Part One – What is a Brand Audit?
If you’re a business owner, consider this quick challenge: explain in a clear, concise manner what your brand means to a total stranger, in less than one minute. There’s only one rule: you can’t use your elevator pitch – assuming you have one!
That makes this exercise slightly more complicated, right? There’s no need to worry, the idea of a brand is often hard to explain because it’s comprised of so many different components and descriptions of a business.
Now here’s something else to consider, if you have difficulty expressing what your brand means, do you think it is being communicated clearly in your marketing material and by your employees? In other words, if you asked 10 different employees what your brand means, would you get 10 different answers?
If you think your brand lacks consistency, maybe it’s time to consider having your brand audited. A brand audit, much like a financial or information technology audit, is designed to uncover the who, what, and why of your business – and then formulate a story to communicate those ideas consistently to your clients, vendors and employees.
A brand audit turns your brand into a marketable story that can be told through a variety of marketing media including your:
Website
Blog
Marketing and sales brochures
Targeted sales and marketing e-mails
Logo
Identity kit
Company slogan
Taglines
Telemarketing scripts
In addition to making your communication and marketing messages clearer and more impactful, a brand audit monetizes your brand.
How?
Simple. When you understand who you are, why you’re in business and how to consistently communicate those messages, it’s easier to sell your brand to your target audience.
The goal of any brand audit is to create clarity, which forms the foundation of a successful communication and marketing strategy. The brand audit allows a business to go to market faster by identifying the strategic components that comprise the tactical marketing plan.
Experiencing a brand audit is like attending business boot camp – it’s back to basics. It requires a little business “soul-searching” and work to uncover the elements of your brand that you might not have considered.
The good news is once you have identified the brand building blocks, you can assemble them and create a clear and memorable message about your company.
Next week, In part two, we will describe the brand audit process.
Adam Edelman is the President and CEO of Refined Branding. He helps businesses refine and manage their brand by conducting detailed, interactive brand audit sessions. Contact Adam at adam@refinedbranding.com or visit www.refinedbranding.com.