• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Small Business Kickstarter
    • Terms of Use
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • DMCA
  • About Us – Small Business Kickstarter
    • How It Works
  • BUSINESS  AND PERSONAL FUNDING ALL TYPES
  • STARTUP BUSINESS FINANCING
  • BUSINESS STARTUP FUNDING
  • UNSECURED BUSINESS TERM LOAN FINANCING
  • BUILD YOUR BUSINESS FINANCIALLY
  • BUSINESS CREDIT FAST
    • OBTAIN CORPORATE CREDIT
  • START YOUR NEW FINANCIAL LIFE
  • SMALL BUSINESS TAX SHELTER
  • How To Start a Company
    • Best Business to Start
    • Your Business Plan
    • Selecting a Business Entity
    • Filing EIN With IRS
    • Business Entity Tax Consequences
    • Business or Hobby IRS View
    • Independent Contractor or Employee
    • Startup Business – Services Offered
  • How To Promote Your Business
    • Small Business In The Internet Age
    • Free Business Listings
    • Free Advertising Sources 2022
    • Mobile Optimized Website Design
    • Flash Built Website Not Good For Business
    • Email Marketing Solutions
    • Established Business – Services Offered
  • APPLY FOR LOAN ONLINE
  • Loans For Business
  • Business Info Resources
  • Bankruptcy Survival
    • BANKRUPTCY AFTER CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
  • Starting Over After COVID PANDEMIC
    • START YOUR NEW FINANCIAL LIFE
    • Work From Home With Affiliate Marketing
    • Make Money Fast With No Experience
    • How To Make Money Fast With No Experience
  • Business Survival In Age Of New World Order
  • Contact Us
  • Kickstarter Blog
  • Small Business News
  • How To Make Money Fast With No Experience

SMALL BUSINESS KICKSTARTER

HOW TO GROW A BUSINESS

You are here: Home / Kickstarter Blog / When Your Website Needs A Makeover

When Your Website Needs A Makeover

February 26, 2014 by Kickstarter Team

How To Rebrand Your Website

When you decide a complete Website Makeover is in order here is a 7 step process to help you get started.

branding

How To Start The Rebranding Process Without Losing Your Mind

Embarking on a rebrand mission is daunting. Get some quality feedback, get your team on board, and go for it with these steps to a fresh image.
By Steven Hobé

Your logo is outdated, print materials look tired. And your website needs a major overhaul.

But trepidation aside, you know that things need to change.

Here are seven tips to consider before embarking on organizational rebranding:

1. Begin at the Beginning

Your logo: the apex of your organization’s image. It is by far the most integral component to beginning the rebranding process–it all starts here. For now, put aside thoughts of annual reports, newsletters, and websites. The logo comes first.

2. Garner Feedback

Focus on gathering feedback of your current brand from an array of external sources (This does not mean seeking the advice of friends and family). Surveys and focus groups are the best way to go. Results of this environmental scan will be invaluable in helping guide your decision-making later on.

3. Foster Buy-in

The next step is to gain the trust and buy-in from your staff, Board Directors and other key stakeholders. It’s not about presenting the final product, or logo mock-ups, at this stage–it’s about fostering enthusiasm for change. Everyone should be on-board and excited by the possibilities ahead.

4. Search for the Right Branding Agency

It’s imperative that you find the right branding agency for your organization, one that you feel comfortable working with. Don’t rush this decision, but take time to meet with a few. Once you’ve landed on the right fit, make your intentions clear from the get-go in terms of expectation; also be sure to understand the agency’s process, and how this will lead to the best result. Remember, they may be the experts in design, but you are the experts of your organization. A good agency will listen carefully, and lead you through the process.

5. Create Reasonable Timelines

Logo development can be quick and dirty, or tempered and process oriented. We would advise the latter. Allow time for research, logo development, and then rollout on all your materials. This could take time. But it’s well worth it.

6. Place Personal Biases Aside

All too often, it’s difficult for decision-makers to put their own likes and dislikes aside. You may not be partial to the color blue, but this could be exactly the choice that speaks to your target audience. The same is true for a wide array of choices you will have to make during logo development: from fonts to taglines. Trust in the process.

7. Don’t Be Afraid to Speak Up

If there is something about the process that makes you uneasy, talk to the branding agency–your relationship with them should be a two-way dialogue. In the final stages, it’s up to the agency to present the reasoning behind the new design; but again, despite the impending deadline, if you have doubt, express it. You will kick yourself later if you don’t.

There are always a lot of moving parts to logo development, but it doesn’t need to be overwhelming. If the process works, then your new brand will revitalize and inform other communications vehicles. It will also bring about a renewed pride and strength of purpose to your organization in moving forward.

–Steven Hobé is Communications Strategist & CEO at HOBÉ+HOSOKAWA INC., a marketing and communications firm in Toronto, Canada.

[Image: Flickr user Kyle Van Horn]

Filed Under: Kickstarter Blog Tagged With: Branding, Website Design

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • 12 Small Business Trends For 2022
  • Major Credit Score Changes Are Here
  • The Future In Small Business Lending
  • CARES Act Bankruptcy Update
  • Need Money Fast? Yes It Seems Too Good To Be True

Archives

  • May 2022
  • August 2021
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • September 2017
  • December 2015
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
Copyright [© 2014 — Small Biz Kickstarter • All rights reserved. • •] ·Magazine Pro - Genesis Framework by StudioPress - WordPress -