Rebranding Checklist

OMG! When you run a small business and you’re looking to rebrand, you forget how many things you’ve got branded with your company name and logo.

Blue Dog Marketing is in the process of rebranding (look for an announcement in early 2017!) so we’re putting together a checklist of everything we need to do to make the renaming of our company a smooth process.

Here is what we’ve come up with so far:

The new name

You have to work with an attorney to do a search to see if your new business name is available and you can legally use it. If someone else has already registered the business name in another state, you can be sued for infringement. Your attorney will also check the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to make sure the trademark is available. We’re using Tracy Jong of Tracy Jong Law Firm. She specialized in small business law and is easy to work with.

This was all the easy part….seriously! Now comes all the work integrating your new name into your business.

Website and Social Media

You need to make sure the domain name you want is available. When you find want you want, purchase it! You can have your old domain address point to your new rebranded website to help make the transition easy. Oh, that means you also need a new website!

You will also want to make sure the social media handles you want are available. If they aren’t, work on something as close to your brand as possible. Switch your social media profiles to the new name so you can retain your fans and followers.

New Logo

Design a new logo. Being a marketing firm, this part is easy for us. For others thinking about rebranding, this is where you’ll want a marketing firm to assist you.

Update your website with your new logo and name. For a few months, you should have some content on the home page letting people know that you have rebranded and that they are on the correct website.

Marketing Materials

Update all your marketing materials. This includes not only your brochures and sell sheets but your business cards, email signatures, proposal forms, invoices, trade show booths, and giveaways.

Your email signature can also be another way of letting people know that you have rebranded. Just like on your website, use your email signature to tell people who you used to be so they’re not confused.

Notify people

Your clients and vendors are the first people you should notify once the rebrand is in place. Formal announcements are a great way of letting people know about your rebrand.

Send out press releases announcing your rebrand. This is a great place to tell the story of your brand.

You also have to update your bank account. And notify any organizations that you belong to, such as a Chamber of Commerce, so they have your membership correct.

If you can, hold a launch party for your clients and vendors. What a great way to get the buzz going about your new and exciting venture!

Thinking About Rebranding Your Business?

A business’ brand is their core identity. It is the collection of the ideals, values, characteristics and personality of your company.

Sometimes, brands rebrand. There are many reasons why. For some, a crisis occurred; for others, they just felt they needed to come up with a more modern brand.

Rebranding isn’t something that should be done on a whim.

But if you are deciding to rebrand, here are some important steps for you to take:

Identify your goals

Like any marketing strategy, you must first identify your goals. Are you just reshaping your company’s image or are you rebuilding from scratch? Have you identified a new market that you must appeal to?

Your name change should coincide with other business principles changing too. You risk losing all the brand value you’ve built if this isn’t the case.

If you’ve outgrown your original mission, it’s time to rebrand. Over time, markets change and a rebrand is necessary to keep your company competitive.

If you have too many names for your business, it’s definitely time to rebrand. Consider the story about FedEx. Before they became FedEx, now a well-known company and logo, they were Federal Express and they had too many names for too many services. 

After a year of research, they rebranded to their new identity, FedEx.

Get professional help

Working with a marketing firm can help you do a rebrand the right way. You need so much ‘new stuff’ like a logo, website, domain name and more. A marketing firm can help you with all of these.

Have a story

Give your new brand a story. Find out what makes your products or services resonate with your clients.

Announce your new brand

Rollout your new brand in a series of formal announcements. Celebrate the change with your clients by possibly holding a launch party.

Blue Dog Marketing will be rebranding in early 2017. We want to share this experience with our clients and readers so if or when they decide to rebrand, we can better assist them with all the steps necessary to have a successful rebrand experience. Stay tuned!

4 Tips to Promote Your Re-Brand

You’ve rebranded your small business. When done right, rebranding can help your business gain a competitive edge.

How can your small business effectively implement your rebrand inexpensively? Here are three creative tips to promote your new brand.

Tap influencers in your industry to help raise awareness for your new brand

Reach out to any influencers in your industry whose audience is similar to the audience you are trying to reach.

How do you find these influencers? Check out Twtrland. It is a free tool that helps you identify influencers on social media. Inkybee is a tool that will help you find influential blogs and bloggers.

Ask your followers to spread the word

If you have a strong social media following, ask your followers to get the word out. It can be as simple as announcing your new brand and watching your followers spread the word.

Ask employees to be brand ambassadors

I’m sure you love your new logo. Have some awesome swag created that your employees will actually use – shirts, backpacks, etc. Once you have the great gear that your employees can’t wait to wear and use, host a networking event where you and your staff can show off the new gear.

Put your brand everywhere

Your new logo needs to be on everything – business cards, website, email signature, to name a few. Remember to upload your new logo to your social media sites too.