Is your brand stuck, stale, or stagnant?

Then, it’s time for a brand audit.

What is a Brand Audit?

A brand audit is a comprehensive evaluation of a brand’s position, visibility, and perception in the market. It’s like a health check-up for your company, revealing strengths, weaknesses, and areas that could use improvement. An audit covers three core business areas: 

• Internal branding: Examine the company’s values, mission, and culture. It gathers employee perceptions of the brand and searches for its identity within the organization.
• External branding: Examine marketing efforts such as the logo, print materials, ads, email campaigns, PR, websites, and social media channels to better understand how the outside world sees the brand.
• Customer experience: Examine every touchpoint the buyer has along their journey with your brand. What impacts their experience, and is it positive or negative?

Why Your Company Needs a Brand Audit

According to HubSpot, 60% of brands that neglect regular audits face significant declines, leading to eventual extinction. By assessing your brand’s alignment with current market trends and consumer expectations, you can make informed decisions that enhance brand loyalty and drive revenue. Here are a few ways a well-executed brand audit can help your business:

• Pinpoint Customer Perceptions: Learn what your audience truly thinks about your brand and uncover areas that need refinement.
• Increase Alignment: Align your company’s values and mission with what the audience experiences across all touchpoints.
• Drive Long-Term Strategy: Refine your brand strategy to drive higher engagement, trust, and loyalty.
• Find Competitive Advantage: Discover your unique strengths compared to competitors and use this knowledge to strengthen your market position.

10-Steps for Conducting Your Own Brand Audit

Step 1: Revisit Your Marketing Plan

Begin by evaluating your brand’s foundation. Document your brand’s identity—mission, vision, target customers, and unique selling proposition (USP). This step establishes a benchmark for understanding how well your brand aligns with its intended audience and sets a foundation for the entire audit.

Step 2: Assess External Branding

First impressions matter. Today, consumers take milliseconds to form opinions based on visual appeal. Ensure consistency across your logo, colors, fonts, and tone of voice in all materials, from print ads to online platforms. Misalignment can confuse or even deter customers, so maintain a cohesive look and feel that reflects your brand’s personality and values.

Step 3: Analyze the Website

Your website is one of the most significant digital assets in a brand’s toolbox. It’s the first place potential customers go to learn more about your company, products, or services. Review your website’s analytics, such as traffic sources, bounce rates, and conversions, to understand how well it’s performing and engaging visitors.

Step 4: Study Social Media

Your social media platforms provide real-time insights into customer sentiments, preferences, and perceptions. Track engagement metrics—likes, shares, and comments—to understand which types of content resonate most with your audience. Also, online reviews and feedback should be examined to gauge customer satisfaction and identify potential areas for improvement.

Step 5: Gather Customer Insights

Directly gathering customer insights is invaluable. Use surveys, focus groups, and online feedback tools to get to the heart of how customers perceive your brand. The goal is to understand how well you meet their needs, where you fall short, and how you can serve them better.

Step 6: Listen to Non-Buyers

A brand audit doesn’t only focus on current customers; understanding why some people don’t buy from you is equally important. By surveying non-buyers, you can uncover brand awareness issues or barriers that keep them from converting. Their insights might reveal an opportunity to reframe your messaging or highlight overlooked features.

Step 7: Engage with Employees

Employees are your brand’s most direct representatives. Conduct an internal survey to measure how well they understand and embody the brand. Employee feedback can reveal inconsistencies in internal brand perception, as well as insights for building a stronger internal culture.

Step 8: Evaluate the Competition

Next, take an objective look at your competitors. Consider their strengths, weaknesses, and unique qualities compared to your own brand. Analyze their marketing and social media strategies to identify what’s working well for them and how your brand can stand out.

Step 9: Develop an Action Plan

Using the insights from each previous step, create a detailed action plan. This plan should prioritize adjustments that will significantly impact your brand’s performance and alignment with business objectives. Aim for a balance of quick wins and long-term projects to keep your brand audit actionable and effective.

Step 10: Review, Refine, and Repeat

Brand audits aren’t one-time events; they should be part of your ongoing strategy. Set a timeline to review your brand regularly to ensure it adapts to market changes and customer expectations. Consider revisiting the brand audit every few years to keep your brand fresh, relevant, and aligned with evolving goals.

A brand audit isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s an essential business tool for growth and longevity. Download our DIY Brand Audit with structured worksheets to make this process manageable and impactful. Grab your team, set aside some time, and dig into your brand. The benefits of a strong, consistent, and well-loved brand will be worth the effort.

Plus, our team is always here if you’re looking for a more in-depth analysis!