By: Lynne A Saarte

Businesses have to stay modern to compete with other businesses that are popping up all over the world, and all over the Internet. One of the ways businesses stay modern is to rebrand themselves. If you are preparing to rebrand your company, read on for mistakes to avoid while in the rebranding process:

1. Totally redesigning all your packaging. This could be a huge mistake, because if there is no trace of your old brand left, how will consumers know who you are? They might think your business is new and therefore inexperienced. Be sure to just tweak your packaging, like Aunt Jemima has. Aunt Jemima is a good example because the company just updated their “blue collar” woman to reflect today’s culture - a woman with a more professional image. In 1989 they removed her headband and gave her pearl earrings and a lace collar, which reflected the modern times of more women in the workforce.

2. Not following a plan. You need a new plan to follow that is similar to a marketing plan. You will need new custom business cards, brochures, an updated Web site - basically all your marketing materials will need a face lift with your new brand theme. Be sure to adjust your color printing budget, along with timelines and other resources so that you know exactly what you need and who is going to do it.

3. Not consulting with a branding expert. You do not have to go with a big-name expert that will break your budget. But do consider consulting with an advertising or public relations agency to help you with your rebrand. They have experts that have helped other companies with rebranding and they can be invaluable to you.

4. Not rebranding everything. If you decide to redesign everything, make sure you do not miss anything. If you have a great new Web site, new brochures and catalogs, and nearly everything has your new logo or brand design on it except for your invoices or your letterhead, people’s perception of your brand will decline. Make sure that every single thing that customers see has been changed.

5. Not testing your rebrand. Just as you would if you were building a new brand from scratch, you need to test it out on your target market. Hold focus groups and show the participants your new materials and gauge their reaction. Are they more interested? What don’t they like? Do they say anything like “This is not your company”? If customers really liked your old brand, be sure you just tweak it or update it, instead of completely overhauling it. Oftentimes you will get tired of your brand before others do.

6. Only focusing on your own industry. When you conduct brand research and you are looking for ideas for your rebranding strategy, you should not only look at your competitors, but look at companies that are not in your industry. Pay attention to what successful companies are doing with their customer service, their marketing methods and their Web sites. Do not copy their ideas, but tailor their tactics to work with your rebranding strategy.

If you avoid the mistakes highlighted here, your rebranding task should be a success!

Lynne Saarte is a writer that hails from Texas. She has been in the Internet business for some years now, specializing in Internet marketing and other online business strategies.

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