There are 8 stages to a successful Brand Launch.
- Plan launch
- Build launch assets
- Pre-launch teasers – build interest and energy
- Launch internally
- Launch externally
- Rollout
- Reiteration and brand awareness
- Say your final goodbyes to your old brand
At Brand Burger we believe that if you put in the work at the start and lay strong foundations you are more likely to succeed. A comprehensive plan is the best way to do this.
If you fail to plan,
you are planning to fail
– Benjamin Franklin
Planning for success
There can be a long list of elements impacted by a rebrand or of course launching an entirely new brand.
Your plan should be based on the remaining 7 stages of Launching a Brand.
A simple way to start is sit down and write a list of everything you can think of that will be affected by the new brand. This can vary depending on whether you are also changing your business name or just the look and feel of your brand.
Below are some checklists to help you build your plan and help highlight areas you need to plan for. Feel free to add to the lists or remove items that don’t apply to your business.
As you work through them try to compile all the information for each task to include:
- What it will cost
- Who needs to do it
- How long it will take
- What is needed for it to be completed
What to update
Elements of your business that may need to be updated to reflect your new brand are, but not limited to:
- Website
- Emails
- Internal systems – such as project management programs, calendars, booking systems
- Accounting systems – your business name, invoice templates etc
- Social Media Channels – each channel has different requirements for changing business pages
- Uniforms
- Branded Merchandise
- Internal templates
- Stationery – letterheads, invoices, business cards
- Accounts with suppliers
- Vendor agreements with customers
- Legal documents
- Licenses or subscriptions
- Bank Accounts
- ASIC
- ABN
Who needs to know
As part of your plan you should also assign who needs to be involved with any changes.
- Business partners
- Employees
- Designers
- Website developers
- Marketing team
- Social media managers
- Suppliers of merchandise
- PR agencies
- Media buyers
- Accountants
- Business advisors
Launch it in style
As well as updating existing branded elements you then also want to plan for your launch.
- Will you host an event as part of your launch?
- Where and when?
- Who will organise it?
- Who will be invited?
- Will you have branded merchandise for the launch?
- What items will you have? Uniforms/gifts/giveaways
- What is the lead time in getting these made?
- What assets do you need to get these made? Eg artwork
- How else will you launch besides an event?
- Social Media
- New website live
- Email Campaign
- Videos
- Paid advertising – print, TV, radio or online
- Printed advertising -flyers, posters
Timing
The next part of your plan should be timing and this can be a big piece of work. That’s why it’s important to have gathered all of the information you need before you start mapping it out.
Think about in what order the steps you’ve listed who will be responsible for them. Consider which tasks are dependent on others and which can be happening at the same time.
Budget
Now that we’ve listed out all the steps, their timing and their cost you’ll also have an overall budget to work to. Once you know the total spend you may need to go back and make some revisions to fit within what you can afford. Having already worked out the cost of each task it will be easier to identify where costs savings can be made. Or perhaps it’s come in a little under budget and you’ll have a little left over to splash on extra merchandising or more Facebook ads.
So with the what, who, when and how much covered you’ve created a strong foundation to launch your new brand.
One last tip!
Of course, having a plan is important, but if it just stays in a spreadsheet or on a piece of paper it’s of no value. So think about how you can share this plan and keep it front of mind each day and each week to ensure you stick to it and deliver what’s needed.
Here are some tips to help you stick to the plan:
- Share it with other stakeholders who have tasks to complete and get their commitment not only to the task but also to the timeline for it
- Add tasks or milestones to your calendar or project management system
- Print out the plan and put it somewhere you will see it every day
- Have regular check-ins, at least weekly, with your team to ensure you are staying on track
- Keep a record of all your costs against your budget so you can make adjustments as needed
- Most importantly tick off and celebrate tasks as you complete them
Author
Kirrily Druery is the founder of Brand Burger and has a passion for helping small to medium businesses thrive. At Brand Burger Kirrily is always looking for ways to support business owners to use their branding to attract their ideal clients and help their business grow.
Come the weekend, any chance she gets Kirrily is away in her caravan, loving the good life in the great outdoors and lives by the motto “the more the merrier”!
