How to do your own brand audit
Find brand clarity before breaking the bank on aimless action 👉🏽
But first, what is a brand audit?
A thorough examination of your brand's current:
Positioning and strategy
Its consistency and relevance in the marketplace
Its effectiveness in reaching its target audience
Think of it as a health check-up for your brand. Obviously, there are levels to this, but here's how you can conduct a basic brand audit by examining five key areas:
Problem 🔍
Your brand exists to solve a problem. Re-evaluate the problem that your brand addresses. Is it still a relevant problem? Has the market evolved? Understanding the problem helps in ensuring your brand remains necessary and sought-after.
Positioning 🎯
Assess your brand's current market position. Determine how your brand is viewed against competitors. Is your positioning precise and robust? Does it resonate with your target audience? This will help you find your unique space in the market.
Positioning Mapping Approach:
Identify Key Attributes: Pinpoint critical attributes of your brand and their opposites.
Select Two Main Attributes: The attributes most accurately represent your brand's essence.
Plot on XY Axis: Create a visual map with these attributes on an XY axis, placing your brand's core offer at the centre.
Map Competitors: Plot competitors on this map based on their alignment with these attributes.
Analyze Positioning: Evaluate where your brand sits about others, assessing if it genuinely reflects your intended identity and market differentiation.
Identity 🪞
Your brand's identity includes visual elements like logos and typography, but it's also the tone of voice and personality. Check for consistency across all platforms. Does your identity align with your positioning and the problem you're solving?
Some key focus areas when assessing your brand’s identity include:
Logo: Ask yourself if your logo looks consistent wherever it appears. Does it still reflect what your brand stands for?
Colour Palette: Look at your materials. Are the colours uniform? Do they bring out the right feelings and associations for your brand?
Typography: Check your texts across different formats. Is the font style coherent and easy to read?
Tagline and Slogan: Think about your tagline and slogan. Are they memorable? Do they still capture the essence of your brand?
Voice and Tone: Read your content out loud. Does the way you communicate match the personality of your brand and speak directly to your audience?
Unique Value Proposition (UVP): Consider your UVP. Is it front and centre in your messaging? Does it clearly explain why customers should choose you over others?
Brand Guidelines: Look through your brand materials. Are you following your own rules for how to use your brand elements?
Cross-Platform Uniformity: Browse your online and offline channels. Is the brand experience the same no matter where a customer encounters it?
Internal Alignment: Ask your team. Does everyone understand and apply the brand guidelines in their work
Content 🤳🏽
Look at the content you're producing. Does it align with your brand's identity and speak effectively to your audience? Analyse engagement metrics to understand what works and what doesn't. Here are somethings to look out for in your content:
Relevance: Ask yourself if your content addresses the problems your users are facing. Is it providing solutions or valuable insights?
Purpose: Look at your content and determine if it educates, entertains, or inspires your audience. Does it engage your community and encourage interaction?
User Intent: Use tools like Answer the Public (a search listening tool that provides insights into the queries and questions people are searching for online related to specific keywords) to discover what your audience is searching for. Is your content aligning with these queries and interests?
Conversion 💰
Finally, examine your conversion rates. This is where you see if the rubber meets the road. Are your marketing efforts leading to sales? Assess your call-to-action strategies and user experience.
Analytics are a reality check for your marketing efforts. They offer concrete data about what's working and what isn't. By regularly checking analytics on platforms where your brand operates, you can gain insights into various vital aspects:
Engagement: On social media platforms like Instagram or Twitter, analytics show how your audience interacts with your content. Likes, shares, comments, and views are more than just numbers; they indicate what resonates with your audience.
Conversion Rates: Understanding how your actions translate into desired outcomes, such as sales or leads, is critical. Analytics from your website, email campaigns, and ads provide data on conversion rates, helping you see if your efforts lead to tangible results.
Audience Insights: Analytics tools provide demographic information about your audience, interests, and behaviour. This knowledge allows you to tailor your content and strategies to reach and engage your target market more effectively.
Content Effectiveness: By analyzing which types of content perform best, you can optimize your strategy to produce more of what works, improving overall engagement and conversion.
ROI Measurement: Ultimately, analytics help you measure your marketing activities' return on investment (ROI). This is crucial in understanding the allocation of your marketing budget and efforts.
Actionable Steps:
Regularly schedule time to review analytics across all platforms.
Use the insights to adjust your marketing strategies for better alignment with your audience's preferences and behaviours.
Experiment based on data-driven insights to continually refine your approach.
I've created a FREE DIY Brand Audit Workbook you can use to complete your own brand audit, but an even better option is to book a brand audit with me 👋🏽
Hi, I'm Lineo (pronounced di-ne-wo), a brand strategist and art director for direct-to-consumer lifestyle brands in food, fashion, beauty and wellness.
