Whether it’s because your company has an outdated design, is partnering with another brand, is making changes to its products or needs to fix a bad reputation, there are a whole host of reasons why your company might need a rebrand — and there are just as many ways to go about it. But to ensure you’re fruitful in your efforts and are giving your new brand the best shot at success, start by considering the following leader-recommended tips.

What’s one tip you have for launching a successful rebrand, and why?

1. Understand the Brand’s Core Equities

The rebranding process should always start with gathering insights to inform the brand foundation. Finding the core equities of a brand is central to the entire process. Understanding what the company does better than others and how it aligns with what your audience says you do best. Defining your core equities allow you to pinpoint the foundation. – Ryan Stoner, Dendro

2. Make a Checklist

Develop a checklist so you don’t miss anything. A rebrand involves a lot of moving parts, and things can change quite a bit during the rollout. Having a checklist ensures that your rebrand goes smoothly. – Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance

3. Know Your ‘Why’

Understand the “why” behind the rebranding because that’s one question people will ask when you make your changes public. It can be due to an acquisition, company expansion, outdated branding, etc. But what’s more important to understand is what you’re trying to achieve from this new face of your business. This will make it easier for you to identify and measure your success easily. – Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster

4. Keep Your Audience Updated

If you want to launch an effective rebrand, you have to get your existing subscribers ready for the change. I suggest sending out an email series leading up to the rebrand. You may also want to reach out to your followers on social media. Let them know when the transition will occur and, more importantly, how the change will benefit them. – John Brackett, Smash Balloon LLC

5. Give Yourself Enough Time

For a successful rebrand, it’s important to give yourself enough time to prepare before its official launch. There are a lot of components that make up branding, so make sure you hit every point to ensure it’s successful. – Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms

6. Ensure Consistent Design

When launching a rebrand, it’s crucial to make sure that all your design elements are the same. You don’t want to create a new headline or logo for your site and keep the old one in your newsletters. Everything needs to be cohesive so you don’t confuse customers and you can build brand recognition easily. – Jared Atchison, WPForms

7. Have Data to Back You Up

When launching a rebrand, it’s important to have a clear understanding of your customers, your competitors and your market. A lot of times companies will rebrand just because someone thinks the company needs a face-lift or because it’s time for a new logo. At the end of the day, your rebrand needs to be backed by the data. – Andy Pandharikar, Commerce.AI

8. Get Your Customers Involved

It’s important not to rebrand out of the blue. If you want to make your audience support your rebranding efforts, invite them to be part of the process. You can ask them for input, get feedback and gently introduce them to the idea of a new look and feel for your business. By getting your customers to be part of the process, they’ll be more welcoming and even look forward to the change. – Blair Williams, MemberPress

9. Redefine Your Audience

The key to successfully rebranding is to redefine your audience. Some business owners and marketing teams make the mistake of pulling their old customer personas over from the old model with very few changes. The truth is, you’ll fall back into the same habits if you use all of the same marketing data. Analyze user feedback and website data to build new, refreshed persona sheets. – Chris Christoff, MonsterInsights

10. Include an SEO Strategy

Include SEO in your plan to make sure you increase traffic and redirect all existing traffic from keywords in all the creative work that accompanies a rebrand. A rebrand that leaves behind the existing traffic and does not consider technical web components commits a grave error that no brand can afford to make. Do not leave out your SEO transition strategy. – Matthew Capala, Alphametic

11. Make Sure You’re Aligned in All Areas

Your company rebrand should be aligned with your future growth strategy, your targeted audience and your new messaging. Your marketing and creative team should work closely with the management team to ensure the new direction is implemented in all future marketing activities. Start with your target audience and objectives, and make sure you have consistency across all channels and your content strategy. – Ali Payani, LookinLA

12. Create a Landing Page

There are several things you should do when you have a rebrand in the works. If you plan to move to a new URL, my best advice is to create a landing page so new visitors can learn more about your redesign and you can start gathering new leads before launch day. – John Turner, SeedProd LLC