There are many reasons why you might want to rebrand your company and there are numerous benefits. However, at the same time, there can be some pitfalls. One of these is you risk losing your existing customer database. As a leading rebranding agency, we want to share these tips with you to help you rebrand without losing your valuable customers and upsetting your business.
Make sure your team is in the loop:
One of the first things you should do when considering hiring a rebranding agency is to make sure your whole team is kept in the loop. Your executive team will know about the rebranding, but all staff members should be kept up to date, even the lowest-ranked ones, with what is going on within the company.
Many times the people who work within your company don’t get to find out about the rebrand until it’s over and done with. Often the first thing many staff members know is when they see the new website or printed material. This is not good business ethics.
By keeping the whole team in the loop you might discover gaps in your rebranding strategy that you would have otherwise missed. Those serving or talking to customers will know the customers better and you should take full advantage of this fact. With this in mind, encourage all employees, even interns, to share ideas about rebranding right from the development process and hiring of the rebranding agency.
Talk to your customers:
Your customers will value transparency so be honest with them from the start in regards to rebranding. Many people find change scary, so talking with them helps to provide reassurance and understanding. Talking to your customers and involving them in your rebranding efforts goes a long way to keeping them once your rebrand is completed.
Above all else, it is important to remind your existing customers who you are. You can remind them by using phrases and wording such as “formerly known as…” This type of wording can be used on such newsletters sent out through email, on printed materials, social media and anywhere else you have interactions with customers.
So, how can you involve your existing customers?
Start from the research stage of rebranding, from the moment you hire a rebranding agency. Surveys are a great way of finding out what customers think about something or want from you. One of the easiest ways is to put a poll on your website. By asking a question or two you gain a much better insight into what your customers want and need. You could ask customers what they think of a logo redesign, a new brand name, a new logo, etc.
One important thing to consider is that you don’t baffle your customers, keep the questions short and simple and encourage them to interact and have their say.
You can also take notice of feedback pages on your website, emails and social media posts, along with reviews. Good reviews are great for your company but negative ones can also help you. Find why customers are reaching out to you, what they don’t like etc. and then remedy that in the rebranding.
Keep your customers up-to-date:
Along with reaching out to your customers for ideas about what they want or don’t want, you also need to keep customers up-to-date throughout the rebranding process.
Use your mailing list to contact customers:
Once you have hired a rebranding agency and the process of rebranding has begun you can send out an email to customers on your mailing list explaining why your company is rebranding.
Existing customers do not want to venture to your website only to find huge changes have been made. This can make them lose faith in you and feel uncertain about making purchases in the future. So, the first step is to send out a short and to the point email to existing customers with a link to a landing page.
Use a landing page to explain more details:
Following this, you should make a landing page dedicated to your rebranding. This will allow you to go into further detail about where you hope to take the company in the future with rebranding and how the rebrand is going to help.
You could also use this page to run ideas by customers, perhaps you have a few ideas for a new logo and you want to ask which appeals more?
Once your customers understand why you are making the changes and realise you value their opinion they are more likely to be on board and remain loyal.
You can use the landing page to go in-depth about the rebrand and why you are rebranding. You might want to start with the conception and keep customers informed through to the launch of your new branding. You can use photos, timelines, infographics and video to keep customers informed.
Send out a press release:
Once everything is in place you can send out a press release to inform everyone about your rebranding and how you are hoping it will be good for the future of the company.
A well written and crafted press release can drum up a lot of interest from potential customers and help to increase the traffic to your website.
Round-up:
Company rebranding can be a very exciting time but it can also be something of a frightening time too. If not done correctly you stand to lose a lot, more so if you have built your company up over many years and have gained a large customer base.
However, here at Ikon, a leading rebranding agency, we can help to take the stress and worry away by working alongside you each step of the way. We are a bespoke boutique branding and creative agency made up of a team of experts focusing on quality. We work with companies both big and small, offering a tailored service. Contact us to find out how we could help your company to rebrand and talk through your marketing problems and goals.
