10 Tips on Rebranding for The New Year
Branding is very important to SMEs in Nigeria and Africa. Your business branding can influence your business reputation, your target audience’s decisions, and even the internal path your business takes. All of this is true because your business branding defines who you are and depicts that message to not just your loyal customers, but to all other consumers.
It’s a fact of life that sometimes things have to change. In this regard, and as vital as they are, the chosen brands for businesses anywhere across the globe aren’t always permanent. Brands, just like people, also need makeovers. Some change after many years, while others change every 5 years or even less. Businesses may make changes to their brand over time, or in some cases, rebrand entirely. Rebranding is simply the process of changing the corporate image of an organisation. It is a market strategy of giving a new name, symbol, or change in design for an already-established brand.
While some of the most common reasons for rebranding are mergers and acquisitions, other developments such as a new company vision and the need to repair a damaged image. Also to separate from similar brands that consumers may confuse with yours, re-engage your current customers, or appeal out to new customers with a fresh new look or message may lead an SME in Africa down the rebranding path.
Rebranding isn’t always a reactive strategy because it can be a tricky business. It is about so much more than getting a new logo. Right from the look and feel of your new brand identity, to how it is implemented, to how customers will feel about it, rebranding encompasses many complicated factors that require careful consideration and planning.
Rebranding Tips
If you’re considering rebranding your business next year, here are a few tips to consider to make the right decision:
1. The Purpose of the Rebrand
Before going right into a rebrand for your small business next year, you need to make sure you are clear on the purpose. What do you want to accomplish with your new brand message, and what changes do you want to see in your business?
It may be drawing a different crowd to your products/services or creating a new image for your company that sets you apart from your competitors. Whichever it is, make sure you have a specific and defined purpose because it is only by knowing your ‘why’ that you can put structure around your rebrand and stay on track with your business vision.
2. Give your team as much info as you can, as soon as you can
Once you’ve decided on the purpose of the rebranding, you need to share the vision with your team. Explain clearly, how and when the business is being rebranded, and the sooner this is done, the better for you. Although it’s very important to focus on external stakeholders while you’re rebranding, don’t lose sight of the internal team helping to make it happen. A successful rebranding requires that everyone connected to your company, including your employees, be on board with the effort.
You are not rebranding the business alone. It may not be possible to incorporate everyone’s feedback and ideas, but you should give your employees the chance to be heard. Make sure to get your entire team on board by creating and presenting a clear plan for the rebranding effort. Be clear on what you’re trying to achieve and what a successful outcome would look like.
3. Notify Your Vendors
Your vendors are crucial stakeholders as far as the success of your small business goes so you should let them know that a rebranding is in the works. Their intake matters because you rely on them to market and run your business. Make sure you notify them with your intended new name, logo or any other new information so they can update your account, and to avoid any confusion or billing errors.
They will appreciate your attention to detail and your consideration of their side of things. Also, if your SMEs is in Africa, then your vendors will most likely be local businesses and so you will be helping to strengthen the local community and its connections.
4. Consider unexpected directions
You have to get out of your own way in the process of rebranding your business; otherwise you might remain stuck in the old business mindset you are working to change for the better. Curate as many mood boards as possible for inspiration and try not to limit yourself or your rebranding team.
You can create three different buckets and label them “bold,” “unexpected” and “traditional” to decide on the flow you want. You can hire a rebranding firm, or pull ideas from several different industries until you come up with something that makes sense for your business vision. If done correctly, the rebranding process will take you down a few unfamiliar terrains, let it.
5. Consider the possibility that less can be more in your design
In your rebranding designs, sketches or ideations, consider the possibility that less can be more. If your brand’s new message, personality or overall values are confusing or hard to discern, people won’t relate to you. You don’t have to include more images to make sure people understand exactly what you are about.
You don’t want to oversell it, or make it look like you were trying too hard. Sometimes simple is best not just for its classy feel but also because a simple rebranding message invites your customers to explore your vision for themselves freely.
6. Remain authentic
Although you may be excited about marketing your new brand identity, try as much as possible to remain true to your business’s core values in order to stay connected to your existing stakeholders. Think about the entire customer experience and how customers currently perceive the brand. Then choose a design that represents customer experience to the fullest.
Rebranding is all about balancing who you were and who you want to be. You’re taking a step forward, but you don’t want to go so far that your new brand doesn’t resonate with the people who made you who you are today. Embrace the newness and evolution that comes with a new type of customer base or product, [but also] keep your core fundamentals. Make sure that whatever you do as part of your rebrand is authentic to you, your employees and your customers.
7. Understand that you’ll never be 100 percent ready
There are always going to be more projects and ongoing improvements. There will always be a flaw where you least expect to see it. There will always be a reason to hold on till everything is ‘perfect’ but in rebranding, you need to understand that true perfection is a mirage of sorts. If you keep thinking about checking one more little box before you rebrand your business or re-launch, you will never get anything out there.
It’s important to draw a clear line in the sand and to go for it, knowing there will always be more items you’ll want to complete. If you wait until you’re 100 percent ready to rebrand, you truly will end up waiting forever.
8. Plan Thoroughly
Think about your current brand presence, and take inventory to see exactly how many identifiable assets will be changed. The logo, marketing collateral, email signatures, promotional items (in-house and client-facing), advertising, building signage, website design, SEO service, and so on.
Rebranding requires spending, so plan thoroughly. Get a handle on the project scope and cost early. Create budget estimates and communicate these to the stakeholders, and always plan for unexpected curveballs that might be thrown your way.
9. Re-Launch Your Brand
Prepare and plan an event where you can re-launch your SMEs new brand image to people. Publicise the event so that most of your customers’ acknowledge your fresh presence. Promote your new brand on social media and other offline channels. Put together an event, go to the media, or advertise your changes.
If you don’t spread awareness of your changes, many people may not even notice all of your hard work. Make sure everyone knows about it. You had a new vision, set new business goals, and achieved them. This reflects wonderfully on your business reputation. Also, letting your current customers and target audience know will help them to feel more connected, and to recognise that you care enough to keep them in the loop.
10. Stay Consistent With the New Message
Even though you are changing a lot of elements of your brand, there are still many elements that you should preserve (particularly your tone and language). People will enjoy fresh new colours and graphics, but will not enjoy feeling like they no longer know you as a company.
Still, take care not to focus too much on the old branding strategy or message. Even if you choose to preserve some of your older design elements to help your audience with the transition, understand that you should not sacrifice your new vision for their comfort. The key is commitment; never stop supporting and promoting your new brand, because there will be criticism from both sides of the spectrum.
Conclusion
Rebranding can be key to changing the direction of your company moving forward and helping you to accomplish the new company goals you set. Monitor consumer reactions on social media, and don’t make any major changes, only tweaks here and there.
Too many rebrands in a short time will only cause confusion and lead to disinterest in your small business. Keep pushing your new brand, and be proud of your hard work, because as I’m sure you know, change is never meant to be easy.
