By Suzette Colley, Director of Business Development for the Azizona Small Business Association.
Rebranding is a way to energize and bring new attention to a business. If you are considering a “makeover” here are some things to think about:
Size of business
All sizes of businesses need to stay fresh and relevant to their markets. Each business needs to define itself and position itself where it wants to be. Many businesses deliberately position themselves second in the market place.
Customers
Before beginning to rebrand take a look at your business from your customers’ perspective. Ask somebody whose opinion you value to take a look at your website, buy something and then return it. What was their experience?
Also, ask them to phone your business and give you feedback about that experience.
The information gained by looking at your business through the eyes of your customers will inform your rebranding strategy.
Beyond appearances
Researching your customers is vital if you are going to truly re-brand a business. Often, people fall in to the trap of thinking it is just about changing the style and colors of the marketing materials. There are reasons for color and design choices. Brands make a statement about customer perception, care and experience. Other brand statements include retail and Web environments, the tone and voice of communication, the quality, look, feel of your business, etc.
Credibility
It is necessary to go beyond the superficial change in colors and design to make the rebrand believable and truly reflect customers’ perception and experience. The credibility must be true internally too. The target audience will not believe in the brand if those who work with it daily do not believe in it.
Beyond advertising
An advertising campaign and slogan do not equal brand positioning. The brand strategy will ultimately lead advertising. At the same time a business doesn’t necessarily have to advertise it is re-branding.
History
The whole point of rebranding is to be relevant. A brand can only be truly expanded repositioned or refreshed with a full analysis of the target market. The norms of the past may not hold true today.
Brand equity and goodwill
While past norms may not hold, history cannot be ignored and should be analyzed. If brand equity is dismissed it alienates established customers. An unnecessary overhaul can damage a brand’s perception. It may be that just a small evolution is required. It goes back to the question of what is the target market and how can it be leveraged?
Planning
Rebranding needs focus. To be effective it requires a creative brief that tracks the projects progress. The creative brief will include elements such as a situational analysis, objectives, target markets, budget and resources, timeframe, point person, known parameters, approval structure, stakeholders and metrics for assessing results.
Costs
It needs to be understood that good branding consultants are more than graphic designers. The cost of hiring a branding consultant is relative. The best can help you develop new products, expand demographic focuses, and in some cases streamline business operations.
Industry experience
If the decision is made to hire a consultant, consider that a lack of industry experience can give a fresh perspective. This might be something worth doing if you are considering a full turnaround.
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