Brand audits: a valuable?process

by Doug Jackson, RGD

Times change, as do brands. Brands are breathing living things that need to grow with the natural changes in culture, the shifts of modernization that affect how people view you. Are you current? How are people connecting with your brand? Are you still relevant? Do you want to start new product or service lines, looking to shift perceptions? If so, a brand audit will help you position yourself to be on track with your business goals and make you the influential voice.

What is included in a brand?audit?

Your brand is a complex set of variables that weave through every front line and backroom aspect of your organization. A thorough brand audit of all the internal and external moving parts will draw a clear, concise picture of how well they are working together. The ultimate goal is to build a strategic brand plan that will help your organization reposition and grow.

STEP ONE: Internal?Audit

• Brand values: What is your unique selling proposition, brand promise, or brand essence? These are key attributes that form the basis of public perception and how you conduct business.
• Positioning: What are your key messages and positioning statements? Reviewing these will determine if they are in sync with your brand values.
• Voice and culture: How do you communicate with audiences? Formal, casual, somewhat in between? Analyzing your brand tone of voice will determine if it is aligned with your brand values and positioning.
• Product and service positioning: How do your people perceive your products or services? What value do they believe they offer your clients or prospects and how do they differentiate from the competition?
• Systems: Are your corporate identity and brand standards being applied consistently and do they represent your values, positioning, voice and offerings? Does your marketing collateral follow the standards consistently?

Outcome: Step one will include a strategic summary analyzing the pros and cons of all internal variables influencing your brand.

STEP TWO: External?Audit

• Corporate Identity: Is your logo and supporting brand’s design system current and relevant to your market? How does your brand’s creative stand up to the quality of your competitor’s? Is it suited to today’s technologies?
• Product and service positioning: What is the outward perception of your brand? Does it reflect the quality of your product or services and your brand proposition?
• Collateral and media: Is the creative and messaging of your videos, brochures, print materials, trade show displays, advertising, etc. seen as current and relevant to your clients or prospects needs?
• Technology: Is the style of your website current as well as mobile responsive? Are you demonstrating expertise through blogging, etc.? Do you offer online functionalities and business systems your clients or prospects would love that could improve client satisfaction?
• Social Media: Do you have a social media strategy to expand the exposure of your brand? Are your channels visually engaging and consistently reflecting your brand look?
• Community involvement: If you are involved in sponsorships, charitable work, or associations, is your brand being presented in a way that enhances your value?

Outcome: Step two will include a strategic summary analyzing the pros and cons of all external variables influencing your brand.

STEP THREE: Recommendations

Knowledge is power. Knowing how to use it is empowering. The final phase of a brand audit includes strategic solutions to move your brand forward.

Outcome: Every client is different and proposed strategies can offer many solutions to reposition your brand. You may need one, some or all of:

• An all‐in‐one brand audit report including analysis and recommendations
• A new logo
• An updated design system for your marketing collateral
• A graphic standards guide
• A brand book that incorporates both design and tone of voice standards
• An updated website including current and relevant technologies
• A social media strategy

In the end, a comprehensive brand audit will reveal new ways to grow and reinvigorate your brand your current clients while resonating more effectively with new prospects. These will be suggested steps in a menu format that you may gradually adopt to become current, relevant and influential in your industry.

Originally written: April 2019

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