Article written by Hannah Stack, Business Advisor, Western Sydney Business Centre.
Launched a business and it hasn’t quite taken off as you would expect? Maybe you have a great business where customers know YOU and not your business name? Or perhaps you have been around for decades and it is time for a refresh? If this sounds familiar, then a business marketing rebrand may be on the cards.
Think business cards, signage, website, the list goes on, and it can be quite overwhelming.
So here it is, the ultimate checklist to rebrand your business within a week, a month, 3 months… The time-frame is up to you and how quickly your suppliers are able to assist you! As a Business Connect advisor, I would recommend before you jump in, to understand the WHY you are rebranding and the strategic business direction. Having a clear plan that considers all key factors is essential for a successful business rebrand.
Digital Marketing Checklist
A digital shopfront for your business is essential today, to attract and engage customers they need to be able to find you on google and view your website.
Website – work with your small business web developer
- Registering a new domain in both .com .au and .com.au – don’t forget to SAVE the logins!
- Work with your small business web developer to assist with changes such as
- Website logo
- Favicon
- Content and any name references
- Image references
- Update email address on the contact us page
- Website redirect directs
SEO – Work with a small business SEO specialist or DIY
- SEO.. search engine optimisation.. Something that can be quite complex when undertaking a website rebrand, here is the basics
- Update any directory listing and local business citations i.e. True Local, Yellow Pages etc. with your new business name and email
- Once all pages and listings have been updated, including Google My Business, await for the site to be indexed or request an index via Google Search Console.
- Review Yoast SEO… make sure that the meta description or title tags and tiles of each page do not have the old names. I will be writing a blog on DIY SEO recommendations for small businesses soon, so keep an eye out.
- Need more help? Reach out to a marketing agency near me , for help!
Google My Business .. your local marketing shopfront!
- Google My Business and Google Maps – one of the most critical steps in a rebrand is to update these listings, these can be found via your google my business login and can take up to 48 hours to make the changes.
Social Media Profiles
- Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Tiktok, Pinterest, Twitter.. Whatever social media platform you use or your marketing agency / marketing consultant uses to create awareness of your small business, the following needs updating
- Business name & handle
- Profile picture
- Banner
- Social media post that outlines the changes
Other Small Business Marketing considerations and recommendations
- Signage – do you have any existing signage which has your previous logo? Contact your local signage company to give you a quote to either replace or patch over the signage. This can be a costly process, so getting 2 or more quotes can help.
- Uniforms – depending on how big your small business is, staff uniforms may need to be rebranded with the new logo.
- Banners and other marketing material i.e., flyers, brochures, presentation documents – these need to be changed.
- Business Cards – these need to be changed with your new logo and updated email address, consider also using a QR code to make it easier sharing your details at local business networking events.
- Emails – you will need to ensure a smooth email transition of emails to ensure none are lost and there is a gradual change over time.
- Communicate – any rebrand is important to communicate to your customers, this can be done via a statement with your new brand or can be done via a post on social media. Key considerations to this type of communication is ensuring you cover off the following
- Why – you are rebranding
- How and what – this means for existing customers
- Reinforce your UVP and strength of the brand
- Reflect and pay tribute to where you have come and this rebrand is a symbol of a ‘new era’ rather than ‘change’ (people don’t always like the words change)
- Review voicemail messages and ensure they are consistent
- Trademark logo and business name
- Register your business name – this can be an expensive and costly process
- Email Banner and statement – communicating your change of email address
Whether a rebrand takes 1 month of 1 year, it is important you get it right. Understanding why you are rebranding is the first step in the process. As a Business Connect Advisor, specialising in Small Business Marketing, we take the time to review your business strategy and direction, prior to starting a rebrand project. Speak to us today!