Re-branding Tips

Based on our experience, please find our 7 top tips for re-branding a business:

1. Focus on the future – When re-branding your business it is very easy to get hung up on the past. Often from the team, you will hear ‘Well that’s what we’ve always done’. However times and markets change, so it is essential to work out what you want from the future, your overall objectives and what you need to communicate today.
2. Re-assess the problems – Your business brand, reflects a variety of things that then compile your company’s ‘personality’.  Attributes such as service, integrity, and creativity all play an important part.  If you have issues with your staff, suppliers or facilities, it is best to get those resolved before you embark on changing your brand.
3. Choose the name carefully – Do you need to stick to your current name? Or are you looking for a completely new identity?  This is very important.  If your legacy and identity are critical for recognition or a competitive edge, then a refreshment rather than complete change is preferential.  It can take a lot of marketing to get a new name recognised in a competitive marketplace. If you are looking for a new name, what may sound good to you and your team, might be confusing or say the wrong thing to your customers. Market research is critical to the process and we suggest you certainly look to commissioning a survey of customers and potential customers to make sure your name says what you want it to say, and is easy to remember.
4. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes – What does the customer think of your company today, and what do you want them to think about your company tomorrow?  The gap of where you are now and where you want to be can provide the strategy for making your re-branding changes.
5. Look at other brands and follow their example – If you know of a successful business in your field, take a closer look to see how its brand and its values have been built and achieved. Also, take a look at other companies in the wider market to see how they have tackled their re-branding process.
6. Develop a rebranding strategy and plan – Re-branding isn’t just about a new logo and some new collateral.  In order for the process to re-position your business and drive forward, you may need to amend or change some of your organisation’s processes or the way your staff interact with customers and do business.
7. Be aware of the costs – Re-branding your business can be costly, as many of the elements can be overlooked.  As an example, when SM1 Print Studio re-branded from Kall Kwik Sutton, here is a quick list of some of the changes that were required:
   • Marketing management
   • Designer and management
   • Customer surveys/feedback
   • Name ideas and changes
   • New logo design – colour, font, style, shape, size, mono
   • Shop Signage
   • Interior design
   • Printed canvases
   • Pop up display
   • Reception desk and furniture
   • Stationery – letterheads, business cards, compliment slips
   • Packaging – boxes, labels
   • Carrier bags
   • Website
   • Email signatures
   • Direct mail campaign
   • Email campaign
   • Social media campaign
   • Public relations
   • Uniform
   • Brand guidelines