Your logo is the fastest, most efficient way to get your brand's message to your audience.
The world's best-known logos work so well on their own that people know the name of the company, what the company does, and the quality of their products, all with one simple image.
One key to staying relevant to your audience is rebranding. Successful businesses that have been around for decades revisit their rebranding strategy every few years. The logos you remember from childhood have probably evolved but remain recognizable.
If your business is ready for a new rebranding strategy, here are five tips that will steer you in the right direction.
1. Find Your Audience
Who is your target audience? Are you marketing to stay-at-home moms in their thirties? Are your customers mainly retirees living in the southern states? Maybe your product is for single men who are trying to attract other singles.
Once you’ve established what your ideal customer looks like, it’s time to do a little reconnaissance. Where do these people congregate online and in person? Get a feel for the space they occupy and ask yourself, “How does my brand fit into this space?”
If your target audience is new homeowners starting their first gardens, they likely spend a lot of time in garden centers and garden magazine websites. So, rebranding with a dark logo with your initials in the center isn't likely to attract them. A botanical theme with sunny colors will get more positive attention.
Spend time in your audience’s space and see what grabs your attention. Pulling elements from your surroundings and incorporating them into your rebranding strategy is a great way to create a sense that your brand belongs there.
2. Timing is Everything
Depending on what you discover from exploring your audience’s environment, you can determine how much time you have to get their attention. There are multitudes of brands trying to attract our eyes and ears at any given moment.
Timing is an integral part of your rebranding strategy. Say your target audience shops mainly online, and some social media groups cater to your particular product type.
For example, your company sells coffee grinders. Because your audience spends time in coffee lovers groups online, this is where you want your ads to appear.
This particular audience is likely to be on their phones scrolling through information. Most people spend as little as 1.7 seconds with your content. Don’t use a detailed image that your audience has to linger on to understand.
To simplify this process, it’s a good idea to use a timeline creator that will help you better understand and visualize each step of your project.
Take a straightforward approach with picking your logo and use bold colors, contrasting color combinations, and clear images. This is a great first step to businesses that are still trying to find their footing in the market. You can expand from that initial logo and include it in long-form advertising like magazine ads once you’ve.
3. Look Ahead
Frequent rebranding can be confusing for consumers. If you change your logo, motto, and colors every year, it will be challenging to develop brand recognition. As part of your rebranding strategy, think about what the future will hold for your business.
Take a look at your goals. Where do you think your company will be in the future? How do you want your audience to be a part of those goals? Then, choose images and colors that represent the achievement of those goals.
Say you sell medical devices and want your company to be known for supporting childhood cancer research. Incorporating a gold ribbon into your new logo will convey that message.
However, make sure your logo represents a sincere goal. If you use a gold ribbon but then don't spend much to aid in the research, your logo will come across as fake and insincere, which is a big turn-off for consumers.
4. Beware of Imitation
The saying, "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," doesn't apply to your rebranding strategy. You can look to your competition for inspiration, but don't try to duplicate their logo.
Aside from copyright infringement's legal difficulties, you don't want your company confused with the competition. Using similar shapes and colors won't set you apart from others in your market.
Certain colors are associated with specific industries. For example, communications companies tend to use the color blue. AT&T, Spectrum, and IBM are all top communications companies with blue logos.
You can still use blue to identify your company as part of that industry. However, choose a different shade of blue from your competition and rely on your image to make you stand out.
An added problem with matching another company’s logo too closely is that you become tied to them in the eyes of your customers. So, if that company is involved in a scandal that drives away business, you could lose business too.
5. Share it
Rebranding won't do your business any good if nobody knows about it. Once you've reviewed your logo and built a complete rebrand with a cohesive message, it's time to get it out into the world.
Ask yourself and your team why you’re rebranding. If you’re planning a shift in your business’s focus, you can time your new brand launch to coincide with your new initiatives.
In the medical device company example, they could release their rebrand by making a large donation to a cancer charity. That will attract positive attention to your brand and allow you to reintroduce yourself at the same time.
It's just as important to announce your rebrand within the company as it is publicly. Ensure everyone in your organization is aware of the change and has the necessary tools to use the new brand in the future.
Successful Rebranding
It can be tricky to tease out what's trending at the moment and what will be a lasting fashion. Rebranding after a passing trend could leave you rebranding again soon. Stay true to your brand's vision, involve your audience, and build a cohesive plan. Using tools like a timeline maker can help you visualize each step of your project and ensure your rebranding strategy aligns with long-term goals.
With the tips above, you should be on your way to a solid rebranding strategy. Don't rush through the process, and be sure to get input from someone you trust. Rebranding with a new logo design is a process that can boost sales and reputation in the end.
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Written by DesignCrowd on Friday, April 23, 2021
DesignCrowd is an online marketplace providing logo, website, print and graphic design services by providing access to freelance graphic designers and design studios around the world.
