Young Entrepreneur Council — August 17, 2018 — August 17, 2018
A company rebrand can be an exciting time for you and your team. Just make sure everyone is well-prepared for the changes ahead, whether that’s staff, leaders — or your clients and customers. To find out what you need to know, we asked the following:
I’m rebranding an important product or service of my company. What’s one factor to consider or action to take when planning its launch?
1. Get Your Entire Team On Board First
Make sure your team knows the what, why and how before launch. You want to make sure they use the right language and design assets, and position the product correctly. If a customer asks, “Why is this different?” you want every single member of your team (especially anyone customer-facing) to be able to articulate the reason behind — and benefits of — the change. – Marjorie Adams, Fourlane
2. Find the Overlap Between Existing and New Customers
Many people focus on capturing new markets when they rebrand or sometimes focus too heavily on their existing customer base and so their rebranding efforts are too soft to make a difference. Step back and find where your new markets and existing customers intersect to find the right balance of familiar and brand new in your message. – Brandon Stapper, Nonstop Signs
3. Keep What Works
When looking at brand, it’s important to deconstruct the core themes that you want it to communicate. Sometimes during a rebrand, we can get so caught up in looking for what’s new and fresh that we miss out on what is already there. You and your team have probably put many hours in creating that brand; see what is working and then channel that into the new brand. – Nicole Munoz, Start Ranking Now
4. Get Your Existing Customers Involved to Avoid Attrition
It is important before a product launch to consider the money that could be lost from loyal customers who feel disconnected with the new brand. Try and find ways to involve your loyal, current customers in the rebranding process. Consider that this rebranding would never have been possible if not for the customers you have now. You will grow your company and customer loyalty together. – Mike A. Podesto, Find My Profession
5. Update Your Digital Presence
No rebranding exercise is complete without rolling out the transition to the online world. Make sure your website, social media channels and third-party sites have the required updates. Use Google Alerts to monitor mentions of your brand online and make changes anytime you come by old branding. Keep search directories up-to-date, and update metadata and links on any new pages on your website. – Derek Robinson, Top Notch Dezigns
6. Look for Unique PR Opportunities to Announce Your Rebrand
When VoIP company GotVMail rebranded to Grasshopper, they used this opportunity to tell the world about the company. They spent $ 68,103 to send 5,000 chocolate-covered grasshoppers to influencers in their space and received a ton of social impressions and PR coverage as a result. – Fan Bi, Menswear Reviewed
7. Take Advantage of Influencer Marketing
When rebranding a product or service, influencer marketing is an essential piece of your marketing plan. Most businesses don’t know where to begin when exploring influencer marketing. Luckily there are marketing agencies like viralnation.com that help you find the right influencers and measure the effectiveness of the campaign. – Brian Greenberg, Life Insurance Quotes
8. Create a Content Marketing Strategy
Once you have established your new target market, you need to create a clear content marketing strategy to bring those potential customers to your site. Use free sites like Quora, Answer the Public and Google’s Keyword Planner to figure out what questions they are asking, then create content that answers their questions. – Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner
9. Over-Communicate for a Seamless Transition
Keep customers or clients informed. It’s important to be proactive about providing a seamless transition. With up-front, detailed communication, you’ll avoid the confusion and skepticism that negatively impacts a brand when rebranding is sudden and unexpected. Outline pre- and post-launch email campaigns and, if feasible, include a short-term incentive for current customers/clients. – Sasha Rowe, Rivvly
10. Explain Your ‘Why’
To make sure your existing customers understand the new rebranding, make sure to share why your company is making the shift. Telling the “why” story is a great opportunity to connect deeper with potential new customers and remind loyal customers why they loved you in the first place. It’s easy to rebrand, but to create the biggest impact, communicate a compelling, thorough message. – Nanxi Liu, Enplug
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