5 of The Many Common Rebranding Mistakes We Can Make

Rebranding can be an exciting time for a company. It’s an opportunity to re-establish your connection and vision with your customer base. When many people think of branding, they think it is simply your company’s visual identity. However, it is so much more than that. Therefore, much time, thought, and detailed attention must go into the process. How a company handles this process can determine the future success… or failure of the company.

These 5 common rebranding mistakes are easily avoidable with the right knowledge and the right team to help you along the way! Knowledge is power, so let’s see why avoiding these common mistakes is so vital to YOUR future success!

1. Not Defining Your Brand STRATEGY!

A brand is more than JUST your visual identity! It is everything you encompass as a company; the brand lives in the people, values, and experiences that define your company. Your brand is a promise you make to the world that what your business says and how it represents itself are in alignment. When you don’t define who you are as a COMPANY, your company won’t and can’t last. Without an authentic company identity, there won’t be anything to tie your business objectives to. Or to base your direction on. So, define who you are, what you want to offer your consumers, and what your mission will be. Have a clear purpose going forward so that your customers know why they want to be loyal to you.

Then conduct some market research. That is not only helpful but entirely crucial. Gaining this insight allows you to see industry trends, other marketing strategies, and other customer service approaches. Determine your target market and then assess your business goals for the future.

That being said, it is more complex than it appears initially. Entrepreneurs, like all true artists and dreamers, can struggle with remaining objective throughout these early stages of the planning process. It is here when the outside perspective of a branding expert can significantly benefit a business. We often use the analogy of a greatly talented writer finishing a book. They know that it is excellent, and they want to convey their story to every potential reader. However, if they place it on the bookshelf in the incorrect genre sections, they will never reach their target audience. You can know you have a great product, but you need to know how to reach the right audience, or they will never have the passion for it that you do. That is where a branding group like us can help you get your “book” on the right shelf!

Branding is more than what is on the outside, so dig deep and give your customers something to believe in… or they won’t stick around.

2. Not Defining/Differentiating Your BRAND

Let’s be honest, one of the first things we all do before we make any online purchase is… shop around, and that’s exactly what our customers do with us as well. So, with as many options as there are available today, it is more important than ever for us to stand out among our competitors.

In order for a company to differentiate themself from their competitors, they need to establish WHO THEY ARE! (refer to mistake #1). Research what else is out there and find a way to offer something slightly different. If your company doesn’t have a slight edge over the rest of the competition, oftentimes, customers will just settle on the cheaper option.

Having a clear focus is one of the best ways to DEFINE WHO YOU ARE! Doing one thing and doing it WELL! Companies such as Chik-fil-A and Apple are great examples of that. Chik-fil-A has excelled at elevating fast food chicken meals and is praised for their exemplary service on top of their incredible food quality. Apple is rated as one of the best electronic brands year after year for both the products themselves, as well as the technology they contain. These companies are prime examples of how a company stands apart by defining who they are as a brand and establishing something unique about the products that they offer. It is the perceived value that a customer is willing to pay for, time and time again.

After differentiating yourself, showcase your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) upfront in all ad campaigns so customers can see what sets you apart from the rest of your competitors.

3. Neglecting Your Customer Experience

As a company grows, it can be a common mistake to let customer experiences fall through the cracks. Oftentimes, a company is focused on ways to gain NEW customers, which can lead to neglecting their loyal customers. This is a critical mistake during the rebranding process. How ALL your customers react to branding and logo changes is vital. If the message doesn’t resonate, then it leads to customer confusion down the road. Some of the best ways to track customer insight are surveys, polls, and testimonials. Online customer interactions are a great way to gather insight from your customer base and gauge whether or not your new messages are landing.

Throughout the rebranding process, it is detrimental to maintain communication with your customers. Customers want to know they are valued. Responding to customer inquiries, concerns, and requests within 24hrs (or less) builds loyalty. Whether through emails or company websites, quick response times are highly important. We even have features such as AI chatbots available when we are not.

A great customer experience is what we all yearn for…so, making each customer feel valued builds an impeccable reputation. One that people will trust, one that people will want to buy from, and one that will build your legacy!

4. Limiting Social Media

We live in a digital age where a business’s online presence speaks volumes. With little to no online presence, you limit your visibility, restricting potential customers from seeing the benefits of doing business with you. For example, research has shown that almost 70% of people check a restaurant's social media page before choosing to eat there…I know I sure do! This same rule applies to other businesses as well. So, when you expand into social media, you expand your customer base and make room for a wide variety of customer engagement. This leads to a significantly better customer experience. You can update far more frequently than a website and be more personable and relatable. Utilizing multiple social media platforms also allows for more creativity. Diversifying your posts across the platforms will, in turn, keep your customers engaged. Ensuring content remains up-to-date and valuable to the message you are trying to send is also crucial to a company’s success.

Loyal customers build businesses and keeping them engaged is crucial throughout the rebranding process.

5. Not Living Up To Your Brand PROMISE!

When we make promises, it is important to stand behind those promises. A brand promise is just as important! We are defining who we will be, and our customers expect us to live up to that. When that doesn’t happen, it can not only potentially lose us customers, but it hurts our reputation as well. Once a company's reputation has been tarnished, it is incredibly difficult to repair it in the eyes of the public.

We all know customers do their research…for better or for worse, and if a company stands behind their brand promise, their customers will be loyal and stand behind them too…but if a company abandons their brand promise, customers tend to abandon them as well.

As you grow, remember who you are…always have been/wanted to be… don’t lose sight of that… customers fell in love with that version of you. But don’t be afraid to change. You can embrace change while still embracing the core of who you are.

Don’t abandon your customers while you change…communicate your upcoming change to your customers. They will want to feel like they are “in the know,” and it also allows more engagement/excitement about upcoming adventures.

‍Quality and substance matters.‍

As you journey through your rebrand, remember to clearly define who you are as you step into the future of who you want to be. Your brand is more than your logo…it is who you are and who you promise to be for your customers. If there isn’t any substance behind your brand, what kind of legacy will you leave? Build something that will last because both quality and substance matter… let your purpose drive you... connect with your loyal customers as you connect with new ones and leave a mark as you rebrand into the future.