HOW TO DO A BRAND AUDIT
WHAT’S A BRAND AUDIT
A Brand Audit is a process that evaluates your brand’s strengths and weaknesses, analyzes its market positioning, and benchmarks against competitors. It also scrutinizes your materials and marketing to identify inconsistencies and areas of disconnect, ensuring every touchpoint aligns with your brand’s goals and message.
Once the brand audit is complete, you’ll gain a clear understanding of your brand’s position relative to competitors. This will help you determine whether you need a complete rebrand, a subtle refresh, or simply a strategic repositioning.
WHY SHOULD YOU DO A BRAND AUDIT?
You’re wondering if the business should rebrand
A brand audit will assess how your brand compares to industry standards, whether it’s effectively connecting with the ever-changing market, and if there are opportunities to differentiate yourself. It will also help you understand how your brand is perceived, identify gaps in performance, and reveal areas for improvement, ultimately guiding you on whether a rebrand is needed to better align with your goals and audience.
Entering a new consumer market
It might be time to start engaging with a new audience, and that means re-evaluating your brand. Entering a new consumer market comes with a shift in brand priorities, a different set of psychographics, and a deeper understanding of cultural norms and perceptions within that market. A new audience will have unique preferences for marketing channels, customer service expectations, and overall brand interactions. A brand audit will help you assess how well your brand can adapt to this new landscape and determine if significant changes are needed to connect effectively with this audience.
Looking for new talent
As your business grows, you'll need to attract top talent. Now more than ever, candidates are looking to work for companies that align with their values, respect work-life balance, and foster pride in the workplace. If your brand feels outdated, appears unstable, or fails to communicate compelling values, potential candidates may quickly move on to the next opportunity. A brand audit can help you understand how your brand is perceived by job seekers, highlighting areas where your messaging may need to evolve to attract and retain the best talent.
HOW TO DO A BRAND AUDIT?
Step One: Evaluate All Brand Touchpoints
Begin by gathering and analyzing everything your brand touches—brochures, website, social media, internal communications, digital marketing, sales process, tagline, etc. Pay attention to whether your messaging and visuals are consistent across all platforms, and ensure your brand promise is clear and compelling. Creating a brand SWOT can help you organize your findings.
Step Two: Analyze Your Competitors
Review your competitors' websites and digital presence. How are they positioning themselves? What messages are they communicating? Do they all look and sound the same? Assess how you're differentiating your brand in the marketplace and whether your marketing stands out from the competition.
Step Three: Engage with Your Customers and Employees
Reach out to your customers and employees through surveys or one-on-one conversations. What do they think about your brand, customer service, and overall company image? What are they saying about your strengths and areas for improvement? This feedback will help identify gaps where your brand could connect more intentionally with your audience to build stronger emotional relationships.
Step Four: Conduct Market and Industry Research
Take time to research current industry and consumer trends. What’s happening now, and what’s on the horizon for the next 5-10 years? Is your brand adaptable enough to stay relevant in the face of upcoming changes and challenges? This will help you understand how your brand can evolve to stay competitive and forward-thinking.
WHAT TO DO AFTER A BRAND AUDIT?
Now that you've completed your brand audit, it's time to assess whether your brand requires a complete overhaul, could benefit from some minor adjustments, or simply needs to be repositioned in the marketplace. It’s a good idea to talk with a brand strategist to confirm which direction is best for your brand.
Free Download of our Rebrand Checklist
