converts to more loyalty and sales in the future.” – Rachel Ritlop, career and business coach

Keep employees informed

“Communicating the brand’s new approach, vision and positioning to all internal employees is crucial. This doesn‘’t mean sending out an email blast. This means educating all employees about the meaning of the rebrand, getting every employee on-board, and aligning them towards the common goal and purpose.” – Manika Bahuguna, marketing manager, Wavespot

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