Rebranding your business is a major decision. There are lots of changes to undergo, and countless decisions to be made, but they don’t have to be overwhelming. When you have a step-by-step plan that takes you from start to finish, you’re free to focus your attention on the exciting, creative part of your brand update.

Here’s a simple, step-by-step plan to take you through every part of the rebranding process:

Step 1: Determine Your Vision for Your Brand

What’s your mission? What are your core values? Where do you see your business going? These are all questions that you (hopefully) asked yourself when you started your business. But as your business evolved, there’s a good chance those fundamentals have shifted as well. So, take the time to figure out exactly who you are and what you stand for NOW.

Step 2: Redefine Your Target Audience

Figure out who your brand is for. Start with the basic demographic stuff, and then get into what really matters. Who is your customer? What are they struggling with? And most importantly, how can you fix it? It’s a good idea to go ahead and update your ideal client profile while you’re at it so you’ll have it as a resource when you update your messaging.

Step 3: Perform a Brand Identity Assessment

Gather people with a strong relationship to your brand – your team, your stakeholders, your most valued customers – and ask them some important questions about your current branding. You want specific feedback here, so you’ve got to ask really specific questions. Don’t go with, “What do you like/dislike about our current branding?” Get valuable, useful feedback by asking questions like, “How would you describe our brand to a friend?” or “What words would you use to describe our brand/voice/personality?”

Step 4: Integrate New Branding with Current Branding

You’re making major changes, but you’re not starting from scratch. You want your brand to be recognizable to your loyal customers, so you have to find ways to marry the old with the new. Some people think they have to change EVERYTHING when they rebrand, and that’s simply not the case. If something is working well for you and fits with your vision for the future, keep it – especially if it’s your name.

Step 5: Assemble Your Rebrand Team

Start with your in-house team. They have a vested interest in your business and should play a role in your rebrand. Ask what they’re envisioning for your new branding. Brainstorm ideas with them and consult with them throughout the process for new ideas and different points of view. Your rebrand team should also include coaches or mentors that you trust, and the professionals who are going to help you update the look of your branding.

Step 6: Build Your New Brand Identity

This is the fun part! This is where you work with a graphic designer to update your logo. You play around with colors, fonts, and voice – all those things that make your brand wonderfully unique. Once you’ve put together your new look, you need to create a new style guide to keep all your branding cohesive.

Step 7: Prepare to Launch!

Set a date for your launch – if you don’t have your launch date set in stone, it becomes all too easy to let the rebrand process drag on FOREVER. Deadlines are a great way to keep yourself on track. When you’ve picked the day to make your debut, you need to start mapping all the other dates that get you to the big day. Schedule your brand identity assessment, set up meetings with your designers, set deadlines for your new copy, website update, and everything in between.

Rebranding is a long process, and it’s a lot of work, but you don’t have to go it alone. If you’re considering a rebrand and want some advice or just want to throw some ideas around, I’d love to talk. You can visit me at SophieZo.com to set up a call or check out the latest episode of Building Your Empire with SophieZo for more tips!