As we go into 2019 – a new year full of opportunities and hazards – does your brand still represent all the best aspects of your business, or is it starting to show its age?
Why not go into the new year with a fresh face and a new outlook for your business?
These tips are meant to be suggestions more than instructions – you need to be happy with your branding to be happy as a business after all – but make sure to mull things over for spring.
- A Company by Any Other Name Wouldn’t be the Same
Contrary to the classic Shakespeare quote, the name of your business is one of the most visible, memorable and recognisable aspects of your branding.
As one of the core aspects of your business’ brand identity, updating the name of your business is a powerful way to let customers and competitors know that you want to change your ways.
- Use Research Insights to Stay in Sight
Before making any drastic changes, ask yourself: How will this affect the customer experience, how will it affect perception of your brand and why now?
Are customers likely to appreciate a new colour scheme or a new name? It’s always worth consulting research to understand consumer relationships with your company and brand, so look over your customer base, and consider their tastes and tendencies when choosing new branding.
- Survey the Landscape Before Continuing
The most important part of any re-branding is to engage with your customers, giving them what they want to see, and addressing their personal preferences.
One of the best ways to learn these details from your customers is to survey them, and the best way to encourage participation is through incentives. Create a competition around your survey, and you should be able to draw plenty of data from your customer base to inform your future branding changes.
- Make Sure You Keep Your Brand Promises
Brand identities are often built on the actions of the company, and over time, brands become inseparable from the reputation of your company. If you’ve been able to earn a reputation for good customer service, quality products or ethical conduct, then your new brand needs to present these values to the world. If your new brand can recapture the characteristics that your customer base has grown to know and love, you’re in the money.
- Start a New Chapter in Your Brand
If you can make an event out of your branding change and tell an interesting story, you can generate interest before, during and after the changeover organically.
With a few explanatory posts or press releases, you can launch it as a ‘bigger and better’ company, all while encouraging interaction with your customer base.
- Take Things Slow
When you’re changing things up, it’s vital not to rush into the unknown.
Take the time to weigh up your options, survey your customer base, and make sure you’re changing things for the better. It’s also worth using the change as a self-promotion opportunity: Let people know that you’re re-branding, maybe issue a statement by email or newsletter, and keep them waiting for the change.
Hopefully these tips have encouraged you to think about your branding in detail, and where you can take it next.
If you’re still confident in everything from your packaging to your promotional posts, then by all means keep rocking that style.
Blog courtesy: www.Cleartwo.co.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here