What to Prioritize in a Rebrand

A rebrand can be an overwhelming process. You probably have a wide range of customer touchpoints using your existing brand. How do you possibly recreate them all when making a change? Where do you start?

Business cards, website, stationery, sales tools, presentations, brochures, videos, social media, digital campaigns, advertising, talent recruitment materials, uniforms, packaging, signage, environmental graphics, vehicles, and more—how can you tackle it all? Well, you can’t. Not all at once. But you can prioritize which tools come first in your rollout. Consider these three questions as you are choosing what to put first.

What do your customers want to know?

If you are midway through a branding process your head is likely swimming with ideas of how you want to implement your strategy, your messages, and all the good ideas that have come out of your brainstorming sessions. But take a step back, evaluate what you’ve done in the past and your ideas for future touchpoints. Which ones will be most effective? Get out of your own head, and stop thinking about what content you want to push. Think about what your customers would prioritize.

The first thing they want to know is usually pretty basic—where are you and what is your phone number or email? Of course, they also want to know what problems your product or services can solve for them. Think about your elevator speech. What would you say if you only had a few floors to communicate your value. Get that into your initial rebrand materials and into the minds of your front-line staff.

Where are you connecting with your customers?

In what channels are you most likely to reach your clients? You likely have data or at least anecdotal evidence from your previous brand about where connections happen most often in your sector and market. Is it your website? Foot traffic at your brick and mortar location? Materials used in sales calls?

Prioritize the items that get the most use and the most traction. Your sales team’s business cards would likely be at the top of the list. A basic website is also probably a necessity, depending on your business model. Social media may be your main way of connecting or it may be the last place your clients look for you. Do what works for your customers, not some prescribed plan by marketing gurus.

What can you accomplish?

Don’t take on more than you can handle doing well at the beginning of a launch. Branding is a marathon, not a sprint. Continual improvement is expected. Don’t set yourself up to finish a 200-page website in 2 months. It’s not going to happen. Be realistic about your time and resources. Make a superior 5-page website with the most important information and add content as you go.

Don’t overspend on updates that can wait either. There is no need to have a complete makeover overnight. Do you have a fleet of trucks or signage at multiple locations? Plot out the most cost-effective way to get them changed out—when the truck leases are up or when you can get a bulk deal from your signage resource. And it’s ok to use up that case of window envelopes that only go to vendors before you print new ones. Focus your energy on high-touch tools.

Focusing on what your customers want to know, where you are connecting with them, and what you can realistically get done will help you align your priorities through a rebrand. Just remember to keep on going once you’re through that first push. Your ultimate goal is a consistent experience for your clients at every turn.