Audit Your Current Brand

8/11/2019 Audit Your Current Brand

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Audit Your Current Brand

What is a brand? Is it a logo? A name or slogan? A graphic design or color scheme?

Your brand is the entire experience your prospects and customers have with

your company. It’s what you stand for, a promise you make, and the

personality you convey. And while it includes your logo, color palette and slogan,

those are only creative elements that convey your brand.

In B2B companies, your brand lives in every day-to-day interaction you have with your

market

• he ima!es you convey• he messa!es you deliver on your website, proposals and sales materials

• he way your employees interact with customers

• A customer’s opinion o! you versus your competition

In your industry, there may or may not be a strong B2B brand. But when you put two

companies up against each other, the one that represents something valuable will have

an easier time reaching, engaging, closing and retaining customers. A strong brand

strategy can be a big advantage.

"ave you ever audited your brand? I! you#re not sure whether you#re communicating ite$ectively and consistently, this e%ercise can help you match your goals to what the

market sees, hears and e%periences.

"ummary

#$#%CI"#

"&''A%Y

(hen to

Address

I! you#re a company with a product&service in the already in the

marketplace, you#ve completed your competitive positioning and

are ready to de'ne your brand strategy

I! you#re missing your revenue targets and are unsure why

I! you#re planning on revising some o! your brand creative elements

Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page ) o! *)

More instant-access resources and tools online at http://www.doitmarketing.com

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Note + I! you haven#t yet launched your product, move to %ercise

2 + *hoose )our Brand ype

(ho "hould

+articipate

Business leaders company !ounders, owners, presidents and vice

presidents

/arketing and sales leaders

/arketing coordinators and sales reps

(here to &se

the %esults

0eview your results and use the rest o! the Brand (trategy e%ercises

to update or improve your brand strategy.

(hy it’s

Important

)our brand should bring your competitive positioning to li!e and

capture the mindshare o! your slice o! the market. It#s challenging to

do well, but immensely valuable when done so. (trong brands

create tremendous economic goodwill on company balance sheets.

(hat Builds

&pon it

All o! your interactions with the marketplace

imeframe to

Completion

A !ew days to a !ew weeks, depending on your situation

+otential

BusinessImpact

"igh

eliverable

)ou#ll determine the view o! your brand !rom inside and outside your

company and map out a plan to correct any ine1ciency.

-ext "teps

I! your brand strategy needs improvement, continue with the rest o!

the e%ercises in Brand (trategy.

ar!et Completion ate

+A%ICI+A-"

Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page * o! *)







+A%ICI+A-"

A"" / 0# "A%#+#%"/-

%#"+/-"IB1#&# A#

-otes

Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page 2 o! *)








(hat to Complete

). "&''A%I3# Y/&% B%A-*. A&I Y/&% B%A- I-#%-A11Y

2. A&I Y/&% B%A- #$#%-A11Y

4. A-A1Y3# A&I %#"&1"

(here it 5its in Brand "trate!y

(ummarie )our Brand

Audit )our Brand Internally

Audit )our Brand %ternally

Analye Audit 0esults

*hoose Brand ype

*on'rm )our 3alue 4roposition

(elect a Brand heme

5etermine 3alue o! )our 6eatures 7 Bene'ts

*hart )our motional Bene'ts

5etermine What )our Brand /eans

*reate )our Brand 4ersonality raits*reate )our Brand 4romise

5e'ne )our Brand (trategy

*reate )our Brand 4ositioning (tatements

Write )our Brand (tory

(elect Brand 3isual 0e8uirements








/atch 3isual 0e8uirements to %isting Brand

5e'ne Brand 9perational 0e8uirements

/atch 9perational 0e8uirements to %isting Brand

). "&''A%I3# Y/&% B%A-

he 'rst step in your brand audit is to have your leadership team summarie your

brand. )ou#ll use this to compare to the results o! your internal and e%ternal surveys.

I! you#re not sure how to answer some o! the brand strategy 8uestions, you may want to

take more time to !ully de'ne your brand strategy before conducting your brand audit.

hat#s 'ne, and i! you#d like to do so, :ump to %ercise 2 + *hoose )our Brand ype.

A!ter you#ve completed the rest o! the Brand (trategy e%ercises, return to this step andenter your results.

B%A- "&''A%Y +A%ICI+A-"

(hat is our value proposition6

+%I'A%Y 7A1&# +%/+/"II/-

"#C/-A%Y 7A1&# +%/+/"II/-

(hat are the most powerful emotional bene8ts we deliver to our customers6








(hat are the three thin!s our brand should mean to our customers6

)*

2

(hat are our se!ments !reatest pains6

(hat are 8ve human :brand personality; traits that describe how we wantthe market to view our brand6

B%A- +#%"/-A1IY %AI"

)

*

2

4

9

(hat is our brand promise6

/ur *9<word brand positionin! statement =a statement that captures the

concepts above> is?

Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page @ o! *)







ere is our brand story?

I! you#re a small company and the ma:ority o! your team participated in this section,

then you may decide to use this as your internal brand audit and can :ump to part ; o!

this e%ercise.

*. A&I Y/&% B%A- I-#%-A11Y

"ow do your employees and stakeholders view your brand? o gain a better

understanding, conduct an internal brand audit. his will help determine i! your

company clearly understands your brand strategy.

he survey comple%ity and number o! participants will depend upon your company

situation. )ou#ll want enough detail to evaluate the true perception and a large enough

sample sie to make sure that the results are relevant.

6irst, list the people who can participate in your survey. I! you#re sending your survey to

more than ;< people, store them in a spreadsheet.

C&"/'#%" 7#-/%" #'+1/Y##"

Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page o! *)







C&"/'#%" 7#-/%" #'+1/Y##"

"&%7#Y 5/%'A

=e%t, determine your survey !ormat. )ou have a number o! options to choose !rom

C//"#

Y/&%

'#/

#AI1 +%/" C/-"

#mail &se an online

survey

pro!ram like

www.oomeran

g.com or www.

(urveymonkey.

com to launch

your survey

and tally your

results

asy to set up

"elps you structure

your survey

8uestions

abulates responses

>ets you pass

hidden 'elds to your

responses so you

can group them

>ow cost

/ay need to be

deployed several

times to get

people to

respond

3iewed as

impersonal

=eeds a

compelling

headline and

intro to get

people to

participate

'ail "end a self<

addressed

stamped

envelope with

a cover letter

and a paper

survey

/ore space to

create a compelling

message, to thank

the customer !or

participating, and

communicate any

incentives

/ay be better than

email !or reaching

customers who

don#t use computers

=eeds to look

very pro!essional

/ay be viewed

as tedious

5oesn#t 't with

the innovation@

value proposition

Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page o! *)


http://www.zoomerang.com/









C//"#

Y/&%

'#/

#AI1 +%/" C/-"

+hone +lace calls

directly or

use a thirdparty to make

impartial calls

reat way to get

detailed answers

and probe !or morein!ormation as

needed

/ay bring to your

attention unhappy

customers who you

can help

immediately

5issatis'ed

customers may

beuncom!ortable

telling

employees about

their issues

*ustomers

voicing a

concern to

another live

person o!ten

e%pect action to

be takenimmediately

Combin

<ation

Contact the

customer via

two methods

+ !or e%ample,

call or email

them about a

survey, then

send it by mail

Improving

awareness will

improve your

response rate

0ein!orces the

importance you

place on customer

loyalty

9$ers anotherchance to

communicate with

your customers

/ore costly

"&%7#Y 5/%'A %#A"/-I-0 7#-/%

Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page D o! *)









)ou don#t need to collect a survey !rom every recipient. Instead, you#re aiming !or a

statistically valid sample sie,@ or the number o! responses you need to be able to

con'dently apply those results to your entire group o! customers.

(tatistics is a comple% 'eld, and consumer marketers must take into account all sorts o!

calculations to accurately measure and apply their results. here are a number o! key

metrics !or a B2B marketer to consider, including

he total number of people to whom you want to apply the survey results AC

he G of those people who respond to your survey BC

When your total number o! people@ AC is very small, you need a higher percentage o!

them to respond BC to be con'dent in your results. I! A is very large, then you can

con'dently use a smaller percentage. (tatisticians and researchers use the term

con'dence rating@ to indicate how statistically accurate a survey#s results can be

considered. KDL is a standard con'dence goal.

0roup you’re !oin! to survey

-umber of potential respondents in this !roup =A>

=population>

G who should respond to the survey =B>

-umber of completed surveys desired =C H AB>

It#s very di1cult to estimate a response rate i! you haven#t done a similar campaign to a

similar group o! people. (ome !actors to keep in mind

• A phone survey will deliver the hi!hest response rate but will be the most

e%pensive survey to implement. )ou can probably reach J<L o! your list, depending

on the amount o! time you spend making calls.

• A mail survey will produce a far lower response rate than phone. )ou can

raise your response rate by calling or emailing recipients ahead o! time and asking

them to respond.

• An email survey is very simple for participants but is subJect to the same

factors as any other email campai!n + you need a compelling headline and a

solid message to get them to participate rather than delete. An email survey is the

least personal !or the recipient, and thus the recipient may not take as much care

with the responses.

• If you oKer an incentive, you can dramatically increase your response.

Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page )) o! *)







-umber of completed surveys

needed =C>

+roJected minimum response rate

=> =as a decimal>

-umber of surveys to send out =C L

>

As you get ready to launch your survey, here are a !ew additional tips to keep in mind

I+"-/#"

I! you#re not using an online survey system, set

up your worksheet to tabulate your results

B#5/%# you 8naliMe your survey. hat way

you can make sure you#re asking your 8uestions ina way that can be captured and measured in your

spreadsheet.

4eople are busy. eep the survey as short as

possible.

Ask people to respond within a fairly short

but fair period of time N for example, )F

days. A deadline is important or else the piece

may end up in a pile o! unimportant mail.

I! the deadline comes and goes and you haven#t

received your minimum number o! surveys, call or

email the people who haven’t responded and

ask them i! they#re willing to help you improve.

Consider providin! an incentive to respond.

hank recipients who invested the time to

participate. A personal note, a letter or even a

small thank-you gi!t is a simple but e$ective

gesture.

%#C/''#-AI/-"

Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page )* o! *)







When your surveys are in, tabulate them into a report and create your plan !or acting on

the in!ormation.

+urpose of survey

ate

'ethod used

A B C

0roups tar!eted

-umber of surveys sent per !roup

-umber of completed surveys

received

%esponse rate-umber of surveys needed for

statistical validity L met6

Con8dence level

Attach a copy o! the survey and a copy o! the results.

2. A&I Y/&% B%A- #$#%-A11Y

=ow, survey your customers, vendors, partners and any !ormer customers or other

e%ternal market participants you#re able to reach.

0epeat the survey steps !rom part 2 o! this e%ercise, but revise any o! the 8uestions to

!ocus on the e%ternal market.

4. A-A1Y3# A&I %#"&1"

A!ter you#ve collected the results, it#s time to analye them. )our end goal is to

determine i! your e%isting brand strategy matches the market#s perception and your

team#s perception o! your brand, and i! it doesn#t, where are the disconnects.

"urvey 0roup

Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page )2 o! *)







5etermine how you#ll rate the responses. his depends upon the survey type and

volume o! responses, but your end goal is to evaluate how well the ma:ority o! the

responses reMect your brand summary as outlined in section o! this e%ercise.

0ate the response to each 8uestion on the !ollowing scale

%AI-0"

D N the response is an e%tremely strong match to your brand

strategy

; N the response is a general match to your brand strategy

N the response does not match your brand strategy at all

-&'B#% E&#"I/- %AI-0

2

;

G

D

H

J

%#"#A%C "&''A%Y

0%/&+ A7#%A0# %AI-0

#'+1/Y##"

7#-/%"

C&"/'#%

"

/#%








A11

"A'+1# B#" O (/%" %#"+/-"#"

E&#"I/- B#" "&++/%I-0 %#"+/-"#"B#" -/-<"&++/%I-0

%#"+/-"#"

)

*

2

G

9

@

5I-A1 A-A1Y"I"

6or each group, determine your results.

A-A1Y"I" -#$ "#+"

)es *ongratulationsO Peep up the good work.

=o

*ontinue on with the section to determine how you can

strengthen your brand, and then apply it to the materials and

messages you use in the market. Q*orporate Identity and

/essaging can helpR

=ot sure

)ou may want to ask !or additional !eedbackS however, i! you#re

not sure, then there are probably some areas you can improve.*ontinue with the section to determine how you can strengthen

your brand, and then apply it to the materials and messages you

use in the market. Q*orporate Identity and /essaging can helpR

I! you selected No or Not Sure !or any group, outline the areas that don#t match.








B%A- A%#A 0%/&+I-#%-A1

I"C/--#C

#$#%-A1

I"C/--#C

o resolve any disconnects, continue with the ne%t e%ercises in Brand (trategy.

B%A- C/''&-ICAI/-"

)ou may also wish to audit your marketing materials to determine whether you#re

consistently conveying your brand promise and personality.

his is also covered is greater depth in %ercise 2H + 5e'ne )our 3isual 0e8uirement i!

you#d like to address it there.

C/%+/%A#

I#-IY

Is it

consistent

with your

brand

promise6

Is it consistent

with your

brand

personality6

-#$ "#+"

>ogo ) = ) =

*olors ) = ) =

(tationery ) = ) =

Business envelopes ) = ) =

/ailing labels ) = ) =

Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page )@ o! *)







9ther printed identity ) = ) =

9ther ) = ) =

(#B"I#

Website ) = ) =

+%I-#

1I#%A&%#*ompany brochure ) = ) =

4roduct&service data

sheets ) = ) =

White papers ) = ) =

*ase studies ) = ) =

0e!erence lists ) = ) =

"ard copy newsletter ) = ) =

9ther ) = ) =

+%#"#-AI/-

'A#%IA1"4ower4oint template ) = ) =

4roduct demo ) = ) =

4roduct sample ) = ) =

6olders ) = ) =

9ther ) = ) =

#'+1A#"

4roposal template ) = ) =

mail templates ) = ) =

(ales letter templates ) = ) =

9ther ) = ) =

I-#%ACI7# //1"

mail newsletter ) = ) =

*ompany blog ) = ) =

0(( !eed ) = ) =

3ideos ) = ) =

/#% //1"

09I calculator ) = ) =

I! some o! your materials need improvement, you may want to hone your brand

strategy with the rest o! this section be!orehand. Q(ales ools and >iterature,

*opywriting 7 raphic 5esign, Website and /essaging can help.R









%eport

). I-#%-A1 B%A- A&I %#"&1"

*. #$#%-A1 B%A- A&I %#"&1"

his report summaries our results !rom completing %ercise 2< + Brand (trategy Audit

)our *urrent Brand.

). I-#%-A1 B%A- A&I %#"&1"

Audit ar!ets

Audit ype

Audit ate

/ur internal brand audit revealed that?

Any disconnects between our brand summary and our audience are as !ollows

B%A- A%#A 0%/&+ I-#%-A1 I"C/--#C








o resolve any disconnects, we plan on addressin! the followin!?

I#' ACI7IY 0/A1

*. #$#%-A1 B%A- A&I %#"&1"

Audit ar!ets

Audit ype

Audit ate

/ur external brand audit revealed that?

Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page )D o! *)







Any disconnects between our brand summary and our audience are as !ollows

B%A- A%#A 0%/&+ #$#%-A1 I"C/--#C

o resolve any disconnects, we plan on addressin! the followin!?

I#' ACI7IY 0/A1

Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page *F o! *)







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Brand (trategy Audit )our *urrent Brand page *) o! *)


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Audit Your Current Brand