Rebranding has many benefits, such as ensuring your business attracts the right people. For childcare organizations, this means young families.
Younger audiences want to see a brand that’s current, relevant, and contemporary — a logo from the ’80s will signal to parents that you’re stuck there. Taking care of your image also shows parents you’re up to date on everything else, such as your curriculum, facilities, mindset, etc.
If you’re ready for a brand refresh — or to put your franchisor brand guide to use — let our comprehensive rebranding checklist help you decide where to start, what to include, and why it’s important.
Are You Ready for a Rebrand?
Not sure whether you’re ready for a rebrand? No worries — before you get into our rebranding checklist, consider whether any of these describe your situation. If so, it may be time to refresh your image.
Your Branding Is Inconsistent
If your branding is disjointed across different media, this can confuse parents and prospects. Worse, it can even leave them wondering if your school is also disjointed when it comes to staffing, activities, and other areas.
Your branding needs to be consistent, cohesive, and recognizable throughout your entire company. Everything should be uniform, including:
- Internal documents to employees
- External documents to parents
- Interior and exterior signage
- Buses
- Website
- Apps
- Social media
Your Branding Feels Out of Date
A behind-the-times brand image can send the wrong message to your audience. Maybe your brand has a legacy feel that doesn’t reflect your current market. If you’re looking to attract young families, it’s important to keep your brand updated.
Your Branding Doesn’t Match Your Message
When your school revolves around a core message or value, it’s important that your branding does, too. Whether your school is play-based, curriculum-based, or driven by a different message entirely, be sure to include it in your branding or rebrand.
Rebranding Checklist: Branding Elements
If any of the above apply to your business, then this rebranding checklist is for you.
Rebranding is much more than slapping a new logo on your email signature. There are many elements involved, and it can get complicated. Be sure to approach the rebranding process carefully and strategically to ensure success.
Our rebranding checklist includes all the different branding elements involved in your business. We’ve listed the typical items below, though your business may include less or more, depending on preference and need:
- Company name
- Logo(s)
- Company colors
- Fonts
- Tagline
- Mission statement — why you do what you do
- Core values — the tools you use to carry out your mission statement
- Purpose — the outcome/impact you’re trying to achieve through your business
- Voice — your business’s tone, how you speak to others, and how you relate to them through digital media. It can also be helpful to include how you don’t speak to others.
Rebranding Checklist: Business Aspects
The portion of the rebranding checklist that relates to physical and virtual documents is really where the rubber meets the road. It’s also where many business owners can get overwhelmed by details or forget to implement their rebranding everywhere.
Rebranding isn’t easy, but if you follow a plan, it can be done, and it is absolutely worth it.
Your rebrand needs to be applied to everything that features your company name, logo, and colors. It’s an exhaustive process, but here’s a list to get you started:
- Employee handbook — As with everything else on this rebranding checklist, make sure your company name, logo(s), colors, fonts, and tagline are consistent throughout the document.
- Parent handbook — Same as the above. Remember to include your mission statement, core values, and purpose.
- Menus — Weekly and monthly, both printed and published online.
- Newsletters — Both printed and digital. Newsletters might be shared with others, which allows you to extend your brand.
- Signage — Exterior and interior. Properly branded signage tells parents they’re in the right place and gives a great first impression, whether in the parking lot or on a bus (your business’s moving billboard). Classroom and lobby signage reinforces your message and branding to parents and touring prospects.
- Staff uniforms — Uniforms clearly identify who works in the building and what their roles are.
- Website — Often a customer’s first impression, so everything must be properly represented.
- Paper/digital enrollment packets — Must be clearly written, easy to fill out, and consistent in all aesthetics. This reinforces to parents that they’re making the right decision.
- Paper/digital tour packets — Some schools hand out paper folders to parents and recreate them digitally for virtual tours. Take this opportunity to describe your school, and include a letter from the owner, price sheets, etc.
- All paper and digital forms
- CRM email content — Email signatures need to be updated to match your new brand standards.
Why a Brand Guide Is Essential
As you can see, rebranding is quite a process. In order to rebrand well, you must be extremely thorough, and the best way to do this is by creating a brand guide.
A brand guide is a comprehensive guide that contains everything you need for your rebrand in one place. It includes all the assets you’ll need that many business owners don’t think about until later, like color codes (Pantone or hex) for print or digital media. (If you don’t know the codes for your brand colors, you risk advertising being printed in the wrong hues.)
A brand guide saves you time, money, and frustration. It also includes all the logo formats and variations you could possibly need, and will always be a crucial reference point for everyone on your team. It really is an invaluable tool for you and your business.
Marketing professionals like those at Rose Marketing Solutions can create a brand guide for your business and show you how to use it most effectively. Or, if you already have a brand guide provided by your franchisor, we’re also skilled in helping you apply those principles throughout your marketing efforts.
If you’d like to talk about creating or applying a brand guide for your school, we’d be happy to help!