Home Bennet Schwartz explains how to rebrand your small business
Local

Bennet Schwartz explains how to rebrand your small business

Contributors
business graphic design
(© REDPIXEL – stock.adobe.com)

Rebranding your small business can be a great way to take it to the next level. For example, you may want to rebrand your company if a new management team is in place or if you are looking for something fresh and new after being in business for decades.

The process of rebranding is not always easy – especially when you have an established brand identity that you should consider before making changes. However, with some planning and research, you can successfully execute a successful rebranding strategy to grow your customer base while increasing revenue with Bennet Schwartz’s help.

Define your company’s brand

The first thing you will need to do is take a step back and define your company’s brand. It includes everything from the logo, colors, tone of voice in marketing materials, messaging style – it all needs to be considered. You may also want to look at what resources are available for rebranding (we have some tips for that below).

There is always a reason for rebranding, so make sure you think about that when working on the brand. It may be a small change in name that made you want to rebrand. Or, it may be a new business model or direction that required rebranding.

Figure out your budget

Now that you have started brainstorming what changes need to happen for your company, figure out how much time and money you want to spend on this project.

If your branding is old and outdated – chances are there will need to be significant changes made. It will take time and money, so you need to factor in that before moving forward with your rebranding strategy.

Choosing a designer

Choosing a designer is one of the most important parts: choosing the right person to help you with your rebranding. It’s not enough to just choose anyone; it needs to be someone who understands what you are going for and has experience in branding. Plus, they should have good rates too!

To get started finding a designer, start by looking at their website for examples of previous work. If you like what they’ve done before and see that it’s aligned with your goals – then reach out to them! It may also be a good idea to seek more than one opinion, so make sure you talk about the rebranding process in detail with potential designers.

Your company’s logo is what people will see first. The logo will represent who you are as a business and be easily identified with your brand.

When creating a new logo for rebranding purposes, it’s best to have some design experience yourself or work closely with someone who does. For example, you may want to take inspiration from your current logo and tweak it – this is a great way to create something modern that still has ties to the old branding.

We recommend using basic design principles like “less is more” when coming up with a logo for your business. You may want to use color combinations that stand out against each other or consider using text instead of an image-based logo to convey the company’s values and tone of voice in marketing materials.

Once your new logo is finalized, you’ll want to ensure your business cards reflect the rebranded company. Making new cards will help build continuity when sending out marketing materials and meeting with potential clients.

Re-evaluate your brand content

Once you’ve completed the rebranding process – it’s a good idea to take some time to evaluate what was accomplished. For example, did your new logo turn out as planned? Was there enough consistency in branding across all business materials?

Keep in mind that rebranding is a long-term process and so it’s important to evaluate your progress throughout the project. You may find that you need to tweak or change things after going through the entire process, which is okay! Just make sure everything aligns with what was established during the initial brainstorming phase.

Verify that you love everything before marking it complete

As a final step before completing the project – make sure it feels right and see if you can get feedback from colleagues or friends who may have some insight on what they like about it. After all, there’s nothing wrong with tweaking things if you feel like they need improving.

Update social media profiles with the new branding

Once you’ve completed the rebranding, made sure you love everything, time to update social media! It may seem like a daunting task, but it’s pretty simple. Just make sure that the logo is as big on your profile as any other text (if you’re using an image-based logo), and don’t forget to put all of your new branding information in the bio so people know that you’ve rebranded!

At the end of this process, you should be proud to say that your company is rebranded. Rebranding your small business sounds like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be, especially if you follow the advice of Bennet Schwartz. Follow the steps we’ve outlined, and you’ll find that rebranding is an exciting process instead of a tedious one. Once you’ve completed these simple steps, you will know exactly how to get started with creating your new identity for marketing purposes.

Contributors

Contributors

Have a guest column, letter to the editor, story idea or a news tip? Email editor Chris Graham at [email protected]. Subscribe to AFP podcasts on Apple PodcastsSpotifyPandora and YouTube.