Five Tips for a Smooth Rebrand

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Happy Tuesday, everyone.

I know that things have been a litter quieter around here than usual, but it’s only because I’ve been pouring my all into the rebranded blog. I’m so incredibly happy about how the project is coming along, and finally have a set launch date and details that I will be sharing soon. It was really important to me that I take my time with this project, and let things happen organically so that they felt right.

Today, I wanted to share some insights that this second rebranding process has taught me. When I rebranded the first time to bring And Yes To Joy come to life, there were definitely times I struggled. And to be fully honest, the launch was rushed and it took me a while to get past some of the smaller details that I had overlooked. I’m having a much easier time this time around!

I’ve also noticed that I am not the only blogger rebranding! I’ve taken a few surveys and seen lots of posts and comments about tons of creatives making changes to put their most authentic foot forward online –how exciting for us all!

So, if you’re in the process of or considering a rebrand, here are five tried and true tips to make the process go much smoother.

1. Make and upkeep your to-do lists.

I have a few to-do list that I reference when working on the new blog, but most of my efforts are concentrated into one master list. I break everything that needs my attention into set categories: graphics, content, plugins, technical, ect. Keeping everything in categories helps me stay on track and ensure that I don’t miss or overlook something.

2. Set aside blocks of time to work.

I woke up this Sunday ready to work, and I knew I just needed to decide on a space that would give me time and an area to knock things out. I headed into the city, stepped into a small cafe and got busy. I spent about five hours there, solely working on the rebrand. It was so awesome and extremely productive, mainly because there were no interruptions!

3. Before you work, revisit your goals.

While you’re rebranding, you will find yourself feeling more creative and inspired than ever before. Sometimes, you get so excited about making and doing that you start to stray from the initial tasks you set out to finish. Now, if you’re working on your project and realize that you may need to shift direction, that’s totally okay. However, if you realize that what your end result is becoming isn’t what you set out to portray, you may need to revisit your branding goals and refocus.

4. Be as hyper-organized as possible.

Creating your new brand is one thing, but sifting through all of the elements of your old brand that you’re moving into your new space (images, posts, content) can get a little messy. I create folders on my computer for every element of the new brand, so that I don’t have to save it amongst AYTJ stuff. It’s helpful when you know what is saved where, and will make the entire process go much faster.

5. Set (realistic) guidelines and timelines.

I wanted to take my time in launching this project, but still I decided that July 1 would be the official launch date. That’s exactly one week from today (are you pumped?!) So, in order to make this launch happen on time, I had to set guidelines and checkpoints as to when certain things had to be done. Thanks to the to-do list I mentioned above, I’ve been pretty on track and next Tuesday should be sweet.

To anyone else in the middle of a rebrand, what tips do you have to make things run smoothly? I can’t wait to share everything I’ve been working on with you all! Look out for another post here this week on what to expect on the new blog!