Rebranding is a popular topic these days, not just with major corporations, but with institutions of all kinds. Rebranding seems to be happening everywhere.

You may have heard about the many municipalities — cities, small towns, and business destinations, for example — who are rebranding in an effort to court business and in some cases tourists.

Dallas Fort Worth Airport (aka DFW) spruced up its logo in its ads, marketing collateral and signage. Meanwhile Petersburg, Virginia, a small city with in the Richmond area, has launched a bold re-branding campaign. With a new logo on wearables and other promotional product, Petersburg follows a trend started by other destinations like Amsterdam and Ithaca, New York. These and others were profiled by Gizmodo in a past feature article, about cities reinventing themselves with rebranding.

If your company is working on a potential re-brand — whether that consists of just a logo tweak or a whole new identity altogether — there are a few important things to consider. Not only should you plan ahead digitally by reserving a new website URL and Twitter handle. Think about a re-brand as a chance for a fresh transformation, and an opportunity to draw attention.

Remember also that a rebrand of your company doesn't just involve your company. It involves your customers too.

Names and Identities
Some business experts note that naming a business can be, depending on the sector, as difficult as naming a child.

“When thinking up names,” writes Simon Brooke of the Telegraph, “ask yourself . . . first, does it sound like someone else’s business?” Brooke notes that if your conjured names sounds like another firm’s name then start over.

Second, when picking a name that grabs the ear, make sure to ask yourself why your business is called by that name.

Another expert he cites, Simon Myers, a partner at Prophet, says that “Names that require a lengthy explanation . . . or are difficult to pronounce are not welcome in today’s ‘swipe left or right’, impatient economy.”

Others impress on upon businesses not to “overdo it”. As Entrepreneur contributor Alexandra Watkins writes, don't feel the need to come up with a creative spelling or invent a new word, a “clunky coined name” or anything that sounds deliberately too clever. Names don't need to be complex or mysterious to be good.

Also, if your organization is considering a complete name change, don’t change its name “just because.” As The Next Web reminds us, we live “in a world where FreeCreditReport.com, Google and Apple are all brand names” and many are even transformed into a verb, such as the “act of Googling something”. Rest assured, your organization’s name need not become a verb, but should be related to your business and what you do.

Getting Graphic
Along with a new name comes a new identity, and that new identity should always be represented graphically in the best light.

As Jill Krasny writes in Inc., the first question regarding the re-brand of your logo should be “how far do I go?” If your business is not entirely scrapping your name and look, then it may be important to preserve some of the continuity between the old and the new. If your re-brand has more to do with the fact that your logo or brand identity is outdated, pinpoint the visual elements that need an update. That being said, businesses and non-profits shouldn’t be afraid to detach themselves from old designs.

Last, make sure to guard against what Fast Company calls “logo-rrhea”, or creating a new logo that looks loud or just new for the sake of new. Your best bet may be simply to stick to “simplicity, reliability and customer-focus” as Verizon did in conjuring up its new logo. Most importantly, consult a professional firm with an expertise not only in logo design, but in what comes next — marketing.

Your Ground Game
Once your name and logo are solidified for the long haul, using your new brand identity must be part of your daily ground game when communicating with customers, suppliers and channel partners.

Make sure to notify the main stakeholders of your rebrand — meaning your best customers and prospects, along with vendors to your business and resellers, if applicable. Notify them ahead of the final stages of the re-brand or, at the very least, don't blindside them. You don't want your best clients hearing your new name and responding, “Who?”

Of course, you also have to work the new logo and brand into all you marketing collateral. This includes printed materials like brochures and business cards.

If your outfit has indeed opted for a new name, then make sure that digital properties like websites (including your URL) and social media are updated to reflect the new name and logo.

Most importantly, your rebrand should be launched all at once and, ideally, with a bang. Take care to time it with your actions on social media. Also, remember that your customers love free stuff and that promotional products, when done right, can really help introduce or re-introduce your company and your brand.