Maintaining a Consistent Brand Image Through the Shifting Seasons
What to Do in the Interim When Your New Branding and Website Aren't Ready to Share
In the digital age, it’s super important to maintain a professional and consistent image at all times. Yes, even when you’re in the process of developing a new website or revitalizing your branding! However, this can be challenging during that weird in-between phase when you’re working behind the scenes with a designer to really nail down that new look. During that time you’re not ready to launch or share your new assets - nor should you quite yet (and we’ll explain why in this newsletter). But while you’re in the flex period, it’s important not to stop what’s already going!
It’s super important to maintain
a professional and consistent image at all times…
even when you're in the process of developing
a new website or revitalizing your branding!
Here are 3 things you can do during the interim period to keep up that image and ride through the awkward bang phase:
1. Maintain Consistent Branding
One of the most important things you can do during the interim period is to maintain consistent branding. Your customers/donors/viewers likely don’t know that you’re rebranding, so if you start to change things mid-way through (that ultimately will get tightened up even more), it will throw them for a loop. They’ll be confused and the consistency/clarity that you originally had will be lost and it’ll be harder to get back on track. Instead, we recommend continuing with the original branding (colors, logos, fonts) until launch. When you launch you’ll come in HOT and it’ll be the exciting shift people can rally behind.
There is ONE exception: your messaging! Copy is the root of everything and you can start to shift your tone of voice as you come into your new branding/website. You’ve likely already started to think through those strategy changes behind the scenes anyways.
2. Keep Your Customers/Viewers Ultra-Engaged
It's important to keep your customers engaged during the interim period. You can do this by sending newsletters and emails that promote your services or products. You can also use social media platforms to post updates, teasers, and behind-the-scenes images or videos. Additionally, offering a sneak peek of the new branding and website to customers can generate excitement and keep them engaged. You want to keep them engaged and excited about the work you do -AND- be the mouthpieces (or fingers for this matter) to share about your new branding and website once it launches!
3. Prepare for Your Launch - Internally & Externally
Preparing for the launch of the new branding and website is the most important thing you can do during your interim period! There are two areas you need to focus on: Internal Launch (what you see: your internal business documents, decks, templates, etc.) and the External Launch (what others see: social media, newsletters, website, digital products, print materials). Here are some ideas of how you can prepare for the launch for both areas.
Internal Launch:
Create all your new materials as templates so once you launch you can start using them right away! Whether you use Canva, or Google Slides, or another platform - start building your assets now so that upon launch day you don’t have to scramble to create them all. If you’re working with a design team (like us!), you can always reach out to them to ask if these templates can be included in the Scope of Work.
Organize a space where you and your team can easily reference the new strategy and branding materials. Our team uses Notion to organize everything related to Sereth Design. On your database, include spaces for Marketing and Branding specifically - to keep track of your brand style guide, brand assets, messaging, strategy guidelines, templates, and more! The more organized you are behind the scenes, the better your execution of your brand in the future.
Order new merch for your team so they can get excited about the launch too, and be proud of the next chapter of your business! This could include new business cards, journals, or even a simple “Thanks for being on our team” postcard that is branded that they could keep as a memento.
External Launch:
Create a countdown to the launch of the new branding and website and communicate it to your customers. This can help generate buzz and anticipation.
Share behind the scenes of your branding/website in progress. Our team often does this for our clients and has them share as contributors - but you can be doing this and extra on your account to garner more engagement!
Share a promo for the date of your launch. This is a marketing tactic that will help particularly if you are a product based business who is selling tangible items. You could do a giveaway or promo code to get eyes on your product. We recommend starting a promo approximately 1 week away from your launch date.
Send a newsletter to announce your new digs!
Prepare a marketing campaign that promotes your new branding and website. It doesn’t stop after the launch date. You’ll want to share for at least 2 weeks about your launch so it doesn’t miss anyone! You know the algorithms haunt us sometimes.
TL:DR;
TL;DR: it's important to plan and prepare for the interim period when your new branding and website isn't ready to launch or share. Maintaining consistent branding, keeping customers engaged, and preparing for launch are all key elements that will help you maintain a professional image and generate excitement for your new branding and website. By taking advantage of the interim period, you can ensure a smooth transition and build momentum for your business. And we’re here along the way to help you make your launch the best it can be!
If you have questions about the weird bang phase, or are looking for a design agency to help you step into the revitalization journey - let’s start a convo!
