Releasing your new brand to the world can be both scary and exciting, and it isn’t something that can happen overnight. It is going to take a lot of planning and preparation before you can launch your brand, and a lot of hard work to make it a success. So, where do you start?
Table of Contents
Planning Ahead
To really be fully prepared, you need a lot of time on your side. While it’s something exciting to look forward to, you absolutely cannot rush things. Patience is key, and you need to make sure all your pieces are lined up first. Your aim is to attract customers and gain positive attention, and if you are launching a re-branding, then you will want to make sure you don’t achieve confusion and backlash from your existing customers. Get started as early as possible in your planning, and ensure you are thoroughly prepared for the drop. You can utilize project management tools and apps to ensure your brand release is on track and you are fully prepared at every stage.
The Bigger Picture
When approaching your brand launch, you need to know the story you are trying to tell. If you are releasing a new brand, what message are you trying to convey? If re-branding, what is this going to change, and what is your re-branding going to mean to your customers? It is essential that you think this through thoroughly, especially if your brand already has a large following. Creating this message for your brand and your brand’s image is an important part of brand building, so make sure you get this clear.
Connecting All the Dots
When launching a brand, it’s important to consider the cohesiveness throughout your launch. You need to make sure all the elements of your advertisement and promotion are consistent, from websites and social media, to business cards and stationery. Even the logo on your email digital signature needs to be ready and set-up before you can press the ‘launch’ button. Make sure every part of your brand is finalized, so the launch can make the best impact. Your audience is going to experience your brand through many ways, so all these aspects need to be ready.
Know Your Audience
Think about how this brand launch will affect people in your circle. You will be unveiling your brand to several types of people, from customers to investors, business partners, employees and even the media. Do you want to personally introduce your new brand to these different parties? Will you be holding pre-launch events? How will these people share your brand and its message in a positive way? These are all super important elements to consider when you are preparing for your brand launch.
Internal Launch
Your new branding will firstly need to be revealed and fully understood by everyone involved in your company. Employees are brand ambassadors, so it’s essential that they understand and appreciate the brand and the story that your brand is telling. You should make this a celebratory event, as every employee has helped to create and innovate your brand, so make them feel excited and part of this new chapter. You also need to think carefully about brand guidelines, to ensure they understand how you require the brand to be represented and how their role will affect this.
The Big Launch
When all is fully planned and prepared and you are ready to press ‘go’ on your brand launch, you want it to make the biggest impact it can. To do this, build up excitement and anticipation, but try not to dilute the final release with leaking anything too exciting like new logos before its official launch. Make sure all is ready and set, so when you press ‘go’, everything can be released at once. From your new website being launched to promotion being released, you want it all up and live at the same time if possible. You also need to be ready to address comments and feedback, to make sure the brand is well received.
By making sure that everything is aligned internally and externally, with everyone involved fully on-board and your message fully understood, your brand will have the biggest impact. Be prepared to keep up with the launch, and keep the excitement and positive energy going, so that your brand can have lasting effects. It’s not an easy, overnight process, but it’s worth the careful planning and preparation to get it right.
