It can be intimidating to think about all of the elements that go into launching or updating a brand - designing a new website, putting together a new brand guide, ordering apparel and supplies (the list goes on). That's why we put together this guide of everything you need to know before launching your brand, or you can use it to verify that you've done everything to make your brand launch a success.
We're currently in the process of rebranding, so each week we'll be detailing our process so you can go through the journey with us! Over the next few months, we'll be implementing the same strategies we'll be sharing with you including redesigning our website and print materials, implementing new strategies and software, and putting on a large community event to promote our new brand identity.
Here's our planning guide that we're using now to bring about some major changes to our company culture and image:
1.) Define Goals
The first and most important step to every brand launch is to define what you would like to achieve. Set measurable goals that can be acheived in a realistic timeframe. Not all goals have to be sales related: for instance, one of our goals was to build a brand purpose that all employees can champion.
One of the ways we plan to do that is by creating a brand guide with updated company values that employees suggested themselves and that they can relate to.
We're also adding new colors to our brand's color scheme to give our design team more versatility creating materials including stationary, apparel, trade show supplies and more. The goal behind adding these new styles is to make Namify a brand all our employees can get behind by understanding that we're not changing - we're competing against the old "us" to be better than we were before.
2.) Hold A Design Sprint
Your employees are one of your best resources to gather ideas on specific areas of focus for your brand launch. Google Ventures (GV) created the Design Sprint process to help you come up with dozens of new ideas by having employees map out problems, generate solutions, make decisions and create a prototype for your next big idea. Check out the video below to get a better idea of how it's done:
We held our design sprint in a day rather than a week and our team came up with more than 40 ideas to improve our processes! We found that the design sprint made it easier for all ideas to be considered and given equal attention, which allowed us to get valuable ideas from everyone on the team.
3.) Create A Plan
After pinning down your action items from the design sprint and prioritizing your goals, it's time to create a plan to execute your brand launch. Elements of your brand launch plan should include:
- Action items and timeline for achieving goals
- Editorial calendar for blog and social media content
- Digital advertising and PR strategy
- Internal and external promotion techniques
- Summary and evaluation of customer touch points (email, sales calls, marketing materials, etc.)
4.) Publish A Brand Style Guide
Publishing a brand style guide is another crucial step to your brand launch. The brand style guide helps everyone throughout the company understand who you are, your company values and mission statement, and explain why it's important to maintain a universal brand style throughout your company communications.
Your brand style guide should include information about your company core values, logo, color palette and fonts, email signature, company templates for business cards, letterheads and press releases, and digital media guidelines.
5.) Make Needed Changes To Your Website
As you plan your designs for digital advertisements and link back to your website, you should consider that more than half of all web traffic now comes from mobile devices. Many of these users will abandon your website instantly if it does not load within a few seconds or if the page doesn't look right on their device, so web design is another element you should consider when planning your brand launch.
6.) Promote Internally And Externally
- Include personal stories from your employees on what the brand means to them
- Give away shirts, lanyards, or promo items to highlight your new brand identity
- Make a brand video to highlight what your company is all about
