Companies with strong branding outperform others by 20%, and you are here because you want those results too.

In this article, we will teach you 6 rebranding strategies to refresh your existing brand identity and increase your brand recognition. Plus, we will showcase companies that successfully rebranded and what you can learn from them.

By the end, you are ready to create a new brand image to capture a bigger market share and increase your bottom line.

6 Must-Know Rebranding Strategies To Stand Out

Review each strategy, learn the actionable points, and go over how workable they are with your marketing team to start your rebranding efforts ASAP.

1. Optimize Your Domain Name

Choose a web address that is easy to remember and reflects your brand. For example, generic or bad domain names like “bestproducts1234.com” do not tell people much about your business.

In contrast, a well-optimized domain name improves brand recognition and helps you build a strong brand identity. 

Best For

Educational platforms can build credibility with a clear, professional domain name that reflects their mission and offerings. For eCommerce stores, this helps you stand out among competitors.

How To Implement

Brainstorm what your new domain name should be. To help you with this, keep these in mind:

• Avoid complex words.
• Keep your domain name short and simple.
• Make sure it is easy to spell and remember. 

Most importantly, it should reflect your brand to give users or the public an idea of what your business does. 

A great example is the domain name of Tailored Athlete: tailoredathlete.co.uk

“Tailoredathlete” is straightforward, easy to spell, and understandable, which is great for brand recall. It also reflects the brand’s focus on specialized clothing for athletes. Plus, the “.co.uk” extension shows that it is based in the United Kingdom. It helps with local SEO and appeals to UK-based customers.

Then, get input from your stakeholders like employees, loyal customers, business partners, and industry experts. Use Google Forms to create the surveys and send them in through emails. Simply fill out your business information and you can start building the survey.

Give them choices but also let them make suggestions. This collaborative approach guarantees you choose a domain name that aligns with your brand identity and appeals to your target audience.

Once you have your domain name, register it through ShortDot and choose from our 5 domain extensions. Each extension caters to specific niches, like .CFD is for fashion businesses while .bond is for finance firms. But each one is brandable and memorable.

2. Tap Into Crowdsourced Design

Get your audience’s fresh perspectives and ideas as part of your rebranding process. Use this strategy to build their connection and loyalty to your brand. Plus, when you include them, your company’s visual elements will resonate more and make them feel valued.

Best For

Community-driven businesses, like Texas-based Chisos which is built on a founder’s pride for his state, benefit. Crowdsourcing helps them create a strong bond with the community and encourages local business support. Plus, it improves their brand authenticity and gives customers a sense of ownership and pride.

Businesses in consumer goods, fashion, or marketing also benefit since they thrive on customer engagement and new ideas.

How To Implement

Reach out to your audience through social media channels. Ask them for ideas on your new logo, color schemes, and other design elements. You can run contests, polls, or surveys to gather their input. 

For example, let’s say you are rebranding your handmade clothing boutique. You can ask your audience these:

Next, review the design submissions. To do this, look for designs that align with your brand vision and appeal to your target audience. 

Back to our boutique example, the design should reflect your brand vision of unique, stylish, and artisanal clothing. This can mean a new visual identity that includes handcrafted patterns and earthy tones.

Additionally, work with a professional designer to refine the chosen concepts based on your brand guidelines. Make sure to share sneak peeks and updates on social media channels to maintain your audience’s involvement.

3. Bring Back The Classics

Reintroduce vintage elements in your brand and add a modern twist to tap into nostalgia while staying contemporary. This rebranding strategy works wonders because people love familiar and comforting things from the past. 

So blend the old with the new to remind customers of the good old days while refreshing your brand’s appeal.

Best For

If you are in fashion and accessories, use this strategy to bring back classic styles and designs. A great example of a brand from this niche that does this is Andar. It blends traditional craftsmanship with modern functionality, like adding RFID-blocking materials to keep your credit card info safe from theft.

Also, food and beverage companies can bring back old recipes or packaging to rebrand. These industries thrive on emotional connections which helps create strong bonds with both longtime and new customers.

How To Implement

Look at your brand’s history to find popular elements like an old logo, product design, slogan, or packaging. To determine which ones were popular, look at your customer feedback. You can also learn from long-time customers about which elements they fondly remember. 

Get your marketing team to create an email campaign directed at them where they can share their thoughts and suggestions. Reward them, like a discount code, to encourage them to participate.

Additionally, dig through your old marketing materials for inspiration on what to bring back. You might find something you used before that is trending again.

You can also draw inspiration from vintage trends in your industry. Look at timeless designs, colors, and styles that resonate with your brand’s vision. For example, if you are rebranding your coffee shop, look at classic café designs from the 1950s or 1960s. 

Once you identify the classic elements you identified, add a twist. Suppose you found an old brand logo from your company’s early days that customers loved. Simplify the design and use contemporary colors to refresh it. Incorporate sleek, modern fonts and perhaps add a subtle gradient.

Then, incorporate these updated elements into your marketing materials, including brochures, social media posts, and website. With this, you create a nostalgic yet fresh look that can appeal to long-term fans and new customers.

4. Lead With Purpose In Your Branding

Focus on a cause that aligns with your company’s mission and values. Use this strategy to build a memorable company image and improve your brand reputation. Your customers can support and appreciate that you stand for something meaningful.

Best For

Healthcare adjacent companies since aligning with health-related causes directly supports their mission to improve patient care and wellbeing. A good example of leading with purpose is Rochester-based Main Clinic Supply. 

They support organizations like Make-A-Wish and the American Cancer Society to uphold the Mayo Clinic’s values. With this approach, they build a strong connection with their community and strengthen their patient-first branding.

Similarly, eco-friendly brands can support environmental causes to attract customers who care about sustainability. Education and non-profit sectors can also fund related causes to reinforce their mission and values in their rebranding. 

How To Implement

Identify a cause that aligns with your company’s mission and values. To do this, consider your core principles and goals. For example, if your company focuses on sustainability, support environmental conservation efforts or renewable energy projects.

In addition, engage your team to brainstorm and discuss potential causes that align with your business. You should also look at customer feedback to see which issues your audience cares about. 

Then, research reputable organizations and initiatives that match the cause you want to be front and center as part of your rebranding. Form partnerships with them, do donation drives, and increase your volunteer efforts.

Next, do marketing campaigns to highlight your cause-driven efforts. Use stories, videos, and testimonials to show your support’s impact. Make sure to also encourage your employees to participate in community events. 

When your audience sees you and your team actually doing the work and not just photo-ops, your cause-driven rebranding efforts can be much more impactful. Use this as a strong foundation to build up your company’s image while also making a difference.

5. Implement Hyper-Personalization

Tailor your brand experience to meet each customer’s unique needs and preferences to improve brand perception and make your customers feel valued. Plus, this lets you shift your company’s focus from a one-size-fits-all approach to a more individualized, engaging experience.

Best For

If you are in eCommerce, suggest products based on browsing history and purchase behavior to increase sales and customer satisfaction. If you run a financial firm, offer tailored advice and services to improve customer trust.

Meanwhile, healthcare companies can offer personalized health plans to improve patient care and build confidence in their services.

How To Implement

Gather consumer behavior data to better understand why they act the way they do. Here’s how to do that:

 

How to Analyze Consumer Behavior and Increase Your Revenue (FREE Report)

Once you have the data, segment your audience based on it. Use HubSpot to create detailed customer profiles and groups. 

Simply use the tool’s filter option to be as specific as possible with your segments. For example, in the image above, this segment only includes contacts who filled out the ebook form, are from Melbourne, and have visited the web pages 10 times or less.

Then, create personalized marketing content for each segment like emails, product suggestions recommendations, and targeted ads. Here are 2 segment examples:

Customers who frequently buy running shoes: 

• Targeted ads for performance-enhancing accessories like running sock sleeves.
• Send an email with recommendations for new running gear like hydration packs.

Gym-goers segment:

• A personalized email with an in-depth review article about gym bag essentials. 
• Targeted ads for strength training accessories like resistance bands and lifting belts.

But beyond marketing, hyper-personalization also means you should offer custom products and services tailored to meet your customer’s individual needs. A good example of this is Pergola Kits USA. Each pergola or pavilion is hand-made and they allow customers to customize their kits no matter the size and are ready to assemble when delivered.

6. Revitalize Your Social Media Presence

Update and refresh your social media channels to reflect your new brand identity. So change your visuals, messaging, and engagement tactics. Then, use this strategy to grow brand awareness and solidify your new image. 

With this, you can make sure your audience connects with and recognizes your brand refresh every time they engage with your content.

Best For

Fashion and accessories brands can thrive on visual-heavy platforms like Instagram. A refreshed social media presence can help them stay trendy and visually appealing, which is crucial when creating a redefining company image in a competitive market.

Also, sustainable brands can use social media to educate and inspire their audience. Craft breweries, restaurants, or specialty coffee shops can also benefit from a revamped, rebranded online presence. They can use such platforms to share behind-the-scenes content, recipes, and customer stories to engage their audience. 

Overall, this rebranding strategy can help these niches become more accessible to build a stronger connection with customers and edge out competitors. 

How To Implement

Use Sprout Social to conduct a social media audit. It shows your engagement rates and which content performs best, like this:

For instance, you might discover that your audience engages more with video content than static images. Use this insight to get a clear direction on where to focus your efforts.

But make sure your content reflects your overall rebranding. So if you want to present a more minimalist image, produce videos with simple yet crisp visuals and serene background music.

Then, choose platforms to pour more efforts into based on your brand’s strengths. For example, brands like Golde and Mannequin Mall are visual and aesthetic-centric. So, they create more content for Pinterest and Instagram. 

But if you run a B2B business, prioritize LinkedIn since it is where the company decision-makers are. Post articles about your products or services to show how they can benefit businesses. You should also share your success stories to highlight the industries you worked with and the positive impact you made.

Next, change your profile pictures, cover photos, and bios with your new brand elements. Make sure all visuals are high-quality and reflect your brand. Use Canva’s Brand Kit to keep your visuals consistent.

You should also create a consistent brand personality:

Talk with your audience. Thank them for positive feedback, answer their concerns within 24 hours, and do not be afraid to use humor to create banter. Use this to build a strong, loyal community and show you value their input.

If your brand strategy is about improving convenience and customer engagement, sell on TikTok and other social media platforms. They make your products more accessible and create a shopping experience that seamlessly integrates with your audience’s daily social media use. 

To do this, use tools like EasyChannel to manage all your social media commerce in one place. It lets you handle inventory and orders across all your channels to simplify your selling process.

Explore How 3 Brands Achieved A Successful Rebrand

Take notes on what each brand did to achieve a successful rebrand, then review and see how you can apply these tactics to your rebrand.

A. Dunkin’

Dunkin’ made a bold move by dropping “Donuts” from its name as a strategic response to the changing consumer preferences and the growing coffee market.  The new name aims to highlight that they sell more than just donuts and attract a broader audience of coffee lovers.

Learn From It

Choose a name that allows for growth and diversification to make sure your brand’s identity is not confined to a single product. For instance, many people thought Dunkin’ Donuts only sold donuts. By dropping “Donuts” from the name, Dunkin’ could better showcase its full range of offerings.

Your brand name should be flexible so you can expand and adapt to new markets and trends without having to rebrand every time.

B. Apple

Apple shifted from being known primarily as a computer company to becoming a leading tech innovator, introducing groundbreaking products like the iPhone, iPad, and MacBook.

Why did they rebrand?

The company was struggling and losing market share. So Steve Jobs rebranded and redefined Apple’s narrative. It spearheaded the evolving tech landscape and met the growing demand for more integrated and versatile devices.

Learn From It

Focus on innovation and user experience when rebranding. Apple invested heavily in research and development to create products that set their brand apart and redefined entire markets.

If you have the resources, invest in R&D to push the boundaries in your niche while amplifying customer experience. You have to innovate and lead, not just become a follower of your competitors.

C. Airbnb

Airbnb’s rebranding is a fascinating story of growth and purpose. Initially known as a low-cost alternative to traditional hotels, Airbnb rebranded to position itself as a more sophisticated and upmarket option. This shift was symbolized by their new logo, the Bélo, representing connection and community. 

Additionally, Airbnb is now more outspoken on social issues. For instance, after the US closed its borders to refugees, Airbnb aired the “We Accept” Super Bowl ad to pledge housing for 100,000 displaced people and donate $4 million to the International Rescue Committee.

Despite the controversy, this bold move generated 85% positive reactions and reinforced their mission of inclusivity.

Learn From It

Align your brand with a clear, meaningful mission and take bold stands that reflect your values. Airbnb’s commitment to belonging and community strengthened its brand messaging and built a loyal, engaged community.

Conclusion

Rebranding can breathe new life into your business. So gather your team now to pinpoint why you want to rebrand. Then, prioritize the rebranding strategies that align with your goals. You should reflect on your brand’s identity and how these changes can enhance it. 

But remember, rebranding is about more than just a new logo—it is about embodying your values and connecting with your audience on a deeper level.

What’s your next move?

Use ShortDot to help you rebrand. We help you spread the word about your new website domain and keep your audience’s attention on you. Contact us now and let’s take the first step towards your rebranding. 

Author Bio:

Burkhard Berger is the founder of Novum™. He helps innovative B2B companies implement modern SEO strategies to scale their organic traffic to 1,000,000+ visitors per month. Curious about what your true traffic potential is?

Gravatar: vip@novumhq.com