The way customers perceive your business depends on how your business is branded. So if you’re facing slow growth or little online presence, rebranding your company is a possible and worthy outlook. Rebranding is not just changing the name/logo of the company, it’s a chance to re-establish what your business stands for and any changes it has made. Re-branding social media accounts is pivotal to the rebranding process because social media is one of the ways that you’re able to connect with consumers.
Because customers have already cemented a perception of your business through your media outlets, changing to an unfamiliar platform will be difficult, and may cause you to lose some of your audiences. Sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even LinkedIn amass billions of unique users together. In many ways, this poses as a daunting task for rebranding especially because a business may be managing multiple social media accounts. Each of these social media platforms works differently, making the transition a frustrating process if no proper plan has been made. This is why it’s always best to start the transition early and slow. Let your followers know that your business plans to rebrand. Be sure to clarify what changes customers may experience with the rebranding of your company. By allowing a slower change, you are letting customers be in the know. Most customers are then aware and will be prepared for your transition.
Also keep in mind that the social media platforms used for your business are not your proprietorship. Though Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube may all be social media platforms, they differ in execution. Understanding how each one works is only the first step in having a successful social media re-branding strategy. Here are some examples:
Due to Facebook’s own security concerns, if your business has over 200 likes, you cannot change the page’s name. In this case, you’ll have to submit a request and may be asked by Facebook to submit documentation that shows your connection to your new page name. Another option is to create a new page for your rebranded business. And while reaching the original follow count on the new page will not be quick, you can always provide links and updates on the old page to get your customers to follow the new page.
While groups can have their name changed, there is no way to rebrand your company profile so you’ll have to start from scratch with a new profile, at least for now. What’s more, if you have a three letter name, LinkedIn will have a hard time displaying your name when your employees go to update their profiles.
Twitter is a more flexible platform with a workaround that allows you to keep followers even when changing your name. However, it’s crucial that when the first discussions of your company branding start budding, you create a user account for the new company name on Twitter right away. This is because when the idea of your business’s re-branding becomes more public, the availability of the Twitter handle suitable for your company may be taken. Taking the preemptive measure to register a dummy account on Twitter ensures that you have the option of renaming your current verified Twitter when the time comes.
For example, let’s say your current twitter handle is @BusinessNow but you want to change it to @BusinessSocial. Immediately make a dummy Twitter called @BusinessSocial to ensure availability. When the time comes, change @BusinessSocial to anything else, like @Business. This means the twitter handle, @BusinessSocial is now open. Now @BusinessNow can be changed to @BusinessSocial. Through this process, you will not lose your followers.
Google+
While you can’t change your vanity URL on Google+, you can change your company name on the profile section of your interface to anything you want. Note that the old random numbers assigned to you will still redirect you to your company even if you have a vanity URL.
It’s important to take rebranding as a fresh look, not a clean slate. Successfully rebranding a company is not an overnight process. It takes time and planning for a good transition to happen. It is difficult to rise above in social media marketing clutter, but it’s impossible to stay relevant without social media. Post relevant, interesting information and maintain a balance between rarely posting and spam. Despite its complexity, rebranding is worthwhile to gear your business towards a brighter future.
