1. If you want to rebrand, you have to first figure out what you want. Is it common for new staff to take a year to understand what the organization actually does, and what the company's true objectives are? Think how hard it must be for your customers to have a sense of who you really are. To remedy that problem, perhaps you need to evaluate and update your brand to help people better understand what you're all about. First step: You need to figure out what your value is, and what goal/s you aspire to achieve.
2. If you want to rebrand, you have to get an outsider’s perspective. Your staff is too close to the organization, too used to working at the micro-level of everyday operations to clarify the mission and messages alone. Hire a professional.
3. A pro marketer will show you options. Control freaks unite! During the design and development phase of a rebranding effort you should be able to chose from a variety of concepts and give as much input as necessary. But that brings me to the next critically important thing…
4. Remember why you hired an expert. You hired an expert because you trusted their ability and didn’t want to end up with a clip art design. In the end, the experts will get it right. Know what you don't know.
5. Templates make life so much easier. Make sure that your visual brand is maintained. You should have templates and guidelines that are easy enough for the entire staff to use. This will save time, always have your products look professional, and it will maintain consistency across all materials.
6. It’s not magic, it’s a process. Intelligent and focused marketers follow a process. It may be invisible to an outsider, but it's a way of thinking, of "being" with a project through it's formation. That process produces stellar results.
8. It’s all in the details. Finishing touches make an impression.
9. Consistency is key. Clients and customers should be able to spot your brand presence from a mile away. Every webpage, envelope, sales letter, logo plate, etc., should be instantly recognized as coming from your company. And bigger is not always better. In our over saturated, visually cluttered market, simple stands out like nothing else.
