10 Mistakes to Avoid When Rebranding Your Business
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There are a number of reasons you may be considering a rebrand (or brand refresh) for your business.
Maybe it’s been a while, and your brand is starting to feel dated.
Maybe you’ve gone through a merger or acquisition, and need to bring two brands together.
Maybe you’ve expanded your product offering.
Maybe you were so excited to go-to-market in the first place, you didn’t think too hard about the brand, and now you’re ready to give it the thought and attention your business deserves.
Whatever the reason, we know that making big changes to your brand can be both exciting, and anxiety-provoking. As Andrew Scivally, co-founder and CEO of ELB Learning wrote in a Forbes article:
“Rebranding, particularly when what you have built is working really well, is scary. If you are doing your job right, your brand has an emotional connection with your clients, your team and you. Changing that up is a difficult decision.”
When we work with new clients looking to change their branding, we know it can be daunting. That’s why we are committed to guiding them through every step of the process, and taking all their goals (and anxieties) into consideration.
Thankfully,there are plenty of examples—both good and bad—to learn from. And so, we’ve compiled a list of ten common mistakes to avoid to make the rebranding process feel less risky, and set your new brand up for success.
Let’s get into it!
10 Mistakes to Avoid When Rebranding
Whether you’re doing a full-on rebrand or a gentle brand refresh, here are 10 common mistakes that muck up the process (and how to avoid them):
1) Rebranding on a whim
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: branding matters. So when someone approaches us with a rebranding project, our first question is going to be: Why? Why change? Why now?
We’re not asking to be critical. (That would be pretty silly for a branding agency.) It’s because rebranding is a big undertaking, and we want to understand both where you’re coming from, and where you’re trying to go.
A rebrand shouldn’t be a knee-jerk reaction to a trend, or what a competitor is doing. It should be an alignment of your current identity with your vision of the future.
If you’re impulse to change things up isn’t rooted in a clear why, you may want to reconsider.
2) Only listening to yourself
We’ve all heard the horror stories of brands who debut a new logo only to be met with a resounding “No thanks” from its customers.
The best way to steer clear of that scenario? Research and testing. You may have a great idea of what your customers want, or what direction your company should go in (after all, it’s your company!). But it’s important to get feedback from key stakeholders—including your target audience.
Be open to new ideas and feedback, and don’t be afraid of testing out certain elements before launching.
3) Inviting too many cooks into the kitchen
On the flip side of that coin, inviting too many people into the decision-making process slows things down and makes the whole experience more confusing and frustrating.
So how do you solicit crucial feedback, without creating chaos?
As you pick the key players whose input you want, remember to establish a hierarchy or clear process for who calls the shots. Make sure you keep your vision (your why) in mind, too, so everyone is working towards the same goal.
4) Taking it too personally
If you see your company as your baby, it can be hard to hear people describe it as “stale” or “outdated,” or point out all the things they’d change. But like any baby, your brand will grow and change over time. And your job is to set it up to thrive in the world.
That may mean taking it in a direction you hadn’t anticipated. (That’s why it’s so important to listen to other people’s ideas and feedback.) Try not to take it personally. Everyone involved is trying to do what’s best for your company.
Instead of seeing a rebrand as an eraser of everything you built, try framing is as an evolution. Your brand is growing into itself.
5) Throwing out the baby, bathwater, and whole dang bathtub
A rebrand is a great opportunity to start fresh, but don’t accidentally get rid of the things that are working.
Before you hit the cutting board, carefully consider the strongest elements of your brand and keep those things in the new edition. Does your tone of voice resonate with your audience? Are you consistently delivering on some part of your brand promise?
Weaving those strengths into your new brand will only make it stronger in the long run.
6) Rushing the process
So you’ve gotten the rebranding bug and now you’re ready to go go go? We get it! Once you know you’re ready for a change, waiting can feel excruciating.
And we also know that you have a lot more on your plate than just this. Things like actually running your business.
So when an outside agency or partner comes to you with seemingly minute questions, it may be tempting to just knock them out as quickly as possible.
But taking your time and being thoughtful helps ensure your new brand is built on a solid foundation.
7) Stopping at the logo
As the age-old saying goes, a fresh logo in your website header does not a rebrand make.
Your brand impacts your messaging, your voice, and your entire visual identity. It’s communicated through your logo, fonts, words and images. Which brings us to Mistake #8…
8) Foregoing the style guide
Your style guide is your brand bible. It outlines all the key decisions you made in the branding (and rebranding) process, and is a valuable resource when starting a new campaign or onboarding a new team member.
If you don’t work in marketing, you may see this as an unnecessary step of the process. But as daily life pulls at your attention, you may find it harder to remember the little details and nuances that went into creating your new and improved brand.
Updating and maintaining a style guide means you don’t have to remember off-hand. You can always return to it to keep your work consistent.
9) Not communicating the rebrand to your customers and employees
Prepare your existing audience for the change so they aren’t surprised or confused once it launches. Tease the updates with “coming soon!” messages on your website and social platforms – wherever you typically engage. Share why you’re rebranding, and get them excited about the new look.
This will help curb any worries and give them a chance to ask questions (e.g., “Will I still be able to get my usual products at their usual price??”) beforehand.
Same goes for your internal team. Whether you have 3 employees or 3,000, they need to be on-board with the new branding before it goes live.
Bring them up to speed on why you’re rebranding, make sure everyone is aligned on the vision, and give ample time for them to ask questions. Especially since they’re often the ones interacting with your customers.
10) Going it alone
You may have gathered by now that rebranding your business takes a lot of work. The good news? You don’t have to do it alone!
Working with a consultancy or creative agency will help keep the project on track, and connect you with experts who can guide you through the whole process.
Think you’re ready to take that next step? Reach out and let us know about your project, and we’ll let you know how we can help!
