When your business goes through a rebrand, you need to pay attention to two audiences; associates who work for you and all external clients, partners, and stakeholders. Your goals in your communication should be similar and should answer these basic questions:
- Why are we rebranding?
- What was your process?
- Who was included in the work?
- What are the impact this change will have on me and my day to day work?
There are many ways you can tell the story, but the most effective way to do this is with a professional video. The reason I like this format is that if it is well-done, it is easy to understand, can be concise, and will be the same story that everyone hears. Another benefit is that new associates and suppliers can watch to learn how the business is evolving. It is also an easy tool to replay so someone can rerun a section they missed.
The alternative is a live PowerPoint presentation, which, by comparison, typically won’t be as exciting. No one ever said, “oh joy, management is showing us a PowerPoint.”
Video allows you to add music and some drama to the big reveal. You can easily show the transition from the old to the new. And, you can photoshop what a new ad, website, tradeshow booth might look like even it is still in process. Video is dynamic and has energy.
Depending on the size of your company and who you need to reach, video is the most efficient way to get the word out and to spark conversation.
Watch for Resistance
Don’t be surprised by resistance. People hate change. But if you calmly explain the who, what and why – they’ll come along on the journey. Those naysayers are typically fear of the change, so you have to sell the possibilities and upside of tomorrow.
One of my clients went through a rebrand several years ago. We created a two-minute video that told the story we wanted to tell. We showed examples of how other brand’s logos have changed through the years to modernize and update their image. This helped make the change relatable.
We rented a local movie theatre around 4 pm and closed the office early. The CMO introduced the video and then the leadership team took audience questions. Having the video on a huge screen made this rebranding larger than life.
Because it wasn’t an internal-only video, we posted it to our website so employees could go back to it to make sure they understand the change. After a few months, we no longer kept it on the website because we wanted the conversation to move past the change.
After the short presentation, we had a small kickoff party with pizza. We also got a cake (actually, several cakes) made with the new logo and made it into a sweet little celebration. By having a little party and some fun balloons and other decorations with the new logo, we made it an upbeat event. The rebrand was a big success.
External Stakeholders
Since we wanted to share the news with our external stakeholders too, we crafted an email with a link to the video about the rebrand. We kept the communications simple – just about two paragraphs so that everyone from customers, suppliers, and community leaders could hear the news at the same time. By using video, we could spend time on scripting our story – and then everyone heard the same information every time.
Key Topics to Mention
- Brands and logos need refreshing, just like you update your wardrobe. You want to look your best to people you want to attract to your business from new talent or clients.
- The key message about who you are today may be different from yesterday. So, you want your new brand to portray the future, not the past. It should have an aspirational, forward-thinking message.
- A new tagline, if simple and memorable, can help align the team together. Explain how the tagline is truly the mission for your business for the coming years. No one remembers long and tedious mission statements. But a short and snappy tagline can become part of everyone’s daily life.
- Externally, most people don’t care about your rebranding, but they do like to understand what’s behind the change. They’ll view it through the lens of what’s in it for them.
- A rebrand can help simplify your message, so you stand for something, not everything. It can be the basis for many tactical ways to tell your story.
Rebranding is a lot of work – but it can also be a fun activity for your organization. Be creative and collaborative in the process. And when you are ready to show the final product – don’t forget the sizzle.
Does your business need a marketing coach, guide or sherpa? Are you generating enough leads? Is your marketing underperforming? I can help.
You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Our initial conversation is free. You talk, I listen. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com or call me. 919 720 0995. Visit my website at www.themarketingsage.com Let’s explore working together today.
Photo by Zhifei Zhou on Unsplash
