A powerful model is an integral part of a profitable firm. Your group’s visible identification and messaging are a part of speaking the mission and imaginative and prescient of the enterprise to stakeholders. As firms develop and develop, it’s pure that their manufacturers have to evolve. Going via a rebrand or model refresh course of is a vital element of a enterprise’ growth. Updating your model frequently might help you retain a aggressive edge.
By: Andrea Mocherman, LumenVox
Nonetheless, rebranding will be dangerous — and difficult. With out the correct strategy, the method may end in buyer confusion. I work at a corporation, LumenVox, that managed a profitable rebrand after 20 years of enterprise. The method was much less about shifting the visible identification of the corporate than adjusting LumenVox’s UX technique to higher align with the gross sales course of. For firms contemplating a rebrand, I’d prefer to share my ideas for making certain a easy and profitable course of.
Timing is all the things
It may be onerous to know when it’s the correct time to tackle a rebrand. In my expertise, I’ve discovered that it is advisable take into account the time and monetary funding wanted and in addition make certain the corporate itself is prepared. If you happen to’re not sure if your online business is at some extent the place it is smart to rebrand, there are a number of frequent indicators to contemplate.
Your present model feels much less related or trendy. If it’s been some time since your organization final up to date its model, it is perhaps time to modernize it to keep away from being seen as an archaic or slow-moving enterprise (even when that’s not likely the case). You may additionally need to benefit from a design pattern to signify a extra trendy identification.
You must align with advertising priorities. When your services or products aren’t performing properly, it might be helpful to tweak your branding to seize extra consideration. Your small business can also be seeking to attain a brand new buyer or market section, which may require an change to your organization’s model.
Your present model doesn’t stand out. After some time, your organization’s model voice may get muddled. One too many cooks within the kitchen could imply that it is advisable evaluation and streamline firm messaging to make sure it’s clear and constant. Or, in case your branding doesn’t come throughout as distinctive, a rebrand might be simply the factor that will help you stand out.
Your organization wants to regulate after a big enterprise change. Enterprise mixtures like mergers or acquisitions sometimes sign that it’s time to alter your branding. Different public incidents or enterprise errors are additionally pure factors to make sure your branding displays your organization’s dedication to enhancing.
Get inside your clients’ heads
After you’ve decided if your online business is prepared for a model refresh, an excellent subsequent step is to contemplate who your present buyer is and collect their observations in regards to the firm. Amassing buyer enter via stakeholder interviews is invaluable to the success of your rebrand. You’ll achieve a ton of invaluable perception about what’s working and what’s not — and you could even uncover some frequent themes that you’d have been onerous to find in any other case. A greatest observe is to search out out as a lot as potential about clients’ emotional response to your organization at completely different phases of the shopper journey. I counsel carrying this enter ahead as you proceed via the rebrand so you possibly can make sure the modifications will likely be in service of your clients’ desires and wishes.
Make a plan and persist with it
As you most likely know, launching a rebrand is a fancy course of that may take time and a well-developed recreation plan. Our firm discovered it worthwhile to completely consider the competitors and common {industry} branding tendencies to get an concept of how your new model will slot in or stand out. A branding or buyer expertise company can act as a information via this course of, however you can too conduct some analysis by yourself. If you happen to do need to work with an company accomplice, establish your expectations first. Companies focus on completely different facets of branding (e.g., brand and visible design, buyer expertise, model narratives, and so forth.) so that you need to ensure they’ve the correct experience to fulfill your targets. With this info, you possibly can decide what company is greatest suited to fulfill your wants.
Take into account your buyer’s journey
Past altering the visible identification of your organization, don’t neglect to guage different elements of your model that will have to be tweaked. This was the world my firm primarily centered on and our work paid off considerably. Undergo your organization’s owned channels to verify messaging, voice, and tone are getting used constantly on all platforms and exterior supplies. If stakeholder interviews revealed a standard criticism about complicated web site language, take the time to make modifications as a part of your rebrand. It’s nice to show your give attention to excellence via your organization’s brand and tagline nevertheless it will also be massively useful to deal with buyer ache factors as a part of your general model administration.
Generate pleasure via a strategic rollout
As enterprise leaders, all of us care deeply about setting expectations inside our organizations and with our clients. Introducing modifications to your organization’s model will be intricate, particularly due to the emotional attachment that your inner and exterior audiences could have about your former model identification. To make sure success, I like to recommend constructing assist internally. You are able to do this by making certain your management crew is supportive and outfitted to champion the brand new model amongst their groups. In inner communications, spell out the the explanation why the enterprise is rebranding and what the group hopes to realize with its new model. Doing so might help curb confusion or damaging reactions.
Subsequent, you possibly can give attention to speaking to exterior audiences. One useful step is to draft an FAQ doc to type responses to questions that you simply assume would possibly come up, so you possibly can reply shortly and with a unified message. You may additionally construct some pleasure by sharing periodic teasers via newsletters or social channels, however this isn’t essential to success (particularly in case your crew doesn’t have capability to observe and reply to feedback or replies). An alternative choice is to create a long-form weblog or e mail blast that shares extra in regards to the enterprise rebrand and its evolution. You may as well spotlight modifications you made primarily based on buyer suggestions, which exhibits that you simply’re listening to clients and that you simply worth their enter.
Though a model refresh generally is a complicated course of, it will also be a big marker of success. If I may impart one singular piece of recommendation to different firm leaders, it might be to maintain your buyer entrance and heart and use their enter to develop a model that really speaks to their wants. If you happen to comply with these steps, your rebrand is certain to create significant outcomes to your firm and clients.
Andrea Mocherman, Vice President of Advertising & Communications at LumenVox, is liable for the corporate’s advertising technique and initiatives to raise model consciousness and drive demand for LumenVox’s industry-leading speech and voice biometrics expertise. Andrea has over 15 years of expertise efficiently constructing and executing advertising and communication methods for a number of world expertise firms, together with K2, Flowroute and Nuance Communications.
