A Strategic Guide To Successful Rebranding

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Whether you're overhauling your franchise or want to enter a new market with a different product, we've got 5 tips to help ensure a successful rebranding of your company.

There are entrepreneurs that believe that rebranding is a sign of weakness so they postpone critical changes until the very last minute. Such a denial strategy is completely wrong because businesses evolve all the time and rebranding is an integral part of this evolution. Even among the Fortune 500 companies, there are many franchises that have altered everything from their business model down to the color of their logo. However, not every rebranding strategy is destined for success, so you need to have some sort of a guide on how to approach the first rebranding your business is about to undergo.

Evolving The Logo

A company’s logo presents its virtual signature and sometimes they are worth more than the brand’s name. Since humans are visual learners, we will recognize the logo of a famous company before we even read the first few letters of its name. Although logos are powerful, they are not static symbols, as they too evolve over time. There are countless examples in the world of big business but the history of Coca Cola’s logo tells a story of 130 years of different logos that have not only preserved the company’s visual identity but further enhanced it.

These are many alterations you can make to your logo, like changing the color scheme, adding a fadeout effect or adding a new symbol. No matter how much you and the graphic designer comply, the final judgment of the new logo will be up to the public. They will perceive the change in the logo as a clear signal that you are improving your business so they will be further interested in the goods and services you offer.

Overhauling The Franchise

Changing the font of the letter on the company’s logo is really a minor alteration compare to total rebranding. This is mostly done after a takeover when the new franchise owners believe that the old brand had died out in the eyes of the consumers. Another reason for a marketing overhaul is the occasion of entering a new market or radically shifting the scope of service you offer. If you buy a carpet cleaning service and decide to use it as a car wash from now on, the old advertisement signs have to go down and you really ought to get rid of a smiling rug from the company’s logo.

Brand Photography

Although rebranding can include a change in the business model, it is mostly about changing the appearance of the franchise. Apart from the logo, the imagery is a crucial element to establishing a new visual identity of your firm. The positive practice of brand photography advises us to hire professional photographers to create excellent quality images to decorate our website, billboards, and promotional leaflets. By working closely with photographers you can help create a unique visual identity for your brand that will make it instantly recognizable.

(Re)analyze The Market

Whether you run a hairdresser’s saloon or a multinational IT company, you probably did some researching of the target market, even if this meant just googling “haircut.” Although some markets are inert and are hard to change, other markets, both international and local, are more prone to changes. In fact, just a couple of years are enough for your target market to change by 180° because of the national economy, real estate development, and the competition. Such fluctuations are mostly going to be blamed for the need to rebrand in the first place, so make sure you coordinate the two processes. If you run a small business, then more than often competitors entering the scene will force you to rebrand.

Don’t Skip Rebranding Social Media

The pro photos you order are going to be disseminated in every place your brand appears, including social media. In fact, while you’re there, you can revise your presence in the virtual world as well. The most frequent mistake businesses make is forgetting the social element of these online platforms. Even if you have a Facebook page, a Twitter account or an Instagram photo album signed with the name of your brand, you can still personalize it. For instance, create a Facebook album entitled “Office life” and encourage your employees to post images from their days at the office or team building activities. These will help put a human face in front of your logo and brand name on social media.

Developing a viable rebranding strategy will significantly improve the chances of its success in the end. Once you do some cosmetic work on the logo, research the market some more and stock up on (non-stock) professional photos, you will be ready to present a rejuvenated look of your company to the public. Then comes the hardest part: the reevaluation of your brand by consumers, both new ones and the loyal clientele. If they give the green light, then you will know for sure that the rebranding process was the right thing to do.

 

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