How to Effectively Communicate a Company Rebrand

Once you’ve invested the time and resources into rebranding, both monetary and mental, it’s only natural that you’ll want to shout about your rebrand from the rooftop of your building. You made it this far and you’re excited; you have a great-looking new brand, the buy-in of your internal stakeholders, and you’ve done your research so you know your customers will be over the moon too.

But even if your rebranding strategy is solid, catching your customers off-guard with a completely redesigned brand isn’t just confusing, it’s completely ineffective. Too often, many companies later find their rebranding efforts fall apart after splashy, but spontaneous, announcement.

You’ll need to put a solid communications and messaging strategy in place as one more essential piece of your entire rebranding process. This will ensure you’re prepared internally when the launch date arrives, and that you adequately prepare, and even excite your customers with your rebrand.

Craft a compelling brand story

A rebranding is often necessary because the core message or values of a business have changed.

An effective way to share who your business is and how it is evolving is by crafting a compelling brand story. Your customers want to hear about your business’s roots, and it is equally as important to showcase how you’re growing.

Your brand story will give your customers a clear understanding of who you are, where you are headed, and why your brand identity is changing.

Create a permanent space for your rebrand

You’ll want to start spreading the news in a variety of ways, but while press releases, social media posts, and printed materials are great ways to get the initial word out, they lack permanence.

Your rebranding story needs to live in a space where new and existing customers can find it after the initial announcements have dropped off their newsfeeds.

Consider hosting your brand details, story, and visual assets on a webpage or microsite, or consider incorporating interactive rebranding elements into your site, such as before & afters, or brand element spotlights.

When you showcase a rebrand in exciting and innovative ways, you will be able to better engage your audiences and keep them talking positively about your ‘brand’ new direction.

Leave your old brand in the past

Consistency is the key to effective communication, so it is crucial to ensure every piece of collateral and every conversation about your brand is reflective of your current branding.

There is a long list of items to consider, from your website and social media, to marketing material, even office signage, stationery, and staff uniforms. Everything should be updated to reflect the new you. A cohesive look will keep you looking professional and your identity clear to your audience.

You’ll also want to establish brand messaging guidelines that will help guide communication about your new brand with your audiences.

It is vital to prepare an initial and an ongoing, long-term communications strategy to plan out how you’re going to kick off your rebrand communications, and keep people talking about after you’ve launched.

In addition to a well-thought out communications plan, it’s also important to establish a timeline for your rebrand rollout, so ensure a smooth transition from the old to the new.

And don’t wait until the last minute! A rebranding communications strategy will only be successful if it’s in place well before the launch date, so you can make sure every detail is as perfect as can be.

If you’ve already checked out our free Strategic Guide to Rebranding Success ebook, our team of branding experts can help you kick off a rebranding campaign with a free brand consultation, and make sure every piece is in place for maximum success. Together, we’ll determine where your brand is today and where you have the potential to go.