How to Conduct a Quick and Easy Brand Audit: A Checklist
In all areas of B2B business, things are changing faster than you can say “Marketing Plan” — it can feel harder than ever to keep up, much less plan strategically. If you’re finding yourself wondering whether your marketing programming is working as hard as it could be, it may be time to do a quick brand health check.
Before we dive in though, let’s take a quick look at what makes great brands great — and how that brand greatness helps supercharge marketing efforts to keep building awareness & authority for companies who are doing it well.
There are SIX things on our great brand checklist:
Purpose: Purposeful brands tell people why they should care. They go beyond simply explaining why the brand exists, to answer the more important question customers always ask: “What’s in it for me?”
Clarity: Can you explain in just a few words what your company does to change your customers’ experience for the better? The best brands can.
Alignment: Great brands are aligned around their value and distinction, which enables everyone in the company — from product design to customer experience — to tell a powerful story and live into the brand’s promise in every interaction.
Simplicity: We’ll spare you the acronyms, but do keep it simple. Especially in a world of B2B product complexity, the simplest story stands out.
Storytelling: 95% of decisions are made with emotion — that’s because we humans are hardwired for emotional connection. Great brands build a narrative that’s all about people, and turn their marketing campaigns into storytelling that sells.
Consistency: The greatest brands in the world got there by repetition. Volvo is a great case study in consistency — being “the safety company” is reflected in everything from their product design to their advertising.
So how do you know where your brand stands? Here are some questions to ask yourself to get started.
Question 1: Are you finding it difficult to stand out in a commoditized space?
If you can't clearly articulate what makes you unique and valuable, you become just another player. Customers have no compelling reason to choose you over the competition, leading to market confusion and eroding margins.
Question 2: Does your marketing show lackluster ROI?
Without a clear value proposition, your marketing messages become generic and ineffective. You'll struggle to cut through the noise and resonate with your target audience, resulting in low ROI on your marketing investments.
Question 3: Do you find yourself struggling to build (and sustain) awareness?
A lack of distinction hinders your ability to build a strong brand. You'll fail to establish a memorable identity, making it difficult to attract and retain customers.
And last, but arguably most importantly:
Question 4: How well do you really know your ICP?
Missing or misaligned Ideal Customer Persona (ICP) profiles can lead to a chain reaction of marketing failure points, including:
Targeting the wrong audience: Misunderstanding your ideal customer leads to misaligned marketing efforts and wasted resources. You'll be trying to reach people who aren't interested in your offerings or who don't value your unique strengths.
Developing irrelevant solutions: If you don't truly grasp your customers' core needs, you risk developing products or services that miss the mark. This can lead to low adoption rates, customer churn, and ultimately, failed product launches.
Missing growth opportunities: By not understanding your ideal customer, you might overlook lucrative niche markets or fail to capitalize on emerging trends.
Your brand & competitive positioning should serve as the North Star for all your marketing activities. Understanding your customer, your competition and your own company are critical to building a platform that ensures your marketing is working smarter, not harder.
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