In our previous episode, we talked about why to rebrand?
Before you undertake a rebranding process, there are many internal decisions that need to be considered.
The first thought that should go through any company is the motto “leave no person behind!”
Branding is a team effort and unless, at the end of the process, you have the buy in from the top to the bottom of the company, communicating that brand externally will not be as effective as it should be. Getting everyone involved in the process, in the beginning, helps the process be more successful. Not only do people understand what you are trying to achieve and feel part of the process, but in the end, they feel that they had a part in the overall decisions that will create a living brand.
There are some obvious and not so obvious things that you need to consider when rebranding. A great branding partner will walk you through the process, but these are some things to consider before you begin.
The obvious:
- Does the board level staff believe that there is a problem that needs to be fixed and do they have the will to move forward with the process?
- Do they understand that this process requires time, effort and money and without all three of these the process will not be successful?
- Do they have a clear direction of where they want the company to be in the next five years? Articulated in great detail or not, it is important that they feel they have a direction.
- Is there a willingness to develop a team to determine where they are as a company and help steer the process?
The not so obvious:
There are many things that companies do not think about when they go through the branding process. This list is not exhaustive, but it gives you some pitfalls to look out for.
If you rebrand, it will lead to some type of cultural shift within the company that you will need to communicate and foster so everyone understands why you are rebranding and what the new brand means to them, the company and your clientele.
All digital signatures of the company need to be forwarded towards the new brand so that no customer is lost in the process. If you do not do this and simply let the old URL’s, emails, social media feeds and the like cease to exist, people will not be able to find you and will look towards your competition. Leave no person behind!
Out with the old… All pieces of tangible evidence for the company, from signage in front of the building, to business cards, to trade show displays, social media, web, brochures and promotional products (to name a few) must be gotten rid of before the brand shift and new pieces need to be designed and developed. WHY? Brand confusion! You are rebranding for a reason, having the old materials around only leads people to think that the new brand and the old brand can co-exist. . . you do not want that!
Legal ramifications: Your contracts with clients, suppliers, banks, etc. are tied to the old brand. You could lose contracts, lines of credit or clients if you do not handle the change over properly. Let alone if you have patents in the old company name you need to deal with.
Incorporation: You may need to incorporate all over again to register the new company and have legal and accounting charges that you will need to incur.
Take the time to think about how you will handle all of these pieces of the puzzle, before beginning the process and add the costs into your budget.
We are excited about next week’s article when we will focus on finding the right partner.
