Rebranding an existing business from start to finish can be a scary undertaking.
Supporting a social media client while they are rebranding their business can be full-on terrifying. But don’t fret, we got you covered!
In this article, we will look at all the pieces needed to complete a successful rebrand of a business as it pertains to social media. Let’s find out what it takes to rebrand a company!
Start Planning Early
While not everyone will have the luxury of months and months to work on a rebranding plan, starting early is a smart business move. Time gives the marketing team an opportunity to work out all the details of the rebrand, yet have time to spare when issues come up.
Caution: If you have a social media client who wants to ‘rebrand in a week’, stand back. It will take quite a bit longer to get all the pieces put together to launch a successful rebrand.
It should go without saying, but we are putting it here just in case:
A social media rebrand can only happen AFTER the business rebrand is put in motion. Some teams can pull off a simultaneous rebrand, but that’s tricky. Updating packaging, uniforms, vehicle wraps; this is all part of a rebrand and you will need images of this physical rebrand to complete your social media rebrand (more on that later in this article)
Create a Written Plan Before You Rebrand!
Ideally, you have both ample time and a robust budget to help your client complete this rebrand.
If nothing else, you need a written rebrand plan with all the pieces and a timeline of ‘when to execute what’.
Start the plan by listing all social media channels and online profiles of this brand; you will need this list later on in the rebranding process. Don’t forget review sites you may have a presence on. (Yelp, Tripadvisor, Houzz, etc)
POWER TIP: Complete a deep Google Search for forgotten online profiles!
While social media rebranding does not quite include responsibility for rebranding packaging, vehicle wraps and print materials, just to name a few things, that part of the business rebrand will affect your current photo files; all pictures with the old branding on it are now void, except for an occasional ‘Throwback Thursday’ post.
Setting a Marketing Budget for the Rebrand
Without a special marketing budget for your rebrand, you will be going nowhere. You will need a budget for things like new graphics, ads and management time to implement all the changes.
Can we assume a rebrand comes with a new or updated logo? Some business owners will try to link a logo back to the social media marketing budget, but it should be part of the overall rebrand budget.
Last but not least, your rebrand budget will also need to include money for a photoshoot
What Needs to Be in a Rebrand Plan?
Now that we’ve identified a few things that need to happen before taking action on the rebrand on social media:
- time
- budget
- written plan
It’s time to look at what is needed to execute this plan.
1 Complete a Photoshoot
Before doing anything else, you need a photoshoot. These new photographs should represent the new brand. When shooting new pictures, think to include shots for both web and social media, meaning you need a variety of angles, shots, and sizes.
These images can be used on the rebranded website, in social media posts and to create new social media headers.
2 Announce the Rebrand Before You Take Any Action
Inform your peeps, people.
Don’t have an unexpected rebrand on social media because you will catch a lot of pushback and flack for that! This is not the type of ‘surprise’ your online audience likes.
Ideally, you should not only announce that a rebrand is coming soon but instead look for ways to give your audience some ‘ownership’ of the rebrand! You can do this by asking for their opinion about a tagline, logo or color scheme. Of course, there is no need to go with their choices necessarily but just asking for their opinion will make them feel part of the process.
Surveys and polls via email and social media or a post in a group of loyal fans can help with this feeling of ownership.
3 Update Your Website
The first online update completed should be your website.
Updated logo, images, colors, fonts, bio, feel…
That is where you’ll be sending traffic, so that is where your rebrand should start.
Make sure your home page is where the change can not only be seen, but explained; create a blog, or a vlog and explain the ‘why’ of the rebrand. Be enthusiastic and show your company-wide excitement for this change. The last thing you need is confused website visitors who leave your website thinking they are in the wrong spot!
4 Execute Name and URL changes
If the rebrand includes a new name, you will need to change your social media handles and/or URLs.
There are many articles that can help you with this:
Execute a name change on Instagram
Execute a name change on Facebook
How to change a Twitter handle
How to change a Facebook URL
How to change your Pinterest name
Just know it’s a process and not always as straightforward as you might think. Allocate plenty of time to get this piece completed.
5 Update ALL bios
It goes without saying, but you will need to update all bios.
Things to include: a new tagline or hashtag, some new keywords and initially, a mention of the new branding!
6 Refresh ALL Headers and Profile Images
At this point in the rebranding process, it’s recommended you update the headers and profile images, including changing out the logo where needed.
Don’t forget to go back to that list of obscure platforms you might have a presense on!
7 Update all Assets!
With an updated logo, tagline, bio or complete new look, guess what; all your old graphics are now worthless!
You will need to update all your brand assets. That includes
- intro and outro for videos
- video thumbnails
- graphic templates
- quotes, holiday images, and all other ‘reusable’ assets
You get the idea; any image or graphic you reuse will need to be updated to reflect the rebrand.
8 Implement Your Follow Up Strategy
And then… you are not done by a long-shot.
Don’t just dump this rebrand on your audience and walk away.
Your audience will need to be guided through this process as not everyone will understand the ‘why’.
- People will be confused.
- People will have missed it.
- People will have old marketing material and not understand what happened.
- People will also want to celebrate with you! Hold a contest, give away swag, celebrate all things new!
You will need to have extra eyes on your brand for a while – i.e 1-3 months at a minimum.
You might need to tweak things, update images and adjust bios.
Last but not least – do you want to go back and update and OLD blogs, videos and lead magnets with new images? it’s not a given; some people update as they go, others will want this completed as part of the rebrand. Now is the time to get started on this last piece!
Be prepared that a rebrand launch is not a one-and-done type of project. Rebranding has long-lasting effects for your brand and you better be prepared for the long haul. While rebranding is often done to create a positive impact on the brand, if executed poorly rebranding can reflect poorly on the brand itself and have a negative effect.
I am a Certified Social Media Manager, Strategist, International Keynote Speaker, Organic Specialist and Agile marketer! Blogging is my creative outlet. Running, hiking and skiing are how I recharge. You’ll recognize me on stage and online by my always present orange glasses, a nod to my Dutch heritage.
