Rebranding for the New Normal

As a result of the pandemic, brands have been forced to innovate and think outside the box in order to continue their missions. You may need to reevaluate your branding strategy during these rapidly changing times, both to continue to reach as many customers as possible and to increase your business’s success during the challenges still ahead.
The way forward does not have to be a mystery. Below are several ways to rebrand throughout the New Normal.

Play on Your Strengths

Take the time to develop a deeper understanding of your brand’s strengths and weaknesses in comparison to the overall market. What sets you apart? How are you benefiting your customer’s needs from before the pandemic as well as their new needs?

Understanding the competition is critical in identifying what your brand does really well. Are you offering more options that keep your customers safe? Are you able to offer something different: something that your competitors don’t have?

A strong assessment of your brand’s strengths can go a long way toward setting you apart and giving you a better idea of what your brand can accomplish.

Promote a Good Cause

Cause marketing connects your brand to something that your customers care about. It could be something local: a local organization that’s struggling in the midst of the pandemic or a local school system. It can also be a global cause that has caught the public eye. Cause marketing helps support that great cause through the donations and purchases of your customers and builds revenue for your business at the same time.

81% of consumers say that seeing a brand do what the consumer considers “right” can engender trust. Conversely, those same consumers would leave a brand that they did not trust. 93% of customers are more likely to continue buying from a brand that makes charitable donations — and 94% are more likely to trust brands that make those types of donations. For example, TOMS bases its entire business model around cause marketing: people purchase the company’s shoes in part because of the company’s known commitment to giving back.

Life during COVID-19 has more people than ever looking for meaning outside of themselves. Supporting a cause can help make people happier. When your brand offers an opportunity to give through their purchases, it can help your customers emotionally — and they will connect that positive feeling with your brand.

Make sure that the cause you choose reflects your values and your business. You don’t just want to connect with the first charity or good cause that comes along. Instead, you want to choose a cause that will resonate with your customers and your employees alike.

Integrate Your Marketing Efforts

Media consumption has been on the rise since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Customers are watching more television, spending more time on social media, and listening to more radio. They’re streaming more content and engaging more with the brands that matter to them.

Consumers are also using multiple platforms to make purchasing decisions. They want to know what others have to say about the products they’re using.

As a result, now is the time to embrace integrated marketing. Radio has become “comfort food” for many Americans. It’s familiar: the same voices that they hear on their commute to work or playing as they move throughout the office can also be brought straight into their homes.

Integrating your advertising can help drive those radio ads home. When they hear about your brand on the radio, then connect with your digital advertisements or your social media ad, consumers are more likely to have a higher level of trust in your brand. It often requires multiple touchpoints to help a consumer make a buying decision especially in the midst of difficult times. Through integrated marketing, you can provide more touchpoints, which can help customers make those critical decisions.

COVID-19 essentially hit the reset button on life as we know it. Many things have changed, including the way interested consumers connect with businesses, choose products, and choose the brands they want to support. Refocusing your branding is the logical next step in helping your business succeed during these challenging times. Embrace the unknown and move confidently ahead by understanding what makes you unique, supporting the causes that matter to your business and your consumers, and delivering on your brand promise.