08 Apr Thinking of A Brand Update? How to Successfully Rebrand Without Losing Customers
Blog
Thinking of A Brand Update? How to Successfully Rebrand Without Losing Customers
Almost everyone who’s starting a new business has heard the term ‘branding’ and how crucial it is for long-term success. Branding is a type of marketing practice that consists of shaping your brand image and message to stand out from your competitors and represent your business values.
Even though the main focus in branding is designing a logo, choosing a colour palette and desired fonts, those only cover the visual channels. The process of shaping a brand goes beyond aesthetics, and it’s getting more complex as the digital world evolves and customers’ consuming habits change.
Since its first appearance more than two decades ago, social media networks strive to offer different types of content targeted to specific audiences. So, that’s why assembling your brand to communicate successfully with audiences across all digital media can be challenging. Moreover, complexity increases when companies want to refresh their brand without losing the authority they already have, and as a consequence, existing customers.
The Importance of Branding
The key to getting loyal customers is consistency. There’s no possible way to deliver an impressive experience or be recognised by your audience if your brand is not consistent all the time and across every platform.
There are several touch points for customers to reach your brand, mostly if you showcase your products or services across different social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
Branding plays a vital role in connecting with your ideal audience across every channel available. The way people behave on each digital platform is different, but your message must be consistent and engaging across all platforms.
Branding is essential for every business, regardless of its size. It creates brand awareness and makes your company recognisable in the mind of your consumers. In line with this, it helps you stack up against your competition, and it also increases your business value in the long-run.
If your brand gets enough recognition and authority, its value will increase. Thus, a solid branding strategy can solidify your business in the marketplace and gain enough trust to attract new investors and customers as well.
Should I Refresh or Rebrand?
So far, we have shed some light on branding essentials and talked about the importance of developing a nifty brand strategy. But what happens when an existing brand feels the need for a facelift?
This process can be chaotic, and it may wreck your business in the blink of an eye if it’s not performed by professionals. When it comes to revamping your brand, there are two possible ways to go: refreshing and rebranding. The differences between the two may seem quite subtle, but you must understand each to make the right choice for your business.
Rebranding consists of a complete overhaul of your brand’s image and its message, almost like a reboot. This requires a detailed strategic plan to reposition your company, and it’s frequently used when you expand to new markets or merge with other companies.
Rebranding usually has a large impact on audience perception, and that’s why a team of branding experts must perform it.
On the flip side, a brand refresh requires less research, and it’s frequently used when brands feel their image is a little outdated but don’t want to change their brand pillars. By developing a brand refresh, you are adapting your business to current trends, and you may change your brand’s tone of voice or the logos and visuals.
Nevertheless, despite being a less complex process than rebranding, it takes some analysis to define what elements you want to revamp.
So, rebranding or refreshing? It’s a tough choice, but with proper advice, it will take your business above and beyond.
How to Know When it’s Time for a Brand Update?
A major concern every business owner may face is recognising when to revamp their brand. We pointed out the complexity of the facelift process and how harmful the consequences might be for a company. That’s why facing that question is the first step to set the branding process goals and succeed.
If you are faced with any of the following dilemmas, then it’s probably time for a change!
1. Current Branding Doesn’t Represent Your Brand Values Anymore
When your brand no longer reflects your values, it’s time for a rebrand. Sometimes cultural or social turning points may alter your business mission and values. What seemed relevant and edgy 20 years ago may not represent your brand at present.
In those cases, the rebranding process is complex and requires an in-depth analysis of the possible impact and how to manage it.
2. Your Brand Doesn’t Differentiate from Competitors
When you fail to distinguish yourself from competitors, it’s time for a deep rebranding. When you can’t tell what makes your brand unique, your business growth may get stuck. A meticulously planned rebranding process can help you identify and shape your vision, determine what’s your added value in the marketplace, and how your business makes a difference. An on-point rebranding strategy can build a solid and competitive business.
3. Business Expansion
Whether your business is facing a merger or expanding beyond its original boundaries, rebranding is essential to with such transformations.
In cases like mergers or acquisitions, rebranding will require planning and designing a whole new strategy that involves both companies’ identities. On the other side, expansion means targeting new markets, and if your brand used to grow with a strong local identity, it’s time to make it global.
4. An Outdated Look
The marketplace and people’s consuming habits are not the same as two decades ago and follow those significant transformations. Sometimes companies need a fresh new look. In those cases, usually doing just a brand refresh is enough.
You can modify logos or your brand’s tone of voice while keeping the company’s core DNA. Trends change over the years and your image should encompass those transitions; that’s why brands need periodic updates to their image and to adapt their message to current digital platforms.
“Find out what trends will be all the rage in 2021.”
How to Rebrand Without Losing Customers?
Rebranding can be risky if it’s not performed accurately. If you have already determined your brand needs a complete makeover, there are some key points to consider to avoid losing customers and relevance.
Define Why Your Business Needs Rebranding
Setting goals and planning a meticulous strategy is essential for the branding process due to the complexity of the transition. Sometimes, companies underestimate the rebranding process and find difficulties that make them realise the job’s extent. To run a smooth process, changes need to be planned. You have to determine which changes are mandatory and where to apply them.
Another point to consider is to include representatives from different internal teams to collaborate in the decision-making and messaging initiatives.
Remember that the rebranding process is forcing a hard reset to take your brand further. Choose the right branding partner and set the priorities to succeed.
Improve Your Brand’s Voice
Improving your brand’s voice can be a burdensome endeavor. With so many digital channels and types of content available, you need to outline a brand’s voice capable of adapting to those platforms while reflecting your core values.
Standing out from the crowd and conveying your communications in the busy digital world these days are crucial for your business. You can review the existing content and the platforms you manage to uplift them and be more consistent.
By enhancing the tone of voice when delivering the brand’s message, you ensure the rebranding process will be smooth.
Display Your Products and Services
There are a few ways to effectively promote your business at Clubhouse and showcase your products’ value. First, make sure to always place a link to your products with a call-to-action within your BIO.
Next, you can create rooms and place promotions as the audience reaches a specific limit like a giveaway, promo codes, or limited-time offers. Another way to display your products is to create rooms to explain the benefits and improve your customer’s lives by buying your products. By doing this, you can grow your audience without aggressive sales pitches, focusing on providing solutions, support, and value regarding your brand.
Communicate with The Audience
Make it as public as possible. This should be a pillar statement when facing a brand uplift. Communication with customers during the rebranding process is essential to nurture those relationships and avoid losing trust.
In such cases, anticipation is a must. If you research your customers’ concerns regarding the rebranding process, you will show your business is solid and trustworthy. By anticipating, you will know how to keep a straightforward communication while dissipating clients’ concerns. This will encourage them to follow the rebranding process. So, don’t hesitate to highlight your business changes and spread the message across every digital platform.
Listen to Your Customers
Customers’ perception is essential to understand where you are and where you’re going. An engaged audience can give you valuable insights into the transition process of a rebrand. Today, social media makes this process easier as there are many touchpoints to communicate with your clients.
However, even if you and your team make an effort and think as your customers do, this may not be enough. To truly understand an audience’s perception, you need to communicate with them and show who you are and how reliable your brand is. This way, you’ll connect the audience with your brand during the makeover process and deliver a new business experience tailored to their needs.
Conclusion
At some point, every business will face the dilemma of undergoing a lengthy rebrand or simply undergoing a refresh. Regardless of your choice, your business needs professionals that can perform in-depth research before taking such a leap.
Remember, there’s no second chance to leave an outstanding first impression. At edirect, we know how to help your brand provide a remarkable first impression with a skilled and experienced team of professionals.
Whether you need to provide your brand with a fresh new look or have a start-up business that needs a whole branding strategy created from scratch, we help your company go further. Discover your business potential today. Contact us, and schedule a meeting to share your ideas!