It’s inevitable for brands to go through a revamp of their image. Sometimes, the leadership inside changes. Other times, the market leans into different preferences. And then on some occasions, there’s a new player in the field coming in. All of these spur the need for a brand facelift. If your brand is in this season of transition, the most important thing you should remember is your audience. A successful rebrand isn’t just about achieving the most palatable image or aesthetically pleasing logo; it’s the one that’s able to make existing customers stay. That said, follow these steps in giving your brand a facelift, without losing your audience:
Consider their perception.
When you’ve been in the business for so long, it’s not just you who defines your image anymore. In fact, in some instances, it’s already your customers labelling who you are. That’s why the changes you’ll be undertaking in this rebranding should include not just the things you talk about in the boardroom, but the ones you hear from your very audience. Be intentional in seeking out insights from them. Conduct surveys. Gather them for interviews or focus-group discussions. Listen to their voice. You never know, you might be so fixated with how you could re-introduce your pizzas and pastas, when in fact, they’re more into the family vibe of your restaurant. That insight alone can already be a springboard for changing up your brand messages, campaign taglines, even website imagery.
Change the culture inside.
For the people outside your organization to catch your new image, it has to start inside first. After all, it’s your employees who will be working to reflect and project your refreshed brand. Essentially, they are your first ambassadors. So make sure to have everybody’s buy-in before you take the plunge. Give them the renewed purpose, vision-mission, and goals of your brand. If your personality and positioning changed in the course of your discussions with customers, your team should be able to capture the precise persona the market wants to see. Once everybody’s on board, that’s when you put them to work on collaterals, taglines, and so on. If you’re going to get third-party resources though, say, outsourced website design and development, your employees, simply have to make sure that the new brand identity is relayed well to the agency.
Create as much noise as possible.
Even if you have a new image that reflects well your customers’ preferences, your efforts will be in vain if you don’t make a noise about it. You have to maximize every publicity platform and opportunity to increase awareness of your rebrand. Use online and print media. Send out press releases to newspapers. Organize a radio tour for your brand ambassador. Make sure that your website is revamped and user-friendly. Publish content on Facebook and Instagram regularly. Prioritize visual content, like photos, gifs, and videos. Run contests on social media platforms. Even before you launch your refreshed brand, there should already be noise happening.
Rebranding and Keeping Customers
The greatest challenge in creating a fresh, new image for a brand is retaining loyal customers. But with these strategies, you will not just keep your fans, but strengthen ties with them even further. So bear these in mind as you revamp your image.