Time to rebrand your company? Here's our advice.
The time when you will need graphic printing services the most is when you begin the process of branding or rebranding your company. Your brand is your identifier with your customer, and as such, you would hope it represented who you are now. It needs to appear fresh and modern, as well as communicate all the key concepts about your service or product. You will need to splash this new brand across your letterheads, business cards, posters, leaflets, and more.
Here we offer some of the best advice if you are considering rebranding.
Is it time to rebrand?
How do you know if it is time to rebrand your business? Your current brand is well known, and any changes might mean you lose some of that instant recognition that is so essential to marketing. Yet, there are times when it is necessary to change your look. This includes moments when you have decided to reposition yourself in the marketplace. You might have been a bargain brand before, and now you are going for a more middle-class group, for instance. You may have a new CEO, an outdated image or some reputational damage. It might be that you've developed your corporate identity a little more, you are too similar to another brand, or you have been part of a merger or acquisition that changes the outlook of your company.
There are plenty of positives for rebranding, but also some severe consequences you should consider. A positive to rebranding is that you can target a new demographic you have not attempted to engage before. If your current target market is in decline, you can seek out a new source of revenue with your brand-new image. The consequence is that any reputation you have built up might be lost.
Another positive is that you have a blank sheet from which to create your new brand story. You can reinvent your company’s personality and shed off any of those pesky flaws you have picked up along the way. However, if you make the change and it doesn’t work, you are going to have trouble going back to the brand that worked for you before. Check out the case of Royal Mail to Consignia and then back to Royal Mail.
Rebranding does give you a chance to employ what you have learned and so adapt to market conditions. However, being too agile and on-trend can make you look reactive and like you don't know what you stand for.
How to rebrand a company
When you start the process of rebranding, you need to realise that it is much more than just your name and your logo. Your company brand is the experience you hope your customer has when they interact with your organisation. Your brand is your means of establishing the trust and credibility that is so essential for converting prospects to clients.
Rebranding can be a marketing strategy. You can use this opportunity to recreate your brand story and experience. This means you need to start by understanding your values and your mission. What makes your company different from the competitors? How will you stand out in a noisy marketplace? The answer to these questions should give you a solid foundation from which to build your new brand.
You then need to consider what you want to keep. You should not toss everything out and start entirely again – as you will want to keep the ground you have made and move on from here. Any attempt to wipe the slate clean will look like you have something significant to hide. Therefore, change the parts of the brand that do not sit within the vision you have outlined.
When rebranding, you need first to consider your market and then consider your competitors. You cannot stray too close to another organisation's identity, and you should commit to due diligence. However, you can look to see what works for other companies and what doesn’t and use this as a basis for the decisions you hope to make.
When developing your brand, get buy-in from your employees. The people who work for you are going to be the ambassadors of this brand. Work together to understand the reasoning and message in this new approach. Be clear on what you want to say to the outside world about it. Plan your process of rebranding carefully and keep everyone involved and in the look.
Then, finally, tell the world. You need to take the opportunity to market yourself through your rebranding. Find the optimum way of looking fresh and revigorated without utterly confusing the customer.
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