You’re a thoughtful and strategic business leader who pays close attention to your market and how your organization connects to it. You know that it’s natural for products, services, and the people who need them to change. You also know when it’s time for the public face of your company–your brand–to evolve right along with them.
We recently went through this rebrand ourselves. At TimelyCare (formerly TimelyMD), we recognized that our mission to improve the health and well-being of students had already progressed beyond straightforward medical care and we evolved our services to include mental health services five years ago. During those five years, we kept the TimelyMD company name because of the credibility we’d built in the higher education market we serve. However, we realized that it was time to invest in a brand refresh that would reflect our broader range of virtual health and well-being services moving forward.
Having gone through the rebranding process earlier this year and come out stronger on the other side, I’d like to offer my top tips for rebranding success.
1. Write the story of your rebrand.
Most rebrands don’t make the news, so the most important story you tell is the one that’s authentic to the “why” behind your evolution. Sure, if your brand refresh occurred because of broader societal shifts that matter to your audience (think: when CVS announced it would stop selling tobacco and rebranded as CVS Health), that insight might get you serious press. The best reason for a rebrand involves a story you’ll want to be able to tell as you reintroduce yourself to your market–and journalists will amplify it if your story is strong.
2. Choose a brand identity that speaks to that story.
Stories are not static. A good rebranding story starts in the past and moves into the future. To tell that story, your new brand identity should do the same, and not just erase and replace everything you’ve built before.
One of the most gratifying comments we received about our rebrand was from a trade reporter who said, “It’s nice to see a company rebrand in a way that you still know who they are.”
3. Get your key stakeholders on board.
Here’s your first chance to pitch the story you’ve so carefully crafted and polished. There is no point in moving forward until you have consensus among key stakeholders, such as company leaders, equity partners, and board members. Once you do…
4. Identify and empower the core team.
Now that everyone’s on board and you’re moving forward, you’ll need a core team to handle all aspects of your branding evolution. You’ll also need a key point person who can pivot to managing the rebrand full-time.
In our case, bringing on a trusted external partner to drive the project and execute the details was key. Our partner set up a comprehensive schedule and kept all the moving parts on track–including the work of a talented freelance designer–without any other distractions. This critical support allowed the rest of the team to focus on strategy, keeping us moving forward on other business priorities and getting ready for the big day.
5. Circle a date on the calendar.
No matter how much time you allow yourself, a rebrand is always a hard drive to the finish. Make the process less overwhelming by setting a firm deadline. For us, two major trade shows in the same week presented the perfect opportunity to announce our new name, look, and feel. Once we had those events locked into our calendar, our external partner and core team worked backward to craft a manageable schedule.
6. Think big but watch the nitty-gritty.
Rebranding isn’t just about big-picture marketing and communications. Every facet of your business will be involved. Sure, you’ll need a new logo and brand standards, but you’ll also need revised website redirects, email signatures, print collateral, and new product design, among a million other things. Your brand is more pervasive than you think, and someone needs to be on top of every application.
But don’t worry about flipping the switch on every deliverable on day one. Prioritize those with the greatest visibility and accept that it’s okay to tackle less important or more internal areas in the weeks that follow.
7. Share information and celebrate the process with your whole team.
We announced our intention to rebrand during our all-hands holiday gathering, generating excitement among employees months before the formal announcement. Then we kept employees informed along the way, leading up to the big day, when we celebrated the long-anticipated evolution with our entire team.
If you keep these key steps in mind, I have every confidence that your rebrand will arrive at the same celebratory conclusion.
