Your brand feels disjointed, outdated, and no longer reflects who you are. You’re struggling to connect with your audience, and business growth has stalled. It’s time to take action – a brand audit is exactly what you need to get back on track.
Things change fast when you’re running a business. There’s plenty to keep you on your toes. When your business is constantly evolving, it makes sense that your brand strategy will change too. So how can we make sure our brand is always doing its best for us?
What is a brand audit?
Long story short, the audit looks at all aspects of your brand to see what is working and what isn’t. It can help you to see how your brand is performing compared with your goals, and how this performance positions you in the market. It can help you to highlight potential risks and manage them before they become a problem.
Even the most shit-hot brand can cease to have the right impact years down the line. Remember, businesses can change rapidly; you may not end up going down the path you originally envisioned.
Conducting a brand audit allows you to look behind the scenes, to check whether you’re still solving the problems your audience has. How are you positioned compared to your competitors? Is your brand perceived the way you want it to be?
It also gives you the opportunity to review how the more outwardly visible elements of your brand are performing. Consider your visual identity and brand touch points. The audit is an in-depth review of everything your brand encompasses.
Signs it’s time for a brand audit
Many businesses choose to carry out regular audits as part of their overall strategy, but don’t feel like you’ve done something wrong if you’ve never completed one. Depending on the size, activity and growth of your business, brand audits may be helpful at various intervals. It’s also worth digging deep when there is change on the horizon, such as a new product launch or another major shift.
Here are some of the signs it might be time…
- You have been struggling to generate qualified leads
- You don’t know how to stand out from the competition
- You are failing to attract talent
- You have been considering a rebrand
- You are launching to a new audience
- You have been receiving negative feedback, or there has been a shift in usual feedback
How to conduct your audit
There is no one ‘correct’ way to carry out a brand audit. Of course, it will depend on your business, as well as the scope and objectives. You may wish to look at things like:
- Your vision, values and mission
- Positioning and competition
- Visual identity
- Website, SEO, social media and other touch points
- Target audience vs current audience
- Brand perception
Before you get started, make sure you have a clear plan for your audit. You can use the below framework to help.
1. Scope and objectives
What do you want to find out? You could do an internal audit that focuses on things such as your values and culture, or external, focusing on things like your website and social media. You could focus on specific areas, or conduct a general audit that does a full deep-dive.
However you choose to conduct your audit, and whatever your objectives for it, you should ensure you create a clear plan that you can work to. This will allow you get the most out of your activities.
2. Identify your competitors
Look at your direct competitors, at least one non-direct competitor and at least one aspirational (ie. a brand you would one day like to be a direct competitor). Look at their pricing and positioning compared with yours, as well as specific details that fit your audit scope.
It may be useful to complete a PESTLE and/or SWOT at this point.
3. Gather relevant assets
Depending on your objectives, you may wish to gather assets from your own brand and some competitors at this point. Consider what type of assets you need to collect for your particular brand audit. You can use the below for inspiration:
- Brand name(s)
- Logos
- Brand guidelines
- Product/service names (and other relevant details)
- Print media
- Event displays
- Sales / retail materials
- Website
- Social media content
- Internal and external communications
4. Gather relevant data
Going back to your scope and objectives here, determine the type of data you will need. There are a number of ways to gather data, such as using web/social analytics, or conducting primary and secondary audience and market research.
You will likely need a mix of qualitative and quantitative data to support your planned activities.
5. Analyse the data
Once you’ve gathered everything you need, it’s time to use your data. This is where you dig in and understand what the data is telling you about your brand and, where relevant, your competitors’. Depending on the objectives of your audit, you may be able to see things like website performance, conversion rates, brand perception, brand awareness, audience and segments, market position etc.
You are not looking to frame anything positively or negatively here. Instead, you should be seeking to understand exactly what the data shows.
6. Create a report and decide on next steps
Now you’ve completed your analysis, you can put together your findings in a report, which will allow you to decide on next steps. Consider the areas in which your brand is performing well, where improvements can be made, and competitor comparisons.
Include your key takeaways, performance vs business goals and recommendations for next steps. It may also help to visualise data, using tables, charts etc.
When to seek professional help
Of course, you can carry out a brand audit on your own, or with your internal team, but it might be better to enlist the help of a third-party professional. Depending on which elements of your brand you’re auditing, you could benefit from the support of various different people.
The first would be a brand strategist, who will have the expertise to help you effectively analyse your brand position and internal elements. You could also consider working with professional copywriters, content creators, graphic designers, conversion experts, lead generation experts etc.
You may feel that you have the expertise to carry out the brand audit yourself – and you probably do – but it can be especially helpful to get an objective view. Of course, it would also make sense to bring in experts for the areas in which you don’t have necessary know-how.
Conclusion
A brand audit can have numerous benefits, helping you to fully understand the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities of your brand. Determining its positioning and your current situation can help to guide future plans and business goals. It can give you an indication of whether or not a rebrand might be effective, as well as giving you a clear picture of how your brand is perceived by your audience.
Start out with a clear plan and work your way through, step by step, to get exactly what you want need out of your brand audit.