So, you found your dream designer, and now you have a folder of the most beautiful brand materials you’ve ever seen. They perfectly embody your vision and your mission, and you can’t wait to share them with the world. First of all, congrats! Having a brand you’re proud of is an amazing feeling. But now, you need to launch. If that feels overwhelming, you’re in the right place. Whether you’re unveiling a rebrand or launching a whole new one, these six steps will take your launch from stressful to smooth sailing.
1. Change or edit your website.
This step most likely requires more details than any other step, so my vote is to do it first! In fact, remember that designer you just used? You might want to tap them on the shoulder to see if they can help you put all the pieces of your website in place with the new brand. This can include various iterations of your logo and brand colors, as well as brand voice, fonts, and a few other odds and ends. If your designer is willing to implement those sitewide changes for you, it’ll probably save you a lot of time, not to mention a few headaches or under-your-breath curse words. (Pssst! I offer a full brand and website package if you want to check it out on my services page)
If you need to pull your website offline for a little while, your designer can also help you create a branded landing page, complete with all the details that will keep things rolling in the meantime, like social links, a contact form, and a place to capture emails. If you can pass this off to your designer, you can work on steps 2-6 simultaneously – a win-win! But even if you decide to launch your brand solo, an updated website is the perfect place to begin.
2. Change the branding on your social channels.
I highly recommend updating your social channels in one fell swoop! Brand identity matters, and if your Facebook page shows different branding than your YouTube channel or Instagram icon, potential clients may not even recognize you. Thankfully, this step is really simple once you’ve received various logo options and formats from your designer, so I recommend taking an hour or two to check every account off your list at once. Easy!
3. Rebrand your email marketing platform + other branded internal items.
This step is easily missed – but it’s super important! As you’re building your email list and communicating with your audience, you definitely want them to be in the know about your new brand. They’re your most bought-in audience, so don’t forget about them! A few simple template tweaks should do it.
While you’re on this step, go ahead and add your new brand to your email signature, your invoicing software, and any other internal systems that need freshening up! You may want to chat with your designer about hiring them to create printed materials, like business cards or sales packets, as well.
4. Create a content strategy.
You might be thinking, “Wait. Didn’t I already do this with my designer?” The answer is no – but your time with your designer developing your new brand identity definitely set you up for success with this next step! Simply put, your brand strategy is your business blueprint. It summarizes all the foundational elements of your brand, like why you exist, what you do and why you do it (plus your brand voice with come designers). Your content strategy, on the other hand, is the way you share your brand, communicating what you’re about and your offers to your audience, particularly your potential client base.
A good content strategy helps you achieve your business goals. It guides clients into making a purchase and engages with them after they do. This strategy typically includes messaging, visual elements, and even audio in some cases. With every post, you want to build a brand that’s cohesive – because familiarity brings trust. To ensure this happens, you’ll need to have a strategy! As you’re planning your content, consider who you’re reaching, what problem you’ll be solving for them, and why they should choose you to solve it.
5. Begin creating and sharing content.
At this point, you should have steps 1-4 wrapped up! When all of your static content, like websites and email platforms, has been rebranded, it’s time to announce that beautiful new brand to the world on social media, and keep sharing it through social media posts and emails.
As a designer, this is the moment when I want to look deeply into your eyes and tell you the number one rule: stay on brand. You’ve just invested lots of time and money into a beautiful new brand – please don’t waste it by being inconsistent now. Thankfully, most social media platforms have made branding easier than ever. Use the color palette from your designer right away in all of your content. You can ensure color consistency when you’re designing your posts by using the hex codes. For temporary content like Instagram stories, you can download a screenshot of your color palette and use the color picker (available on Instagram stories and TikTok) to stay within your color scheme.
6. Consult your brand guide and brand strategy often.
Your brand guide is really the heart and soul of your business’s foundations and messaging. As you’re writing emails, sharing on social media, and creating new content, stick to the brand guidelines. It’s all been carefully crafted, from color palettes to brand voice, to help you maintain consistency and establish a trusted brand people are obsessed with.
Consult your guide and strategy often, and make sure to share it with any new employees or freelance hires who will be contributing to content creation. Everyone who works for you should know (and be able to clearly articulate!) who you serve, how you serve them, and the language and visual elements you use to reach them.
Well On Your Way to A Brand Launch
These six steps will have you well on your way to a super successful brand launch! If you want to take it one step further, you can hire a brand photographer, copywriter, or web developer to help you create even more cohesive content and keep sharing it with the world on a consistent basis.
Want me to help you craft a brand launch no one will soon forget – without hours of hassle on your end? I provide all of my clients with specific launch graphics that act as mock-ups, social templates, social logos and singular touches. Those pieces allow you to show up on-brand and stay that way, no matter how many platforms you use. If you’re ready to brand a new business or rebrand your current one, let’s chat!